Reflection for THIRD SUNDAY in LENT

Refection or Sunday in Third Week o Lent, 2015--“More Precious than o!d" Sr. Margaret John Kelly, Moderator of the Ladies of Charity, St. John’s University Readings: Exodus !"# $sal% &:'!# Corinthians :((!()# John (:*!(). R#$L#%T&'() +n our reading fro% Exodus today e are re%inded that -od delivered the Co%%and%ents/ as a 0ode for hu%anity for all ti%es. +n those ten state%ents, -od sti1ulated o2ligations to 3i%self through ex0lusive orshi1 4!(5 and 2y 6ee1ing holy the Sa22ath 4*5# honoring our 1arents 475 as ell as a 0atalog of for2idden so0ial relationshi1s and a0tivities4)!85. 9e %eet the harsh -od ho 1unishes to the third and fourth generation/ those ho hate/ 3i%# and e %eet the gentle -od ho 2estos %er0y to the thousandth generation on the 0hildren of those ho love %e and 6ee1 %y 0o%%and%ents/. 9e also hear -od’s arning that 3e is a ealous -od/ and desires that 3is 1eo1le love and serve 3i% ith ;delity and totality. -od ill not 2e in 0o%1etition ith %aterial goods or earthly %otives. <he 1sal% res1onse of Lord, you have the ords of eternal life/ a=r%s the la of the Lord hi0h is indeed 1erfe0t, generative, trustorthy, right, 0lear, enlightening, 1ure, eternal, true and %ore 1re0ious than gold/. >gainst that 2a06ground, the -os1el 1resents a so%ehat sho06ing s0ene at the < e%1le of Jerusale%, the holiest of holy 1la0es for the Jes. >rtists in ords and for%s have %e%oriali?ed the event 2y shoing us an unfa%iliar Jesus driving aay the entre1reneurs/ ith their doves and sa0ri;0ial ani%als, their 0o%%er0ial interests. <he ta2les of the %oney 0hangers, re@uired 2y se0ular and religious la, are overturned. Jesus is fearless and i%1erious in his 0o%%and: Sto1 %a6ing %y Aather’s house a %ar6et1la0e./ Ainan0ial gain 0annot 2e the 1ur1ose of religious a0tions. > 0o%1eting god is e%2ra0ed hen a0tions ina11ro1riate in sa0red 1la0es are 0arried on. +n Jesus’s la, 0o%%er0ial interests 0annot su1ersede the 1ri%ary 1ur1ose of the te%1le. 3e %ust defend his Aather’s rights. <his dra%ati0 0leansing of the te%1le area reinstates the 1riority of religious 1ra0ti0e over %onetary interests and 1ortrays the La as %ore 1re0ious than gold. +t also %ay 0a1ture hat $o1e A ran0is des0ri2es as a6ing u1 the orld/ 2y our itness to Christian values. Bo you see these as 0onne0ted PR*+#R) D -od of Love and Justi0e, engrave dee1 in %y heart your ords of eternal Life/. May + alays 0onsider your La as your gift to %e so that + %ay freely 0hoose to love you. Kee1 %e aare of your 1resen0e in the 1ersons + %eet ea0h day and in all the events that %a6e u1 %y life. 3el1 %e to %anage ell the te%1le of %y life and

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Sr. Margaret John Kelly, DC, Spiritual Moderator of the Ladies of Charity at St. John's University, offers this week's reflection.

Transcript of Reflection for THIRD SUNDAY in LENT

Reflection for Sunday in Third Week of Lent, 2015--More Precious than Gold Sr. Margaret John Kelly, Moderator of the Ladies of Charity, St. Johns UniversityReadings: Exodus 1-17; Psalm 19:8-11; Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25.REFLECTION:In our reading from Exodus today we are reminded that God delivered the Commandments as a code for humanity for all times. In those ten statements, God stipulated obligations to Himself through exclusive worship (1-2) and by keeping holy the Sabbath (3); honoring our parents (4) as well as a catalog of forbidden social relationships and activities(5-10). We meet the harsh God who punishes to the third and fourth generation those who hate Him; and we meet the gentle God who bestows mercy to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments. We also hear Gods warning that He is a jealous God and desires that His people love and serve Him with fidelity and totality. God will not be in competition with material goods or earthly motives. The psalm response of Lord, you have the words of eternal life affirms the law of the Lord which is indeed perfect, generative, trustworthy, right, clear, enlightening, pure, eternal, true and more precious than gold. Against that background, the Gospel presents a somewhat shocking scene at the Temple of Jerusalem, the holiest of holy places for the Jews. Artists in words and forms have memorialized the event by showing us an unfamiliar Jesus driving away the entrepreneurs with their doves and sacrificial animals, their commercial interests. The tables of the money changers, required by secular and religious law, are overturned. Jesus is fearless and imperious in his command: Stop making my Fathers house a marketplace. Financial gain cannot be the purpose of religious actions. A competing god is embraced when actions inappropriate in sacred places are carried on. In Jesuss law, commercial interests cannot supersede the primary purpose of the temple. He must defend his Fathers rights. This dramatic cleansing of the temple area reinstates the priority of religious practice over monetary interests and portrays the Law as more precious than gold. It also may capture what Pope Francis describes as waking up the world by our witness to Christian values. Do you see these as connected?PRAYER:O God of Love and Justice, engrave deep in my heart your words of eternal Life. May I always consider your Law as your gift to me so that I may freely choose to love you. Keep me aware of your presence in the persons I meet each day and in all the events that make up my life. Help me to manage well the temple of my life and give me the courage to cleanse it of all that is not of your inspiration or will. I ask this in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.