November 09, 2015
Monday
Dedication of
the Lateran Basilica
1st Reading: Ezk 47:1–2, 8–9, 122nd Reading: 1 Cor 3:9c–11, 16–17
Gospel: John 2:13-22
As the Passover of the Jews was at hand, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the Temple court he found merchants selling oxen, sheep and doves, and money-changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the Temple court, together with the oxen and sheep. He knocked over the tables of the money-changers, scattering the coins, and ordered the people selling doves, “Take all this away and stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”His disciples recalled the words of Scripture: Zeal for your House devours me as a fire.The Jews then questioned Jesus, “Where are the miraculous signs which give you the right to do this?” And Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then replied, “The building of this temple has already taken forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”Actually, Jesus was referring to the temple of his body. Only when he had risen from the dead did his disciples remember these words; then they believed both the Scripture and the words Jesus had spoken.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Jeremiah made a similar prediction of the destruction of the Temple when he said that if people continued sinning, the Lord would treat the Temple as he treated Shiloh, which was destroyed by the Philistines. (Jer. 7:1-15).God said through Jeremiah: “But if you do amend your behavior and your actions, if you treat each other fairly, if you do not exploit thestranger, the orphan and the widow, if you do not shed innocent bloodin this place, and if you do not follow alien gods, to your own, ruin,then here in this place I will stay with you…”The Temple was indeed destroyed in 70 A.D. That’s history we can do little about. The message, however, remains valid for us who continue to render God lip service. This phenomenon comes by the term “hypocrisy”. A story is told of four armed men who interrupted a Holy Mass and announced that they would kill all Catholics loyal to God. Many left except some old women who too weak to run. When the commotion was over the armed men removed their bonnets and told the priest, “Father, you may go ahead with the Mass now; the hypocritesare already gone.”
Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple and it did happen. Jesusmay not longer find any Temple to destroy but if he were to visit ourChurches today, he would still have to drive out, not oxen nor sheep,but hypocrites with bestial traits. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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