The Gospel today reveals an angry Jesus whose presence in the temple becomes a confrontation with Jews who are seeking to kill Him. The disciples understood this event later when they read from Psalm 93, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Jesus’ entrance in the temple was met with the clamor and noise of sellers and animals. The usually gentle Jesus made a whip out of cord, drove them out, and overturned the money changers’ tables. “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

We are glad to see Jesus angry since here in the holiest of temples, merchants were making the service of supplying animals needed for sacrifice into a business of greed and injustice. The Jews, unable to accept Jesus as the Son of God, asked for a sign. Jesus’ response was “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” While He spoke of His death and resurrection, the Jews could not know that because they were too intent on his death.

As followers of Jesus, we must defy anyone or anything that stands in the way of true worship. We have chosen to live as Jesus did and we strive to rise with Him. Lent is a time to ask if Jesus can count on our worship and ask ourselves if we respect places and times of worship, and the temple of our bodies. Do we share His zeal for His Father by reverencing those in whom He dwells? If Jesus finds that kind of worship in us, we will truly have a blessed Easter.

“…Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves..” Mark 9:2

This week we are called to enter more deeply into the message and meaning of this special season. Perhaps we are going to be asked to be open and ready to be called apart to a quiet place, alone with Jesus, to hear his heavenly voice like Peter, James and John when we may experience hearing “This is my beloved Son, hear Him.”

In our reflective listening, we want to be open to hearing Jesus calling us to love him more deeply by reaching out to the sick, poor, and neglected; touching the heart of those who feel they have nothing to live for or that life has no value—issues before us.

In our reflective silence, will we hear Jesus asking us to spend more time in prayer, be open to and willing to make more sacrifices and give attention to the needs of others? It seems so simple, but it is so powerful when we put into action the love for Jesus.

With Pope Francis we ask the Lord, “Make our hearts like yours...we have a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalization of indifference.”

The word “Lent” comes from an ancient concept meaning springtime. Just as we experience new life and growth in spring, our Church wisely initiated a period called Lent as the preparation time for those who desired entrance into the Church. During this time, they were expected to  prepare themselves by means of good works, prayers and fasting. Realizing that we are in need of conversion, we accept the challenge of these Lenten practices, as far as we are able, in order to sharpen our spiritual focus and deepen and strengthen our relationship with God.

This week’s readings give us a powerful example of Christ seeking strength and deepening his relationship with his Father. A picture I viewed recently called “Christ in the desert” shows a very human, weary man weighed down by the prospect of the mission His Father has prepared for him. His Father had the Spirit, not the devil, drive Christ into the desert so he could focus on his relationship as Christ would freely chose to embrace God’s plan. The Spirit gives us similar choices in our lives. We need this strong relationship with our God in order to make the right choices.

When we receive ashes on Ash Wednesday, we hear the words: “Turn away from sin and  believe the Gospel.” St. Francis knew that Christ had come primarily to show us how to know  and love His Father as he learned by reading the Gospel message Jesus had taught and by  living it fully. Christ and the Spirit invite us to do the same. Let us begin.

We invite you to journey with us through our weekly meditations during Lent. Do you have a prayer request? Please share it here and know of our prayerful support.