Our readings this weekend present us with a different side of God and Jesus than perhaps we are accustomed to – in our first reading we hear that God is a “jealous” God and in our Gospel today it appears that Jesus looses His temper overturning tables and chasing people out of the temple – isn’t Jesus the One who said “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”?
How are we to understand these things?
[ The second book of the Old Testament is called Exodus from the Greek word for “departure”. The Book of Exodus is about the departure of the Israelites – God’s chosen people – out of the land of Egypt. ]
Our first reading today is taken from the Book of Exodus – After the birth and call of Moses, after the plagues that God sent to convince Pharaoh to let His people go, and after their exodus from Egypt through the Red Sea, the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai – and that is the where our first reading takes place.
It was there, at Mt. Sinai, that the chosen people of God – the Israelites – entered into a covenant with God – He would be their God and they would be His people – and it was there that they received the Law – by which they were to become a holy people, in whom the promise of a Savior for all mankind would be fulfilled.
We hear in our first reading the Ten Commandments – which were authored by God and given to Moses in the form of two stone tablets.
The first three commandments – I am the Lord your God; you shall not have false gods before me – you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain – and you shall keep holy the Sabbath day – all deal with our relationship with God – and were inscribed on the first tablet.
The remaining 7 commandments – inscribed on the second tablet - deal with our relationship with each other – you shall honor your mother and father – you shall not kill – you shall not commit adultery – you shall not steal – you shall not bear false witness – you shall not covet your neighbor’s spouse and you shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
Two stone tablets – the first dealt with our relationship with God and the second our relationship with each other. Is it any wonder then, that when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was that He responded with two, what did He say: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself – there is no other commandment greater than these.
Jesus took the whole Mosaic Law and reduced it down – not to two tablets – but to two commandments – in which all the other commandments could be justified. The first commandment deals with our relationship with God and the second with our relationship with everyone else.
If we truly love the Lord our God like we are called to do – with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds and all our strength – then we would gladly give to God what is truly His – our whole selves and all of our love – and if we did that we would then be truly free to love our neighbors as ourselves.
But what about that word “jealous”? Is God really jealous? He is – but not in the same way we are.
When we use that word we use it in the sense of being envious of someone who has something we don’t have. I might be jealous of someone who has a nicer car than I do, a bigger house, more money or more hair than I do. I want what they have.
When we look at that verse in our first reading though – we find that God isn’t jealous because someone has something He wants – “You shall not have other gods besides me” He says. “You shall not carve idols for yourselves … you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God,” – notice that in this verse God is talking about being jealous if someone (you or I) gives something that rightfully belongs to Him – our love our worship our adoration – to another someone or something. This type of jealousy is not sinful – in fact it is entirely appropriate. We find in our first reading today – that God has a “zeal” – a righteous zeal – for the truth that He alone is God.
So what does that mean – here is where things get hard - God cannot just be another priority in our lives – He can’t be just another item to check off our to-do list – but hold on, it goes further than that – you see God can’t even be the first priority in our lives – wait, what are you saying “He can’t be my first priority” – that’s right – because if you make God your first priority that means you have other priorities too. God cannot be a priority – GOD has to be who we are – He has to be our very lives.
All that we say all that we do all that we are has to reflect the love of God – for it is through Him with Him and in Him that we have life – and all glory and honor truly belongs to Him and Him alone.
You and I were created by God – to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him. And whether it is 10 commandments or just 2 – or even a hundred – you and I are free – we have a choice – to love like God loves us – unconditionally – which is what Jesus chose to do – or not.
So the first question we have to ask ourselves now is – Where is God in the choices we make?
I know there are a lot of tough choices out there to make and those choices – depending on if you are a child in school, a teenager or an adult – are difficult and hard to make. But you will find if God is the center of your life – all of those tough choices become easy.
Where is God in your relationships – with your boyfriend or girlfriend – with your parents – with your brothers and sisters, and co-workers. Where is God in embryonic stem cell research? Where is God in same-sex marriages, abortion, euthanasia or the death penalty? Where is God in how you chose to spend your gifts of time, talent and treasure?
God loves us so much that He gave us free will – the freedom to choose – He wouldn’t force us to Love Him – He won’t coerce us into loving Him – and He won’t frighten us into loving Him – because that wouldn’t be true love. And He won’t force us to choose to do the “right” thing.
Freedom is the ability we have to do what is right – but many of us believe that freedom is the ability to do what we want – when we choose to do what we want to do and that what we do is not right – we abuse our freedom – we turn away from God – He doesn’t stop loving us – but we, in our pride – in our arrogance – in our selfishness – turn away from Him – and the love He wants to share with us is fractured and if we continue in our harmful ways – we distance ourselves further and further from God.
This is, all too often, the path that most of us take. [ It's my body I can do what I want. That's my business not yours. It's my choice. I am free to do what I want. ]
That is why in addition to giving each of us free will – God gave us something else – His only Son – Jesus – and the Holy Spirit. Left on our own we could never make the right choices.
That is why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is so important – that is why receiving our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, hearing His word in Holy Scripture, spending an hour with Him in adoration and praying often is so important to our spiritual health.
Ok – so what about Jesus in our Gospel today – turning over tables and chasing people out of the temple. Well just like God in our first reading who had a righteous zeal for the truth that He alone is God and worthy of all our love and adoration – Jesus has a righteous zeal for His Father’s House.
Merchants were abusing the Temple – a place that was reserved, set aside, consecrated for prayer and worship. Certainly the merchants were entitled to earn a living – but not in the Temple. Jesus was right when He drove them out.
Just think – what if Fr. Calis (our pastor) stood at the front door of the Church and chased away people that he thought weren’t dressed appropriately; what if before Mass he went around asking people to talk quietly or not at all; or what if, he asked the ushers to stand by the doors and not let anyone leave right after communion – would he be wrong in doing these things – I don’t think so but oh man – I would love to be down at the archdiocese – the phones would be ringing off the wall – people would carpool down there and demand to speak with the Cardinal – then the Cardinal would have a word or two with Fr. Calis. But tell me – isn’t this God’s House – and just like Jesus shouldn’t each of us have a “zeal” for our Father’s House? Fr. Calis shouldn't have to talk to anyone about how they are dressed, how loud they are in Church or leaving early - we shouldn't put him in that position.
My heart and prayers go out to all the good priests who over the years have been crucified by their parishioners for calling them back to God.
So what does that mean to you and me – here is where it gets difficult again – just like Jesus you and I are called to point out to our family members, our friends and all those that we come into contact with – those things they are doing that dishonor truth and love – that is just another way of saying those things that dishonor God.
Certainly we have to do this with charity and love and in a non-judgmental way – even then we run the risk of receiving the brunt of their anger – we can’t let that stop us. If we truly love them then we want what is best for them – and the most loving thing we could do for them is to call the back to the Lord.
But there is ever more we are called to – when our Church leaders – the Pope, our Cardinals and Bishops, and our Pastors – make statements that support Church teaching and correct us in our actions – we are called to support them – and when they make statements that don’t support Church teaching – we are called to question them – in a respectful way of course.
Jesus – driving the merchants and money changers from the temple – was as much a reproach on the behavior of the Pharisees who allowed them to enter in the first place as it was an attack on those conducting their business.
Our readings today call us – during the time of Lent – to take a good look at where is God in our lives, where is He in what we do, what we say – in the choices we make – and even how we worship – here in this House of God – is Christ truly the center of our lives and is it Him we are serving our ourselves?
God Bless you!
