Third Sunday of Lent

Last Sunday we saw Jesus revealing His true identity on the mountain when He is transfigured in the presence of three of His disciples. In revealing Himself He also gives us a glimpse of ourselves for though Baptism we are incorporated into His Mystical Body – the Church. At the last Supper He describes this relationship when He says: ‘I am the vine and you are the branches.’ Jesus likes to speak to us in symbols – using images which we can easily understand but his purpose is to raise our minds to heavenly realities – which the human mind cannot grasp in their entirety.

In today’s Gospel we find Jesus in the Temple chasing out the cattle dealers and money changers. Zeal for His Father’s house consumes Him. The Temple in Jerusalem is meant to be a place of worship and prayer – not a market place. He goes on to speak about the sanctuary which is His Body.

Each baptised person is a sanctuary for the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit who dwell within according to Jesus’ promise:
“Anyone who loves me will keep my word
and my Father will love him and
we shall come to him
and make our home in him” (Jn 14:23)

St Paul reminds us:
“Do you not realise that you are a temple of God with the Spirit of God living in you? …..God’s temple is holy and you are that temple” (1Cor 3:16)

During this coming week let us listen once again to Jesus’ invitation to go to our secret sanctuary within our hearts and there shut the door on all the surrounding noise which clamours for our attention. May He purify the eye of our minds and remove from our heart the obstacles which prevent us from receiving His love. In that secret sanctuary where we stand before our Father in the nakedness of our being we are confident that our Father who sees all that is done in secret hears and answers us. (Cf Mt 6:5-6)