Destroy this sanctuary and in three days
I will raise it up .
He was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body.
He was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body.
Reading this passage in to-days
Eucharist on the cleansing of the Temple
I was struck by the intensity of Jesus’ zeal for the purity and integrity of
his Father’s house.
His attitude had always been one of
immense respect for the temple as many incidents related in the Gospels tell
us. The prophecies had foretold of the
destruction of the ancient temple which would be replaced by the New Temple
This theme of the true temple can be traced right through the scriptures
to reveal that “Jesus has truly transferred to his own person the privilege, long
held by the temple, of being the place where mankind would find God’s presence
and salvation.”( Congar The mystery of
the temple) It makes for a fascinating study but is too long to go into detail
here.
Thro’ the mystery of the Incarnation Jesus becomes for us the image of
the invisible God, the one whom the gracious Father with love sends into our
world to draw it back to Him who first created it. We thro’ our baptism are incorporated into the
life of this Jesus to be come thro, with, and in Him, temples of the Blessed Trinity.
Will we ever be able to fathom so great a
mystery? a mystery which touches us not only as individuals but as a community
and Church.
“ Do you not under stand that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit
has his dwelling in you ? He is God’s
gift to you so that you are no longer your own masters. A great price has been paid to ransom you ;
glorify God by making your bodies the shrines of his presence. 1 Cor.
“ A great price has been paid to
ransom you”, yes indeed ,that of the immolation of Christ’ s body which would
be raised up again on the 3rd day, in other words His loving and
whole-hearted submission to the will of his Father leading him to the glory
such as belongs to the only begotten Son. .Here we are at the heart of the whole work of
Jesus, the work which the Father had given him to do. And is not this our work too, we who are his
brothers and sisters? The Church encourages
us in Lent to stir up our memory and conscience to that fact as we journey with
Jesus to the glorious transfiguration of the Resurrection . The witness of so many of to-day’s
Christians who are ready to shed their blood for Christ spurs me on to deepen
my faith, my hope ,my love for the blessed Three who dwell within me .
All
praise, O Blessed Trinity,
Be
yours, from whom all graces flow,
On
those who triumph through the cross
The
victor’s crown in heaven bestow.
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