3B LENT HOMILY, JOHN 2:13-25, MARCH 3, 2024
1. STORY
One of the most beautiful and important churches in the Holy Land is the
Church of the Annunciation located in Nazareth. The church commemorates the Angel Gabriel
informing Mary she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Nazareth is also the town where Jesus lived
for 30 years before he began his public ministry. A few years ago, a troubled family entered the
church and set off a dozen firecrackers during a crowded worship service. The congregation became furious at the family
for doing something so disrespectful in such a sacred place. A church is a house of pray and worship and
certain activities are prohibited.
2. GOSPEL, JOHN 2:13-25
A. TAKE THESE THINGS OUT OF HERE.
In Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple and was very unhappy at what he saw. He ordered those out of the temple who were doing business such as selling oxen and sheep and the money changers. These activities made his Father’s house a marketplace.
B. MY FATHER’S HOUSE.
Jesus knew that the temple was the house of his Father. It was a sacred place, a house for pray and
worship. It must only be used for this
purpose.
3. APPLICATION TO LIFE
A. TAKE THESE THINGS OUT OF HERE.
Because of our baptism, we became adopted children of
God our Father, brothers and sisters of Jesus, and temples of the Holy
Spirit. Lent is a good time to reflect
on what we should try to remove from our lives. Here are three vices to consider.
i) Anger hurts others and ourselves. It must be replaced by respect.
ii) Hatred is not loving others. It
must be replaced by forgiveness as Jesus teaches us in the Our Father.
iii) Selfishness is the act of thinking about and acting only for ourselves and neglecting the needs of others. It must be replaced by generosity.
B. WE ARE TEMPLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
We must remember that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, we are sacred
persons. Here are three suggestions for
Lent.
i) Be respectful of others in our thoughts by remembering that we are
children of God. We do this by our words
of praise and comfort to others and by our actions such as listening
attentively when one speaks.
ii) Be forgiving of others who may have offended us. Remember Jesus forgives us and has taught us
to forgive others.
iii) Be generous towards others by giving them your time, talents, and
your material help. Such ways of dealing
with people will make them happy. When
we make people happy, we also gain happiness.
4. CONCLUSION
It was very disrespectful and improper to set off firecrackers in the
church. Jesus removed those from the
temple who were making it a market place by selling ox and sheep and the money
changers. We are the temples of the Holy
Spirit. We must remove from our lives
unfit attitudes and actions such as anger, hatred, and selfishness. We must respect others, forgive others, and be
generous towards others. We are temples
of the Holy Spirit.
