Following the Lord and His Mission!

03rd Sunday of Lent: March 03, 2024

Readings: Exodus 20:1–17; Psalm 19:8–11; 1 Corinthians 1:22–25; John 2:13–25

 To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/rXzpgfePe_0

Howard Thuman famously said, "Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Living in a digital world surrounded by the euphoria of AI, ChatGpt, and Machine Learning (ML), we are in the midst of a transition. The change has been very quick and fast evolving. Those who embrace the race will not be the losers. However, we are invited to be part of it because it is our invention. It depends on us whether we would like to control technology or allow technology to control us. Unless we come alive, the world will be dormant, marginalized, and impoverished. The people of Jesus' time never realized the Messiah amidst them instead they saw in him a disturbance, a threat to their corrupt practices. On this Third Sunday of Lent, the liturgical readings invite us to accept the precepts of God wholeheartedly so that we come alive fully to carry on in this world. 

1. Necessity of Blessed Rage for the House of God

The passage from John 2:13–25 recounts the incident where Jesus cleanses the Temple in Jerusalem, an event that is significant both to Messianic work as well as the Jewish community as a whole. Jesus' actions in the Temple demonstrate his deep passion and reverence for the house of God. His zeal is not merely for the physical structure but for what it represents: a place of worship, prayer, and connection with the Divine. Therefore, our faith must move beyond witnessing miracles or signs but more of a personal relationship with God that is rooted in trust, love and commitment. 

The display of anger in Jesus is so obvious. Jesus finds commercialization and desecration of sacred space unacceptable. Sometimes anger can be good and is necessary to root out wickedness, evil, and injustice. It must be rooted in love for God's principles. This could turn into a powerful force for change. The temple authorities had turned the house of God into a marketplace, a swift shift from spiritual priorities to material gain. Temple is not just a physical location but also a spiritual space that we give within us. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit in the words of St Paul, which means living in a way that honors God's presence within us. 

2. The Paradox of the Cross: The Wisdom of God vs. Human Wisdom

The passage from 1 Corinthians 1:22–25 offers meaningful insights into the nature of God's wisdom and power, contrasting it with human expectations and understanding. St Paul speaks of the cross as a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. For a believer, the idea of salvation and the power of God comes through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. God's plans and methods are completely different from what humans value or understand. The cross represents a divine paradox: through what appears to be ultimate defeat and weakness, God manifests ultimate power and victory over sin and death.

God's wisdom is infinite and unmeasurable. Only humility before God could be the starting point to understand who God is. Theologian Karl Rahner said, that only a theology on the knees could understand the depth and breadth of immesurability and incomprehensibility of God. No matter how advanced or sophisticated, we might have become, and now with AI and ML, yet, it is God who gives us the intelligence and capacity to think and work out better instruments.  The depth of God's wisdom and power is unfathomable and yet He takes care of us who are weak and vulnerable. 

3. Moving Forward Through Commandments

The passage from Exodus 20:1–17, known as the Ten Commandments, serves as a foundational text for both moral and spiritual guidance within the Judeo-Christian tradition. These commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai and are central to the covenant between God and the Israelites. They basically reflect and provide profound insights into the nature of our relationship with God and with one another. Of course, it emphasizes the primacy of God in the lives of the faithful. It is to put God first in our lives. Often we are surrounded or influenced by modern "gods" such as wealth, power, or even our own egos.

In sum, the commandments of God call for a deep respect for the divine. It must be not just in our words but in our actions and thoughts. It requires to foster sanctity, a life of integrity and reverence. The commandments focus on our relationships with others, covering honor for parents, the sanctity of life, fidelity in marriage, respect for property, truthfulness, and contentment. These commandments challenge us to reflect on how we treat others and encourage us to cultivate relationships marked by respect, love, and integrity. In other words, by obeying God's wishes, we can cultivate holiness and right relationship with God and with each other. Thus we may truly walk in the path of freedom and embrace a life of fulfillment and peace.

Questions for self-reflection

1. In what ways am I commercializing my faith or allowing secular influences to overshadow the sacredness of my relationship with God?
2. How can I shift my focus to finding strength and wisdom in the message of the cross in this Lenten Season?
3. In what ways have I allowed modern "gods" to take precedence over my relationship with the Lord? How can I reorient my life to put God first?

Prayer based on Psalm 19

Heavenly Father, we come before You with hearts open to the wisdom of Your Word. We thank You for Your law that is perfect, reviving our souls, and for Your testimony that is sure, making wise the simple. Lord, let Your statutes bring joy to our hearts. May Your commandments, enlighten our eyes. Help us to see the beauty in Your precepts, recognizing their value as more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold.

Guide us, O God, that we may avoid the hidden faults and willful sins that so easily entangle. Cleanse us from our secret faults and keep us from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over us, that we may be blameless and innocent of great transgression.  May the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Let us treasure Your truth, for in doing so, we walk in the light of Your love. We make this prayer in Jesus' Holy Name,  Amen.

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

March 01, 2024