March 7: Third Sunday of Lent

The whole church throughout the world prays with the following scriptures on the Third Sunday of Lent (Cycle B)

Exodus 20:1-17: Our Ten Commandments were given to our spiritual ancestors, the ancient Israelites. These basic rules are essential to our covenant with God. God gives us everything; the least we can do is keep the commandments. Think about it: how could we call ourselves civilized without them? Had God not given them to us through Moses and those who carried them throughout history to us, we would create them or something very, very much like them. They’re practical ways to love with integrity and focus to nurture our relationship with God and with one another. God created us, cherishes us, nurtures us and we follow God’s directives; we have responsibilities to all humanity even when we do not know them or dislike, distrust, or fear them. Weaving the ten commandments into the fabric of our lives helps us live Jesus’ greatest commandments: to love God and one another.

Psalm 19: 8-11: The first five books of the Bible are Torah or teachings. Ancient Israel saw Torah as blessed instructions and praised God for them for they give “wisdom to the simple” and “enlighten the eye.” “The ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just. They are more precious than gold … sweeter than syrup or honey from the comb.” I went to seminary to study scripture because I wanted to learn the meaning of these “words of everlasting life.” Today’s psalm sings praise to God for teaching us! We join in this song of praise and thank God for guiding the people before us, ourselves, and those to come as God’s word is given to live in all who listen to God’s word.

1 Corinthians 1:22–25 
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, 
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

John 2:13-25 As we listen to today’s Gospel imagine we’re with Jesus walking toward the entrance to the temple. I might have tried to talk him out of trashing the “marketplace” but he is unrelenting as he angrily overturns the money changer’s tables. Jesus angrily reveals God’s righteous anger when what is good and intended to help people is contaminated by misplaced priorities and greed. Jesus overturned what dehumanized people, and what oppressed the poor. He sought to overturn laws that did not refresh the soul or reflect the mercy and compassionate God who Jesus knew so well. So, each Lent we look carefully at our own lives to see what we can fast from that’s distracting us from loving God and others. Jesus is the divine temple who takes the holy presence on the road and hands it over to his disciples. That’s us! We, ordinary people, carry Jesus who widens our vision to love and to serve with compassion. We are each a temple of God’s Holy Spirit, born to love God and one another.

• What does Jesus want to overturn in our lives to help us love better?

• What can we sweep clean so that we can better see who needs loving, who needs serving?

• What is Jesus trying to cleanse in our inner selves so we, likewise, cleanse the culture in which we live?

Deni Mack, Pastoral Associate Emeritus