Gospel
Jn 2:13-25
Since the Passover (1) of the Jews was
near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area,
with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and
overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal
(2) for your house will consume (3) me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us
for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days
I will raise it up.”
The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six
years,
and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered
that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word
Jesus had spoken.
While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to
believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not
trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to
testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.
The difficult words
(1) Passover is the Jewish holiday
celebrating freedom from slavery in Egypt.
(2) Zeal is strong dedication, or intense love.
(3) To consume means to overwhelm or to
burn.
This week’s spotlight
The Decalogue
The Decalogue refers to the Ten
Commandments, the ten guiding rules that God gives to Moses. They help us
understand how to build our lives with God. Jesus teaches us that keeping the
commandments basically means loving God and loving our neighbor. This is what
Christ means in the Gospel of Saint John when he says: "Love one another
as I have loved you.”
The collection
Each Sunday a collection is taken up during the offertory of the Mass.
The people give a portion of their money to God as an offering of themselves
and a gift of thanks to help others.Those responsible for the parish use this
money in different ways. It provides for the upkeep of the church, the needs of
the priests, the education of children, the operation of the diocese, and, of
course, for the poor. The Scriptures tell us that God loves a cheerful giver;
and that almsgiving takes away sin.
Reflection
When God speaks to
Moses at the top of Mount Sinai, he gives him the ten commandments: love God,
do not kill, do not steal, love and respect your parents... These ten
commandments allow men, women, and children to live in peace on earth.
Later, God’s Son Jesus also left us a commandment for
living in peace: love one another as God loved us. How did Jesus love us? He
loved us by giving of himself, all the way to the very end - all the way to his
death on the cross. Of course, it might seem impossible for you to do
everything as he did!
However,
if you trust in him, if you listen to him, you can also love others as Jesus
did - by thinking of others before you think of yourself, by sharing your
things, by giving up what you like If it makes others happy. You will see, you
will not be unhappy because the more we help others, the happier we are!
As
we think about Jesus cleansing the temple, we should also be reminded that
there is some other cleaning that needs to be done. The Bible tells us that we
are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in us. (1 Cor. 3:16) The
season of Lent is a good time for us to look inside ourselves and see if there
is anything in us that needs to be cleansed. Are there some areas of your life
where you need to do some house cleaning? I know there are in mine!
Discussion
questions
1.
In which occasion did
Jesus go to the temple in Jerusalem?
2.
What did people sell
in the temple areas?
3.
What did Jesus do?
4.
What did Jesus say to
them?
5.
How long did it take the
Jews to build the temple?
6.
What did Jesus mean “temple”?
Praying after Communion
After receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus Christ, in communion with the whole Church, I
thank you for coming into my heart. May this communion with the body and blood
of your Son, Jesus, make us one body united in love. May our love for one
another as brothers and sisters be a powerful sign of your presence in the
world.
Crossword Puzzle
Source: http://www.usccb.org - Magnifikid - www.sermons4kids.com