Meditation is an ideal way to pray. Using God's word (Lectio Divina) allows me to hear, listen and reflect on what the Lord wants to say to me - to one of his disciples - just like He did two thousand years ago.
The best time to reflect is at the beginning of the day and for at least 15 to 30 minutes.
Prior to going to sleep, read the Mass readings for the next day and then, in the morning, reflect on the Meditation offered on this website.
I hope these daily meditations allow you to know, love and imitate the Lord in a more meaningful way.
God bless you!


Saturday, November 9, 2013

Jn 2:13-22 Do You Somtimes Get Angry? Good For You!

Saturday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
(Click here for readings)

He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and the 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."

Justified anger.  I remember my middle school religion teacher asking our class one day if it was a sin to be angry.  "Yes," we answered automatically.  We were surprised when he contradicted us.  Justified anger, we learned, we learned was more than acceptable.  Even Jesus Christ Himself did it.

We proceeded to watch a Gospel movie in which the actor portraying Jesus screamed with anger, fashioned a whip, and wildly destroyed the merchant tables set up in the Temple.  That imagery brought this Gospel passage to life, but it was strange for me to watch.  Our merciful Savior, the Good Shepherd, overturning tables?!

Perhaps this outrage was such a foreign concept because it's where we as humans are most lacking.  We see injustice everywhere.  In our own world, countries, schools, governments, etc. Injustice is everywhere, but what do we do about it?

Stop making my Father's house a marketplace.  The Jews in Jerusalem had the opportunity to praise God in a temple that had taken forty-six years to complete.  But they took advantage of it.  They turned it into a place of disrespect and greed.

These words are even truer today than they were when Jesus first spoke them.  Our temples have become marketplaces.  And I'm not talking about physical Church buildings.  As we hear in the second reading, the true temple is us, the temples of our bodies. 

Good people go wrong because our culture treats our bodies like a marketplace.  This temple is degraded and disrespected to sell more (albums, tickets, etc.), but in reality, the only thing that is sold is our souls.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Just like the Jews were blessed with a Temple, we are blessed with the constant presence of the Holy Spirit within us.  We are inherently holy. No matter what we do or have done, we are holy simply because the Spirit dwells within us. 

This should be our anchor.  This realization should forever be at the forefront of our minds.  If we all were aware of how intimately the Spirit dwells within us, then I think we would no longer see a surge in outright disrespect for our temples.  I think we would start to realize our worth and the worth of those around us. 

Everywhere you turn, goodness is being mocked, trashed, and viciously assaulted by those who fail to recognize the Holy Spirit within their neighbors.  Will you stand by idly?  Will you allow God's house to become a marketplace and His creations desecrated?  Or will you take action and rise up against injustice?  I know what Jesus would do.

Don't be afraid to get passionate.  Don't be afraid to make noise.  Because sometimes, when God is being attacked from all angles, justified anger is the only thing strong enough to bring the injustice to an end. 

This meditation was written by Faith.  She is a High School Senior and a guest contributor to this blog.  You can find her blog at http://heavensboulevard.blogspot.com/

1 comment:

  1. Excellent job, sister in Christ! Keep nurturing the gift of the Spirit within you, that you may continue to be a blessing to our world.

    ReplyDelete

Updated: Comments that are judged to be defamatory, abusive or in bad taste are not acceptable and contributors who consistently fall below certain criteria will be permanently blacklisted. Comments must be concise and to the point.Comments are no longer accepted for posts older than 7 days.