Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

I imagine that the money changers in the Temple, those who were seeking monetary gain, did not all happen to move into the Temple overnight. It was more likely a gradual process of corruption, where the House of Prayer slowly became more of a den of thieves rather than a space of worship. Practically speaking, it’s like how a desk or common space can become overrun by unfinished projects and clutter; random items accumulate over the course of time if they are not attended to or addressed until it looks more like chaos than any sense of order.

Perhaps our interior life is the most essential space to examine. It is important for us to call upon the Spirit to help us examine the current state of our own hearts. Here too, we will discover that our hearts have become distracted, burdened, preoccupied, and in need of purification. We need to identify and invite the Lord to drive out far from us the actions and attitudes that prevent us from offering ourselves completely to God. By simplifying and cleansing the Temple of our heart, we maintain it as a place fitting of its intended purpose—a place where we give God praise and glory—a place set aside for worship of the One True God.

We are gifted with this day to reflect and to realize that the real work that needs to be accomplished is not our work (i.e. our to-do lists), in fact, it’s not really about what we do, but what God does in us, which is the process of conversion and transformation where grace touches our lives.

Reflection Question: What are the distractions or attachments that have turned our inner sanctuary into something other than a House of Prayer?

Reflection by Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB