My friends in Christ,
Our readings this morning and over the next few weeks point to several key moments in salvation history. Last week we heard of God’s covenant with Abraham, today we hear of the Covenant with Moses, and next week the breaking of the that covenant. The covenant with Moses includes something that we are very familiar with, but yet don’t always give much thought to, the Ten Commandments. For many, it is seen as a list of restrictions. A list of things for us not to do. But when we look closely at what they convey to us, we see they are an expression of God’s love for us and a tool to help us put the Lord at the center of our lives.
Lent is a perfect time for us to return to the basics of our spiritual lives. Just as any successful athlete would tell you, mastering the fundamentals is essential for success, the same is true spiritually. One of the key fundamentals of our Faith is the Ten Commandments. When examining our conscience in preparation for the sacrament of confession, or indeed for one’s daily examen at the end of the day, going through these commandments is the best way to see how we did with the basics. The Ten Commandments can be divided into two groups. The first 3 dealing with our relationship with God, and the next 7 dealing with our relationship with others. Of the two, the first group dealing with our relationship with God is the most important because if we get our relationship with God right, it opens us to have right relations with others. If our relationship with God is lacking, then everything else we do will be lacking. Therefore it is essential for us to have a right relationship with the Lord. We must put Christ at the center of our lives in order for us to live well in our society and to have good relations with others. This includes those we meet on the street, those we work with or attend school with, and the members of our families. When God is at the center of our lives, all these relationships will be better.
In our Gospel this morning we see the famous scene of Jesus flipping over tables and driving merchants and money changers out of the Temple with a whip. Christ was not messin’ around this day. Now why would the Lord be so angry at this? Why was he so upset? Well, let’s think about where this scene occurs, in the Temple in Jerusalem. This was the holiest place on earth at the time. This is where people came to pray and offer sacrifices to God. So when Jesus saw how everyone there was behaving more like they were at a ballgame than in the house of God, he became enraged. For these people standing in the temple, they were not there out of devotion or piety, but rather to enrich themselves. They did not have God at the center of their lives. While I am sure none of you plan to start selling peanuts or hot dogs during Mass, we should learn from this Gospel to respect holy places. And let us think how every Catholic church is holier than the temple in Jerusalem because in every church there is a tabernacle where Jesus is truly present. St Padre Pio recalls praying in the chapel when a soul from Purgatory appeared to him. This soul, who like Padre Pio was dressed in a Franciscan habit. He identified himself as a former novice who studied in the same place but passed away. He relayed that while there he worked as a sacristan and there were many times when he was working in the chapel he didn’t genuflect or bow to the tabernacle. He didn’t show the proper reverence to God. Now for this venial sin, he had to spend time in Purgatory. Let us not fall into the same trap as this former Franciscan novice. Let us always show reverence when we are in a church, remembering that Christ is truly present here. Let these acts of piety and devotion help us to keep Christ always at the center of our lives.
So my friends, let us take some time this next week and focus on the Ten Commandments. Let us examine our conscience to see how well we have done at keeping God at the center, and also how we treated others. If necessary let us seek sacramental confession for our sins, and as always, let us continue to pray for each other as we make our Lenten pilgrimage.
Hound of the Lord 