The Mosaic Law prescribed various sacrifices that the Israelites had to offer to atone for sin and to mark various life events. All sacrifices had to be performed at the Temple in Jerusalem by members of the priesthood. Most of the sacrifices involved the ritual killing of an animal, whose meat would then either be burned at the altar or later consumed by the priests.
The rules mandated that the sacrificial animal had to be without blemish in order to be worthy of the Temple sacrifice. In order to ensure that the animals fit the requirements, the priests arranged for animals to be raised specifically for these rituals. Pilgrims coming to the Temple from different parts of the Jewish world could not bring their own animals. They had to purchase the appropriate sacrificial animals at the Temple.
Another complication was that the Roman coins in circulation bore pagan images, which were considered idolatrous. Thus, they were not accepted at the Temple as payment. Instead, the pilgrims had to exchange their money for Temple coins when they arrived and then they had to use the Temple coins to purchase the sacrificial animals.
That is where the abuse came in. The Temple administration could charge whatever exchange rate they wanted for the money changing service. They could then also charge whatever they wanted for the animals to be sacrificed. They set exorbitant rates, which fleeced the pilgrims twice. On their end, the pilgrims had no choice, since these rituals had to be performed in order to fulfill the law.
In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, we see that Jesus is angered that the Temple administration is taking advantage of the faith and good will of the believers. He cleanses the Temple and puts an end to the sacrilege. When challenged as to what authority he has to do so, he talks about himself as the Temple. But why does he do so?
The Old Testament Temple and its practices existed to prefigure the coming of Christ, who is God Incarnate. God became one of us to live among us and to offer himself up as a sacrifice on the Cross in place of us. Christ is both the High Priest and the sacrifice. His own body is the Temple of the sacrifice. The many sacrifices of the Old Testament period pointed toward the sacrifice Christ made for us, which is one sacrifice sufficient for all humanity, for all eternity.
We do not need any new sacrifices offered for us. We just have to accept the sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross, which he undertook for us, and allow him to remake and reorient our lives with his grace. As we gather to worship as a community, we should always bear in mind that each Mass is a participation in the sacrifice of Christ. When we are at Mass, we mystically travel back in time and are at the foot of the Cross. We mystically witness Christ dying upon the Cross for us. We should act at Mass accordingly. Just as Christ cleansed the Temple of things that did not belong, we too should make sure that whatever we bring to Mass, whether in our hearts or in our attire, belongs there.
In the Second Reading, we also see that the Apostle Paul describes our bodies as the temple of God, where the Holy Spirit comes to dwell. His words highlight the integral connection between our soul and our body. The human body is not merely an earthly vessel that will be put aside later, like a rental car we might use while visiting a faraway city. No, our body is an essential part of who we are individually. True, our body will succumb to death. But as Catholics we believe that our bodies will be resurrected when Christ returns and will be reunited with our souls. We will receive a perfected version of the corruptible body we have now and, if we are admitted, we will live body and soul in Christ's heavenly realm for all eternity.
Thus, what we do with our bodies matters greatly - how we dress, how we take care of ourselves, how we comport ourselves. Everything we do with our bodies should reflect and reinforce the spiritual relationship we have with God. A good question to ask ourselves is how we have been honoring God with our bodies so far in our lives and how we can honor him more greatly as the rest of our earthly journey unfolds.
The First Reading also shows us a vision beyond our earthly sojourn. After his Second Coming, Christ will remake the world, perfecting it, removing all that causes suffering, sorrow, and death. If we accept the saving love of Christ in this life, we too will live in that blessed realm, in unending, infinite joy.
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The readings for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, Cycle C, are:
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: The Second Jewish Temple. Model in the Israel Museum by Ariely from Wikimedia Commons.
