Author: admin

***

Gospel: Luke 19:45-48

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
    “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
    but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Jesus “drove out” the money changers from the temple.

This verb “to drive out” – ekballo – is the same verb used to describe the exorcism, or driving out, of demons. 

Thus, the money changers were like unclean spirits, who needed to be “driven out” of the temple.

***

Notice the symbolism here: both good and evil were at work in the house of God.

There were devout Jews entering to pray. And there were money changers seeking to make a profit off of other people’s faith.

***

Unfortunately, that’s true everywhere in the world – good and evil intermingle in governments, workplaces, homes, and houses of worship.

As one Russian novelist put it, “If only it were so easy. But the dividing line between good and evil cuts through every human heart. And who wants to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

***

As we begin preparing for Advent – the coming of the Lord into our world – perhaps we should consider those areas in our own lives where we need Jesus to drive something out of us. 

Whether it’s a particular habit, a temptation, or a sin of any kind, may the Lord drive out whatever weakens our faith, distancing us from him.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Christ Cleansing the Temple, Bernardino Mei (2) Angelus News (3) Pinterest

***

Gospel: Luke 19: 41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

This is quite a tough Gospel!

For the last three years, Jesus has exercised his public ministry. 

He’s forgiven sins, healed the sick, and even raised Lazarus from the dead. At one point, the crowds following him were so large they nearly trampled him to death.

Now the tides have turned; his ministry is coming to an end as he enters Jerusalem, where he’ll be killed.

But from the very beginning, Jesus warned his disciples that this day would come. He knew it all along.

***

Consider what this means.

***

For at least one thousand days, Jesus knew that his public ministry would lead to his death.

Still, he doesn’t turn away from it. He embraces it. He perseveres to the end.

***

Perhaps this is why he says to us, “Come to me all you who are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.”

He knows what it feels like to carry a heavy burden. He shows us how to persevere in times of trial through prayer and unrelenting confidence in his Father.

With Jesus by our side, we, too, can persevere through whatever life throws at us.

So, what burdens am I carrying that I might want to share with him?

***

Let us pray.

Father, we lift up all who find themselves heavy burdened this day. May they persevere like Jesus, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Homilies, The Prodigal Father (2) www.marysrosaries.com (3) 39 Jesus Ideas, Pinterest

***

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, 
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature. 
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, 
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.” 
And he came down quickly and received him with joy. 
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, 
“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” 
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. 
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

As chief tax collector, Zacchaeus was the most hated man in town.

He made a living off of squeezing money out of others, often the poorest and most vulnerable in town.

But the Gospel tells us that Zacchaeus was also “desperate” to see Jesus.

***

This was a man with competing desires. After years of living high on the hog, Zacchaeus remained unfulfilled.

His career drove him into isolation.

Although he appeared strong and powerful to the outside world, he was starving for life’s intangibles: love, intimacy, and friendship.

Things he longed to share, above all, with Jesus. 

As the French philosopher Blaise Paschal once wrote, “In every person’s heart is an empty space that has the shape of God…and nothing else can fill it.”

***

How many of us feel that God-shaped hole?

***

Zacchaeus reminds us that nothing – no title, no amount of money or power – will ever be enough. God alone can satisfy the deepest longings within us.

This is why we are striving to live out our vision statement at St. Pius X: “We are all generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”

***

***

Image credits: (1) Christ Community Church Ocala (2) Fr. Avelino Gonzalez (3) Converge