3rd Sunday Of Lent

 (15th March 2009)

 

 “…stop turning

my Father’s house into a market”

 

THE 7 STEPS

 

1.         SILENCE

2.       WORSHIP

3.        SCRIPTURE

READING

4.       MEDITATION

5.        BY HEART

6.       INTERCESSION

7.       COVENANT
PRAYER

 


SCRIPTURE READING: John 2:13-25

…The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up’. The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

 

Meditation: Try to answer these questions

1.      When did Jesus go up to Jerusalem?  What did he find when he went up to the temple?  Do you think what they did there was right?   

2.      How did Jesus react to what he saw there?  What did he call the temple?  When the Jews asked for a sign, did Jesus reply?

3.      What is the sanctuary that Jesus was talking about?  What does “in three days I will raise it up” refer to in the life of Jesus?

 

By Heart: Reflect on this in light of your daily life

The rebuke of Jesus is addressed to us who come to church without the proper disposition of worship.  The church is not a public place where we have the right to wear, act, and do whatever we like.  It is the house of God where we gather to praise and thank God in the celebration of the Eucharist.

-          Attire:  What type of clothes do we usually wear to church?  Does it reflect our respect for it as a place of worship?

-          Activity:  What do we do during mass?  Do we join in and participate in the singing and prayers?

-          Attitude:  Do we make demands and bargains to God in the church like those we make in the market or shopping mall?

“God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor. 3:17)

It is in the temple of ourselves that we enter into conversation with Christ, listening and responding with love to the love He has for us. 

“We are most of all God’s temple

when we prepare ourselves to receive the Holy Spirit”

 


Intercessions:

1.      For all of us, that we may ensure that the house of God remains a house of prayer and worship. 

2.      For those who serve in the Church, that they may be faithful to the mission which God has entrusted to them.

3.      For all who have died in Christ, that they may rise together with him and live with him forever in the joys of heaven.

4.      For the sick and the suffering, that they be comforted and strengthened by the grace and healing touch of God.

 

Covenant Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, by your suffering, death and resurrection, you give us new life:  a life filled with joy and purpose; a life only you can give it, for you are the source of life.  Guide us on our pilgrimage of life, that following you faithfully as your disciples, we may witness boldly to the world, your love and truth.  Enlighten our minds and hearts that your Word which we read and meditated may take roots in our lives.  Help us not to fall into sin and if we do fall due to our human weakness, bring us back to you for you are the way, the truth and the life. We also pray for all our brothers and sisters, wherever they are, who are committed to this prayer, that their faith may be strengthened, their hope assured and their love fulfilled.  In your name we humbly pray.  Amen