Friday 20 November 2020 - 33rd week of Ordinary Time - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 19, 45-48 - My sheep listen to my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.

Christ went up to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, a Jewish feast; but also to proclaim to the eyes of all Jerusalem that He is God, that He is the King of the world. And the expulsion of the merchants and buyers from the Temple is a manifestation of this, because the place of worship, the Temple or church, we say, is a visible sign or sacrament of the existence of God. So what happened there at that time contradicts the very nature of what a Temple is: "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer...'". The word prayer, as we already know, means conversation with God, and one speaks with someone who exists. That is why this is intolerable for Christ, because what has happened is an affront to the existence of God. There are so many buildings of worship in our neighbourhoods, they must be respected, because many people use them for personal gain only, to take the tithe only. This is not worthy of the house of God. Also, when it is supposed to be a place of worship, let there be real prayer, not something else.