Sunday Gospel Reflection
Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up

First Reading
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced
east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of  the altar.     
2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate, that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.
...
8 And he said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will
become fresh.
9 And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where  the river goes.
...
12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but  they will bear fresh
fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17

9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man  take care
how he builds upon it.
11 For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
...
16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
17 If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.

Gospel Reading
John 2:13-22

13 Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
13 as well as the money-changers seated there.
15 He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned
their tables,
16 and to those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
17 His disciples recalled the words of scripture, "Zeal for your house will consume me."
18 At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?"
19 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
20 The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?"
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
22 Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had
spoken.

Bible Study/Meditation

Are sacred places important to God? Well, in Exodus when God instructed the Israelites to build the tabernacle and tent of meeting, the details he specified involved beauty and richness. When Solomon built the temple as a dwelling place for God great care was taken to build it with the finest cloths and wood materials, decorated with gold, silver and precious jewels. The very best craftsmen were secured to insure that the temple's workmanship reflected the grandeur
of God. I would suggest that the design and beauty of the places where we worship are important to God, for they can either evoke from our hearts, senses, and minds a spirit of   wonder, worship and awe toward God, or they can leave us flat and unmoved.

With the coming of Pentecost, as this week's second reading points out, we have become the dwelling place of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, "God's building." Perhaps we should give some attention to how we are built and adorned as a sacred place where he dwells.

God's building should be the place where people can encounter God. Even as the churches we visit draw our hearts to God in wonder and worship, similarly God
should be revealed to the people who encounter Christ through our words, behavior, and attitudes. Jesus is the Living Water and has promised that the water he gives us will become a "spring of water gushing up to eternal life." This probably is what Ezekiel refers to when he speaks of the water flowing from the sanctuary. Physically, as the building of God, most of us are not beautiful or handsome enough to evoke wonder and worship, however all of us can be a source of refreshing for others as a viaduct of Jesus life-giving water as his life flows into us and overflows to others.

We pray that the next time we encounter the simplicity or grandeur of our church buildings that they would remind us of the sacredness of being the true building of
God. In addition that this Sunday's celebration of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica would call us to re-dedication of ourselves to be and to become a living edifice of God that reveals to others the glorious Christ who dwells within.

Reflections:

· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you and what inner message of the heart is the Spirit whispering to you?

. If  you are the temple Jesus visited. How would his visit be different or similar to this Sunday reading?
   -----Are you prepared for His visit? What are you busy doing regardless His visit? Are you involved with "church activities" for your own benefits or to serve God through others?

. How might the zeal for God's temple inspire and sustain your willingness to serve others?

Prayer

Father, we pray for your church and for Pope John Paul II.
Watch over us and protect us. May your presence come upon all your people as we place ourselves, our families, and our homes under the reign of  your Son, Jesus Christ, the head of the church.