# Seeking God, finding God: The cleansing of the temple
*2009-03-14*

> Bill Young reflects on the cleansing of the temple in the Gospel of John and what it means to worship God with a pure heart rather than through empty ritual.

## The placement of the cleansing

Today is the third Sunday of Lent. We are reading from the guidebook 'Seeking God, Finding God: Meditations, Activities, and Prayers for Lent 2009.' The reading is from John 2:15-16B: 'Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple. Stop making my father’s house a marketplace.'

The story of the cleansing of the temple occurs in all four Gospels, which shows how deeply it impressed the followers of Jesus. However, in the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—this story takes place during Holy Week toward the end of the Gospel. In John's Gospel, it takes place at the very beginning of the public ministry of Jesus.

## The theological significance

John's Gospel was the latest to be written and is the most theological. While we can trust the timeline of the Synoptics and place the cleansing at the end of Jesus' life, it is important to ask why John would tell this story at the beginning. This action is the strongest one that Jesus takes against the religious hypocrites of his time. Perhaps John puts it at the beginning to stress the fundamental message of Jesus: we must worship God with our hearts and souls.

## Ritual versus holiness

Our religious rituals, when they lack purity of intention, defile the house of God. God's mercy cannot be bought or sold, and performing the rites correctly does not guarantee holiness. When the leaders asked for a sign, Jesus refused. Signs were for people with faith, to confirm them in their faith, not for unbelievers trying to catch Jesus in some error.

## Practicing faith in daily life

What does it mean to worship with our hearts? Attending Mass on Sunday or fasting on appointed days can turn into a way of 'buying and selling' God's mercy if we aren't careful. Being faithful requires more of us than just putting in an hour on Sunday. I encourage you to think of a way outside of the church where you can be a faithful Catholic this week. Do it faithfully all week, and next Sunday, bring that effort to the altar with you.

*True faithfulness requires more than the correct performance of rituals; it requires worshiping God with a pure heart in every aspect of our daily lives.*