Third Sunday in Lent - B - March 8, 2015

Doing the Right Thing

When should we stand up for the principle of justice? Jesus did so when he cleansed the Temple of money changers and businessmen. Jesus did not object to the Temple trade. He objected to where they sold their services, a place set aside for the Gentiles to worship.

DAILY READINGS FOR THE SECOND WEEK IN LENT

WEEKLY BLOG  What am I?  How do we use labels to define our patriotism and our spirituality?

VIDEOCAST  In this week's videocast, we investigate the Cleansing at the Temple and Jesus as the Lord.

MP3 PODCAST What make a rule good? For a Christian, a rule can be judged by wisdom and example. That’s message of this week’s audio podcast.

FIRST READING The book of Exodus presents the Ten Commandments, true rules to live by.

PSALM Psalm 19 reminds us that God’s in charge. This is THE reason to praise God. He is the creator. He is the savior. He sustains us and guides us with the Scriptures.

SECOND READING St. Paul wrote the community in Corinth about the wisdom of God. The Gentile Christians of the community sought wisdom; indeed, they crowed about their spiritual “wisdom.” St. Paul chastised these self-important people. He held the wisdom of God looked foolish to us mortals, because it was so different.

GOSPEL John’s gospel presents the narrative of the cleansing of the Temple. Jesus ejected the businessmen from the entrance to the Temple for a principle greater than the franchise arrangements made by the leadership. He cleansed the Temple to promote faith in God, a universal faith.

CHILDREN’S READINGS In the story for the first reading, Sam knew and followed the rules to the letter, yet show disdain and disrespect for his teacher. This is the opposite attitude demanded by the Ten Commandments; these rules demand respect for God and for others. In the story for the gospel, Denise stood up to a bully on principle. She, like Jesus, stood up to the bullies because it was the right thing to do.

CATECHISM LINK In this week’s Catechism Link, we investigate the place of Jesus as the Lord.

FAMILY ACTIVITY Jesus stood up to the Temple leadership based on a principle. It tested his character. To understand a test of character, discuss value dilemmas with your family members in the “Character Game.”