The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our desire to know how we are justified in our relationship with God and the people in our environment.
The reading from the Book of Exodus presents The Ten Commandments.
* [20:1–17] The precise numbering and division of these precepts into “ten commandments” is somewhat uncertain. Traditionally among Catholics and Lutherans vv. 1–6 are considered as only one commandment, and v. 17 as two. The Anglican, Greek Orthodox, and Reformed churches count vv. 1–6 as two, and v. 17 as one. Cf. Dt 5:6–21. The traditional designation as “ten” is not found here but in 34:28 (and also Dt 4:13 and 10:4), where these precepts are alluded to literally as “the ten words.” That they were originally written on two tablets appears in Ex 32:15–16; 34:28–29; Dt 4:13; 10:2–4.
The present form of the commands is a product of a long development, as is clear from the fact that the individual precepts vary considerably in length and from the slightly different formulation of Dt 5:6–21 (see especially vv. 12–15 and 21). Indeed they represent a mature formulation of a traditional morality. Why this specific selection of commands should be set apart is not entirely clear. None of them is unique in the Old Testament and all of the laws which follow are also from God and equally binding on the Israelites. Even so, this collection represents a privileged expression of God’s moral demands on Israel and is here set apart from the others as a direct, unmediated communication of God to the Israelites and the basis of the covenant being concluded on Sinai. (Exodus, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law.
* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem. (Psalms, PSALM 19 | USCCB, n.d.)
The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians declares Christ as the Power and Wisdom of God.
* [1:21–25] True wisdom and power are to be found paradoxically where one would least expect them, in the place of their apparent negation. To human eyes the crucified Christ symbolizes impotence and absurdity. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus cleanses the Temple.
* [2:14–22] The other gospels place the cleansing of the temple in the last days of Jesus’ life (Matthew, on the day Jesus entered Jerusalem; Mark, on the next day). The order of events in the gospel narratives is often determined by theological motives rather than by chronological data.
* [2:14] Oxen, sheep, and doves: intended for sacrifice. The doves were the offerings of the poor (Lv 5:7). Money-changers: for a temple tax paid by every male Jew more than nineteen years of age, with a half-shekel coin (Ex 30:11–16), in Syrian currency. See note on Mt 17:24.
* [2:17] Ps 69:10, changed to future tense to apply to Jesus.
* [2:19] This saying about the destruction of the temple occurs in various forms (Mt 24:2; 27:40; Mk 13:2; 15:29; Lk 21:6; cf. Acts 6:14). Mt 26:61 has: “I can destroy the temple of God…”; see note there. In Mk 14:58, there is a metaphorical contrast with a new temple: “I will destroy this temple made with hands and within three days I will build another not made with hands.” Here it is symbolic of Jesus’ resurrection and the resulting community (see Jn 2:21 and Rev 21:2). In three days: an Old Testament expression for a short, indefinite period of time; cf. Hos 6:2.
* [2:20] Forty-six years: based on references in Josephus (Jewish Wars 1, 21, 1 #401; Antiquities 15, 11, 1 #380), possibly the spring of A.D. 28. Cf. note on Lk 3:1. (John, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that in class at Creighton on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, a young man in his fourth year, offered the question about what exactly is meant by “Justification.” The class discussion heated up quite quickly. Prospective Law students knew precisely the correct meaning. The Theology majors were a bit quieter, but definitely certain. The Philosophy majors took us from Aristotle and Plato through others most of the class never heard of. Gillick, in true Jesuit style, invited them to read today’s readings, plus all of Leviticus.
So the real answer to the young scholar is not what is justification, but Who is! Our Lent is giving up false identities which tend to disidentify ourselves. We operate as misnamed, misidentified flying objects. We are invited to allow Jesus to turn us over, drive out our ways of chaos and allow Him to meet us in our simplicity, humility and faith.
May we all enjoy being at His Eucharistic Table where He turns Himself over to us. (Gillick, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes ““Destroy This Temple, and in Three Days I Will Raise It Up” Jesus cleanses the temple - his Father's house,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"But why did Christ use such violence? He was about to heal on the sabbath day and to do many things that appeared to them transgressions of the law. However, so that he might not appear to be acting as a rival to God and an opponent of his Father, he takes occasion to correct any such suspicion of theirs... He did not merely 'cast them out' but also 'overturned the tables' and 'poured out the money,' so that they could see how someone who threw himself into such danger for the good order of the house could never despise his master. If he had acted out of hypocrisy, he would have only advised them, but to place himself in such danger was very daring. It was no small thing to offer himself to the anger of so many market people or to excite against himself a most brutal mob of petty dealers by his reproaches and the disruption he caused. This was not, in other words, the action of a pretender but of one choosing to suffer everything for the order of the house. For the same reason, to show his agreement with the Father, he did not say 'the holy house' but 'my Father's house.' See how he even calls him 'Father,' and they are not angry with him. They thought he spoke in a more general way, but when he went on and spoke more plainly of his equality, this is when they become angry." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 23.2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 declares of course that Jesus is God’s wisdom and power! He’s the Son of God, after all. But what do these words mean?
These are not just historical facts. The power and wisdom of God are present today—and they’re yours in Christ! Every act of love, forgiveness, and generosity that you perform demonstrates his wisdom to a world lost in folly. Every time you pray in confident intercession, every time you rely on God’s grace to say no to temptation, and every time you lay down your life to care for someone, you are revealing the power of God.
That’s right. You can be God’s revelation to this world!
“Jesus, fill me with your wisdom and power so that I can share them with everyone around me!” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 1:22-25, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the passage from Exodus that describes our relationship with God and others in the Ten Commandments. Paul explains to the Corinthians the need of the Jews for a sign and the Greeks for wisdom. Greek philosophy could not accept God having anything to do with the corrupt created world. Friar Jude notes the placement of the cleansing of the Temple in Chapter 2 of John underlines the theme of this Gospel as the preparation of Jesus for the Cross.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, encourages us to recognize how the soul of nature mirrors our own. Through extended time in nature, Francis of Assisi became intimately connected with non-human living things and came to recognize that the natural world was also imbued with soul. Almost all male initiation rites—including those of Jesus and John the Baptist (see Matthew 3:13–17)—took place in nature, surely for that reason.
Many human beings simply haven’t found their own blueprint or soul, so they cannot see it anywhere else. Like knows like! When we only meet reality at the external level, we do not meet our own soul and we have no ability to meet the soul of anything else either. We clergy would have done much better to encourage Christians to discover their souls instead of “save” them.
While everything has a soul, in many people it seems to be dormant, disconnected, and ungrounded. They are not aware of the inherent truth, goodness, and beauty shining through everything. If God is as great, glorious, and wonderful as religions claim, then wouldn’t such a God would make such “wonderfulness” universally available? Surely, such connection and presence are as freely available as the air we breathe and the water we drink. (Rohr, 2024)
We, like the Israelites with Moses, desire to know the rules for our righteousness with God even as we stumble on seeking signs and trusting the Way of the Cross to full life.
References
Exodus, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/20?1
Gillick, L. (2024, March 3). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/030324.html
John, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/2
Meditation on 1 Corinthians 1:22-25. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/03/03/905383/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1?22
Psalms, PSALM 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?8
Rohr, R. (2024, March 3). The Soul of Nature — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-soul-of-nature/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=mar3
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