Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 2:13–22

Sunday's readings highlight an essential truth: the stone temple, which was the sacred dwelling place of God, serves as a symbol of the living Church, the body of Christ. Saint Paul reminds us that with Christ as our foundation, we are God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9,11). He poses a brilliantly stirring question: "You are God's building … Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:9,16).

We are temples, dear sisters, holy and precious in God's sight. As such, we must ask what the temples of our hearts look like. 

What will Jesus find when He enters?
Will He discover a place of communion or a marketplace?
A place where our relationship with God is transactional, where we calculate the cost?
A place where, masked with pious gestures, we are ultimately pursuing our own self-interest or seeking control? 

If I'm honest, there are plenty of days when my heart looks like a marketplace. It's noisy, full of distractions, and at times, a place where I’m only going through the motions of worship. It's filled with the clutter of pride, judgment, an attachment to my own will, and I'm distracted by others' sinfulness rather than focusing on my own. 

When that is the case, a cleansing and reordering needs to occur. Tables need to be flipped. This cleansing is not an act of harsh judgment, but one of mercy and love, for Jesus desires us to be united with Him—for us to be holy as He is holy—so that we might experience the fullness of life that He offers each of us. 

Pope Francis reflected on this Scripture, noting that: 

Jesus is harsh today because he does not accept that the market-temple replaces the house-temple. He does not accept that our relationship with God is distant and commercial instead of intimate and trusting. He does not accept that market stalls replace the family table, that prices replace embraces, and that coins replace caresses. And why does Jesus not accept this? Because in this way, a barrier is created between God and man and between brother and brother, whereas Christ came to bring communion, to bring mercy, that is, forgiveness, and to bring closeness.[1]

This vision of communion reminds us of who we are and who we are called to be. Strengthened by God's Word and nourished by the Eucharist, we are sent forth into the world to be "living stones" like Christ Himself, building one another into spiritual homes, into temple-houses, offering God the sacrifice of our very lives (1 Peter 2:5). 

As living stones, we carry the presence of Jesus to every person we encounter, to every space we enter. Be it the cashier, the stranger on the street, your neighbor, your husband, or your children. Whether it's in small, unseen acts of kindness and patience, or in the courage to speak truth will love, our lives become houses of prayer, offering Christ's mercy, compassion, and love to a broken, divided world. 

When Jesus flips the tables of our heart, space is created to then be filled with His kind of holy zeal, "by which the mind, all human fears forgotten, is stirred up to the defense of the truth."[2] This zeal has the power to renew, restore, and transform our culture into dwelling places for God. A task that seems impossible at times, a mission whose fruit we may never see. Yet as Jesus reminds us, such miraculous transformation is possible: three days are enough for Him to rebuild the temple within ourselves and those we love. In that, we can find great hope. 

So may we be unfraid of asking Jesus to clean the temples of our hearts. Trusting that He will do so mercifully, and that when He does, we will find greater freedom, renewed joy, and the peace of His abiding presence. 

Food for thought or journaling …

What tables in my heart need to be flipped?

Jesus, fill me with Your holy zeal, shape me into a living stone for the glory of Your holy temple. 

[1] Pope Francis, "Angelus: Sunday, 3 March 2024,” The Holy See, accessed Oct 30, 2025, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2024/documents/202,it's40303-angelus.html.
[2] “John 2:14,” Catena Bible & Commentaries, accessed October 29, 2025, https://catenabible.com/jn/2/14.