REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 33RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR 1 24TH NOVEMBER 2023
REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 33RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR 1 24TH NOVEMBER 2023 1Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59; 1Chron.29; Luke 19:45-48 Cleanse the Temple in its Entirety The temple was the center of life for the Jews. It was their pride and their heritage. It gave them that exclusive feeling that they are the people of God. It was one reason and place that could gather all the people together. When Jesus mourned their admiration of the temple it was not because the temple itself bore no significance but because the people’s worship was not authentic. It is the inauthenticity of their worship that is displayed in today’s gospel reading. Since the temple could bring together the entire people, some saw it as an opportunity to sell their goods. They must have thought to themselves that there is no other better place to access many customers than in the temple. Their sense of worship was distorted by economic gains. Many Christians, having come across Jesus’ reaction, tend to think t...