Glory be to Jesus Christ!
This year, the day after celebrating Mary’s entrance into the temple as a small child, we recall the Lord’s purification of that temple when He drives out the money changers and merchants.
Unknown to the people, the Lord visited His temple, and found that the worship of His people in the temple, the “place of prayer for all the nations,” had become a place of self-worship through idolatry and greed. We might be tempted to shake our fingers and heads at these people, but the Scriptures were not written for them, but for us! The question for us today is, “are we any better?” We not only have a temple, but are living temples of the Holy Spirit. Are our lives dedicated to the worship of the Lord, or are they oriented towards our own gain?
We do not encounter the Lord of our temple in some distant, far away event, but whenever we receive Him in the Eucharist. How are we prepared? Are our temples clean and pure for His arrival? As the Most Holy Theotokos was humble and pure in receiving God Himself into her womb, let us renew our efforts to be aware of the visitation of the Lord of our lives, and examine the condition of our souls to receive Him!
Glory be to Jesus Christ!
