The Word of God is sweet to taste but the message sometimes is meant for correction, to right a wrong. In today’s Gospel we see Jesus driving out those who were selling, for it was a house of prayer and was turned into a robbers’ den. We can easily think that it does not apply to us in this day and age, for we do not ever sell anything in our Church.
So then is it ok to talk and laugh in the church hall, when folks are praying and preparing themselves for mass? Is it okay to look to play games on our mobiles or check our social media messages during the service? Are our minds and hearts far from listening attentively to the word of God in the liturgy? Do we allow our children to talk and play during mass? Do we walk out immediately after receiving communion? Have we ourselves not turned our church into a robbers’ den then? When we do as we please, stealing our brethren’s peace and quiet time with the Lord our God.
Lord Jesus grant me the strength and grace to always speak and live Your truth. To prophesy boldly as I am called to by You. Amen
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First reading
Apocalypse 10:8-11 ·
I was told to swallow the scroll, and to prophesy
I, John, heard the voice I had heard from heaven speaking to me again. ‘Go,’ it said ‘and take that open scroll out of the hand of the angel standing on sea and land.’ I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll, and he said, ‘Take it and eat it; it will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.’ So I took it out of the angel’s hand, and swallowed it; it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, ‘You are to prophesy again, this time about many different nations and countries and languages and emperors.’
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Gospel
Luke 19:45-48
You have turned God’s house into a robbers’ den
Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’
He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out because the people as a whole hung on his words.
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