Third Sunday of Lent

My Dear Parishioners,
 
Today we mark the Third Sunday of Lent as we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day. The Gospel reading tells us of the Lord Jesus coming into the Temple in Jerusalem. What He finds is disturbing to Him for it is not a place of prayer but rather a place where corruption and sin are found. After turning over the tables of the impious He reminds all that the Temple is a house of prayer dedicated to God.
 
The House of God is indeed a holy place which can become quickly profaned by the actions of unbelievers. As Catholics we too hold to the belief that the church is the House of God and as such deserves respect and honor. The church is where prayers are offered, the Sacred Scriptures are proclaimed, the sacraments celebrated and the Divine Liturgy conducted which unites heaven and earth. It is in this house that the Lord’s true presence is to be found in the Eucharist which is reserved in the tabernacle. For this reason we believe that God is present in the church building and because of that we enter into His presence with devotion and respect.
 
As your pastor I am continually reminding people, primarily non parishioners, of the sanctity of this house. The challenge is especially present when weddings and funerals are conducted which bring some people who have no faith into the Lord’s House. Reminding people to refrain from loud talking, playing with cell phones, bringing beverages and snacks and much more becomes an almost daily routine for me. Because of a lack of faith inappropriate conduct is not only a sin against God but a major distraction for people of faith who come to worship in the Lord’s House. Our secular culture, which is doing a successful job of removing God from our lives, is the cause for such disrespect.
 
It’s so important for parents to form their children in the reverential ways in which we conduct ourselves in church. The children are our future and it is up to us to pass on to them the ways in which we have been instructed by our parents. I am sure that for many of you your parents were like mine when I was growing up. My parents prayed, sang, responded, knelt, genuflected and were attentive in church. They passed that down to me and my brothers. I am sure it was the same for you.
 
When we are in church we are in the House of God. Others are around us trying to pray, reflect and recollect themselves before and after the Holy Mass. Helping to maintain the Lord’s House as a house of prayer is the task of all of us (“ Zeal for your house will consume me.”). When people showed disrespect for God’s House it drew the ANGER of Jesus. Let’s not anger Him but worship Him with prayer and devotion!
 
Happy Lent!
Father Zig