Luke 19: 45-48 (Friday, November 23, 2007)

God’s house is indeed a house of prayer. One question we must ask ourselves today and sincerely try to answer is this, what is God’s house to me personally? We need not find the answer in our Baltimore catechism or in some Church book. We must find the answer from within ourselves. This reading challenges us to access the things we do in the Church and how we respond to the things other people do in the Church. Do you chew gum in the Church? Do you make noise or deliberately cause distractions in the Church? How do you respond to people that do these things? In some Churches, Bingo or raffle tickets rank almost higher than the Eucharistic celebration. For others, it is all about offertory and fundraisers rather than preaching the Word and praying. Do you courageously speak against these practices with the pastor or through the parish council? That is what Jesus did in today’s gospel. He knew this might cost his head, but he courageously did it because he knew that was the right thing to do. You are called to speak against evil in the Church, irrespective of who is involved.

Prayer:
Lord, give us the courage to always stand by you and speak strongly against all evil in your house. May you help us to make your house to be truly a place of prayer by the way we conduct ourselves.