WORD ALIVE

In most stories of the gospel, Jesus Christ is depicted as a gentle, kind, compassionate man. However, in one incident at the temple, the Lord is seen fuming mad (Jn 2,13-22). 
 

Making a kind of whip of cords, "he drove sheep and oxen alike out of the temple area, and overturned the money changers' tables, spilling their coins." "Get them out of here," he ordered. "Stop turning my Father's house into a market place" (Jn 2.16).
 

Jesus was acting out of compassion for the poor people who were being exploited. Many of these had  traveled from afar. The men were carrying their sacrificial lambs on their shoulders and the women their sacrificial doves in little cages.
 

When they got to the temple, they were told by the religious authorities that their offerings were not acceptable. Animals for  sacrifice would have to be purchased from them, but the prices were exorbitant. 
 

The Lord’s anger was a tool of compassion which he used to defend the poor and oppressed.  
 

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This is what one bishop also did during World War II. The prefect apostolic of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, William Finnemann, SVD, courageously stood up against the Japanese officers who wanted to convert a nun's convent in Calapan into a house for comfort women. 
 

For this, the bishop paid a brutal price. The Japanese soldiers arrested and loaded him on a military boat, and threw him overboard on the deep waters between Calapan and Batangas. 
 

With hands and feet tied and dragged down by big stones, the bishop had no way of surviving. (To know more about the martyr bishop, read the book, A Hero Deserving a Halo authored by Fr. Peter Michael, SVD).
 

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Not all kinds of anger are sinful. Sometimes people confess their alleged sin for scolding their children for misbehavior. But disciplining a child is not sinful if it’s not severe. But, tolerating a wrong done is more reprehensible. 
 

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In the temple episode, Jesus condemned the worship which had become commercialized and largely hypocritical but he did not stop there. He fully intended to replace it with the perfect form of worship, the new place of sacrifice of Himself on the cross.
 

Let’s ask ourselves: Have we turned our churches into market places? Or, for napping at the choir loft or using cell phones, disrespecting the Blessed Sacrament?
 

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Lent is a season of introspection. It should lead us to repentance of our sins and reform of ourselves. 
 

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Thoughts To Ponder.  A man confided to his friend, “I went to see my doctor about my heart ailment. He told me to change my lifestyle. No smoking, no drinking, no meat.”
“So what happened, did you change your lifestyle?” the friend said. “No, I changed my doctor,” he replied. Isn’t that our attitude, too; we change God if we don’t like his prescription or commands for us?
 

Make your choice. “If you don’t like Jesus Christ, the devil will always take you. You may party in hell, but you will be the barbeque!”
 

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“If you're headed in the wrong direction, God always allows U-turns.”
 

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7 Last Words. The SVD Mission Communications Foundation, Inc. will telecast live the “7 Last Words” on Good Friday, March 29 at 12-3 p.m. 
 

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We sent out solicitation letters for advertisement placements, sponsorship, and donations for the TV program. May we hear from you? 
 

Email Brian Deguito sfc¬[email protected] or e-mail me Fr. Bel San Luis at [email protected].