Have you ever found out that a person you assumed you knew wasn’t the person you thought they 

were?  If I’m honest, I have to admit that today’s gospel leaves me feeling this way. The Jesus 

we hear about today seems to be a world away from the one who blesses children and has such 

compassion for sinners.  The gentle and loving Jesus is someone with whom we long to have a 

relationship.

But a Jesus who gets mad and even overturns tables in his fury?  That’s quite a different 

matter.  Perhaps the reason we are uncomfortable with the image of Jesus in today’s 

gospel is because it challenges us and moves us beyond our comfort zone.  It leads us to ask 

ourselves what kinds of things Jesus would change or overturn in us.  What would he cleanse 

in the temple of our lives – if we let him in?

Each year for forty days, we are challenged to allow Jesus to enter our lives to cleanse us of 

anything – apathy or jealousy or hatred or despair – that does not nurture our relationship with 

God and others. As we continue our Lenten journey, may we open ourselves ever more deeply 

to the purifying power of the One who loves us enough to take our sins to the cross.

Teresa Whalen Lux

Living with Christ