March 19 2006

Jn 2:13-25 Since the Passover of the Jews was near,Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him,“What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.
I always think of St Patrick's Cathedral when I read this Gospel reading. My first impression when I entered the most beautiful cathedral was surprise at the prominence of a large Gift shop within the cathedral itself. It seemed to me so garish and distasteful and out of place.

Other times I have been in the Cathedral and a different focus. One was on January 1st and Cardinal Egan delivered his first homily that morning and also at communion had a confused man go after him. A different year I enjoyed some of the young Friars with the lifesize nativity talking about St Francis and the nativity.