The Third Sunday of Lent [2012]

'And he told those who sold the pigeons, 

"Take these things away; 

you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade."' 

- John 2:16

The Temple in Jerusalem was the Father's house hence it deserved all the respect, honor and dignity that must be accorded to God's dwelling. Though God owns everything and the earth is His footstool, the Temple was consecrated far above everything else to be His dwelling on earth. 

But the Lord Jesus Christ's move to give as a sign the destruction of and raising up of the New Temple which is His body has given us a new and better understanding about what God's dwelling place on earth is all about. St Paul tells us that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Hence God Himself dwells in us which actually started the very moment God created man, when He breathed into man the breath of life, the ruah, or God's spirit. This is what we call grace, God's breath of life, His very own Spirit living in us, which allowed us to experience the divine presence in us. Hence St Paul also states that it is not anymore us who lives in our bodies but Christ Himself, God Himself!

Hence if the Temple in Jerusalem deserved so much respect, honor and dignity, our own bodies deserve also such respect, honor and dignity. That is why we should not do whatever will cause disrespect, dishonor, and desecration against our body. We should never fornicate, prostitute, abuse, disregard, mutilate, our bodies. For we are not our bodies' owners anymore, God has claimed our bodies for Himself and we are mere stewards, not the Master, for even from the beginning we own nothing because God only fashioned us out of dust to which we ought to return. And yet God has so loved us He made our bodies sacred dwelling places so that in the end of times He shall resurrect these bodies and be glorified to be worthy of dwelling in His heavenly kingdom forever.

May we never forget this truth that our bodies are God's and that God dwells in us through His Spirit when we are in the state of grace. Therefore we must never allow sin to corrupt our bodies and never allow anything to desecrate ourselves for we are God's and God is in us.

A blessed third Sunday of Lent to you, amici! 

The Second Sunday of Lent [2012]

"Then Peter spoke to Jesus, 

'Rabbi,' he said, 'it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, 

one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.'"

- Mark 9:5

Most of us feel the same way that Peter, James and John felt when we encounter God's presence during recollections and retreats, Christian life seminars and conferences, and other activities wherein we enjoy the love and community that pours out of the Father's providence. And we wish to stay feeling and experiencing such joys and we even hope that we would never have to leave that experience.

But then God has other plans for us. Life on earth is not yet the fullness of heaven. The joys that He lets us experience on earth are mere foretastes of that eternal banquet in His kingdom. We are given the chance to have a preview of heaven at times just to inspire and motivate us to face the challenges of the world - to have the strength to stand up for Him amid the many temptations of the physical reality because we were allowed to experience the glory of His spiritual realm.

The experience of heavenly joy must keep us up on the clouds but still stepping upon solid ground. We cannot minister like angels who are not seen even though always present to guide us and protect us from the evil spirits. We must do our work on earth so that the world may know that God has sent us to make all things new in the name and in behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ.

May we always acknowledge the Lord's presence in our lives so that whatever trials we may encounter we can steadily face them and never fall.

Have a blessed Second Sunday of Lent, friends.