Daily Readings - Wed Nov 09 2022

First Reading - Ezekiel 47.1-2, 8-9, 12 or 1 Corinthians 3.9b-11, 16-17

¹And he turned me back to the gate of the house. And behold, waters went out, from under the threshold of the house, toward the east. For the face of the house looked toward the east. But the waters descended on the right side of the temple, toward the south of the altar²And he led me out, along the way of the north gate, and he turned me back toward the way outside the exterior gate, the way which looked toward the east. And behold, the waters overflowed on the right side⁸And he said to me: "These waters, which go forth toward the hillocks of sand to the east, and which descend to the plains of the desert, will enter the sea, and will go out, and the waters will be healed⁹And every living soul that moves, wherever the torrent arrives, will live. And there will be more than enough fish, after these waters have arrived there, and they will be healed. And all things will live, where the torrent arrives¹²And above the torrent, on its banks on both sides, every kind of fruit tree will rise up. Their foliage will not fall away, and their fruit will not fail. Every single month they will bring forth first-fruits. For its waters will go forth from the sanctuary. And its fruits will be for food, and its leaves will be for medicine.

1 Corinthians

Chapter 3

⁹For we are God’s assistants. You are God’s cultivation; you are God’s construction¹⁰According to the grace of God, which has been given to me, I have laid the foundation like a wise architect. But another builds upon it. So then, let each one be careful how he builds upon it¹¹For no one is able to lay any other foundation, in place of that which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus¹⁶Do you not know that you are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God lives within you¹⁷But if anyone violates the Temple of God, God will destroy him. For the Temple of God is holy, and you are that Temple

John

Chapter 2

¹³And the Passover of the Jews was near, and so Jesus ascended to Jerusalem¹⁴And he found, sitting in the temple, sellers of oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers¹⁵And when he had made something like a whip out of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, including the sheep and the oxen. And he poured out the brass coins of the moneychangers, and he overturned their tables¹⁶And to those who were selling doves, he said: "Take these things out of here, and do not make my Father’s house into a house of commerce.¹⁷And truly, his disciples were reminded that it is written: "Zeal for your house consumes me.¹⁸Then the Jews responded and said to him, "What sign can you show to us, that you may do these things?¹⁹Jesus responded and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.²⁰Then the Jews said, "This temple has been built up over forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?²¹Yet he was speaking about the Temple of his body²²Therefore, when he had resurrected from the dead, his disciples were reminded that he had said this, and they believed in the Scriptures and in the word that Jesus had spoken

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter two powerful visions of God's transformative power and presence in His temple. Ezekiel's vision in chapter 47 describes a river flowing from the temple, bringing life and healing to the arid desert. This river symbolizes God's restorative power, turning barrenness into fertility and despair into hope. The temple, as the source of this life-giving water, represents God's desire to renew and restore His people, promising a future where all creation thrives under His care. In John's Gospel, Jesus embodies this vision of restoration by cleansing the temple. He drives out the merchants and moneychangers, asserting that the temple should be a house of prayer, not commerce. Jesus' zeal for His Father's house reflects His mission to purify and restore God's presence among His people. His enigmatic statement about raising the temple in three days points to His own resurrection, where He becomes the new temple, the source of spiritual life and healing. Together, these readings remind us that we are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit, sources of life and healing in a world often marked by spiritual barrenness. As we reflect on these passages, let us ask ourselves: Are we allowing God's Spirit to flow through us, bringing renewal and hope to those around us? May we, like Ezekiel's river and Jesus' resurrection, be instruments of God's transformative power, living in a way that reflects His presence and brings renewal to the world.