Daily Readings - Mon Nov 09 2020
First Reading - Ezekiel 47.1-2, 8-9, 12 or 1 Corinthians 3.9b-11, 16-17
Ezekiel
1Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.2Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.8And he said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.9And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.12And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing."
1 Corinthians
9For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.10According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.11For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.16Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
John
13The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.14In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.15And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.16And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."17His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."18So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?"19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."20The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?"21But he was speaking about the temple of his body.22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful visions of life, renewal, and the true meaning of worship. Ezekiel’s vision of the temple in Ezekiel 47 vividly describes waters flowing from the temple, bringing life and healing to all they touch. This imagery speaks of a restored creation, where God’s presence flows forth, transforming even the most desolate places into gardens of abundance. The temple here is not just a building but a source of divine life, reminding us that God’s presence is meant to overflow into the world, bringing healing and fruitfulness.
In the Gospel, John 2:13-22, Jesus’ actions in the temple challenge us to reflect on what it means to worship God. By driving out the merchants and moneychangers, Jesus is not just cleaning the temple; he is restoring its true purpose as a house of prayer. His zeal for God’s house consumes him, as the Psalm says, and he calls us to share that same passion. When the Jews question his authority, Jesus points to his own body as the true temple, a mystery that would only be fully understood after his resurrection. This passage invites us to see Jesus as the new temple, the source of living water, and the place where God’s presence dwells among us.
These readings remind us that our lives are meant to be temples of the Holy Spirit, living sources of God’s life and love in the world. Just as Ezekiel’s waters flowed outward, bringing healing to the land, so too are we called to let God’s Spirit flow through us, transforming the world around us. Let us ask ourselves: Are we allowing God’s presence to flow freely through us, or are there obstacles in our hearts that need to be cleared away? May we, like Jesus, be consumed by zeal for God’s house, and may our lives be fruitful, bearing the first-fruits of the Spirit for the healing of the world.