Daily Readings - Sun Mar 03 2024

¹And God spoke all these words, saying,²"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.³"You shall have no other gods before me.⁷"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.⁸"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.¹²"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.¹³"You shall not murder.¹⁴"You shall not commit adultery.¹⁵"You shall not steal.¹⁶"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.¹⁷"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."

1 Corinthians

Chapter 1

¹⁸For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.²²For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,²³but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,²⁴but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

John

Chapter 2

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.²³Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.²⁴But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people²⁵and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the relationship between God’s law, the power of the Cross, and the authority of Jesus Christ. In the first reading from Exodus, we hear the Ten Commandments, which are not just rules but a way of life that reflects God’s love and care for his people. These commandments call us to reverence God, respect others, and live with integrity. They remind us that our actions have consequences and that living in accordance with God’s will leads to a life of peace and harmony. The second reading from 1 Corinthians shifts our focus to the Cross of Christ. St. Paul reminds us that the Cross is both foolishness and power—foolishness to those who do not believe, but power to those who have been saved. The Jews sought signs, the Greeks sought wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. This reading challenges us to embrace the paradox of the Cross: in weakness, we find strength; in surrender, we find victory. The Cross is the ultimate expression of God’s wisdom and love, and it invites us to trust in his plan, even when it seems counterintuitive. In the Gospel, Jesus cleanses the temple, demonstrating his authority and zeal for his Father’s house. This act is a powerful reminder that our lives and our communities must be centered on God. Jesus’ words, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” point to his own body as the true temple, and his resurrection as the ultimate sign of God’s power. Like the disciples, we are called to remember Jesus’ words and actions, and to believe in the Scriptures and in the power of the Cross. As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: Are we living according to God’s commandments? Are we embracing the power of the Cross in our lives? Are we allowing Jesus to cleanse our hearts and minds, making them temples of the Holy Spirit? May we trust in God’s wisdom, live with integrity, and remember that true strength comes from surrendering to his will.