Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
The angel brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the southern side of the temple, south of the altar. He led me outside by the north gate, and around to the outer gate facing the east, where I saw water trickling from the southern side. He said to me, “This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah, and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”
Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
R. (5) The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Therefore, we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High. God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
The LORD of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. Come! behold the deeds of the LORD, the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
Brothers and sisters: You are God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.
2 Chronicles 7:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord,
that my name may be there forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
John 2:13-22
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.
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Ezekiel was a cultic priest of Israel who was among the exiles deported by Nebuchadnezzar in the year 597 B.C. Ezekiel was called by God to be His Prophet. He is in Babylon by the river Che-bar in the land of the Chaldeans. He is the first prophet to be called outside of the Holy Land.
Ezekiel experiences a rather profound experience of God, “There the hand of the Lord came upon me.” (Ez 1:3). Amid the theophany Ezekiel fell on his face. “When I had seen it, I fell upon my face and heard the voice that said to me: Son of man, stand up! I wish to speak with you.” (Ez 2:1).
Ezekiel felt the Spirit of God enter him. God calls him son of man, an expression that appears 90 times in Ezekiel. The title clarifies that it is the voice and the Spirit of God that is speaking through an earthen, human vessel. It is God’s initiative to speak to His chosen people. He is choosing, calling, and sending Ezekiel. Ezekiel is given a scroll of the Word of God that he liter-ally consumes. He is called to embody the Word of God in his being.
Ezekiel is warned by God that his task was not going to be easy and his message not going to be received well. In fact, he is warned of rebellion, of obstinate hearts and of rejection. He is warned that he will be sitting on scorpions, i.e., he will be under attack, and he is assured by God that he has nothing to fear, because the hand of God is with him.
God acknowledges that some will heed and some will resist. Ezekiel’s job is to deliver the mes-sage and convince them that God is the sender, and that he is just the messenger. His initial prophesy is not a popular one. God calls out their infidelity and informs them of the coming de-struction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s job is to be a messenger of Truth.
Our pericope is taken from the second to the last chapter in the Book. Chapters 25-48 provide a message of hope for Israel after a time of distress and woe. God will breathe His Spirit back into a lifeless people who had cut themselves off from Him, the source of life and mercy. God’s mer-cy and healing love will continue to flow on the land as water flowing from His temple. There are numerous images in Sacred Scripture of God’s love and life as flowing water. “Then you shall know that I, the Lord, am your God, dwelling on Zion, My holy mountain; Jerusalem shall be holy… And then, on that day, the mountains shall drip new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk; and the channels of Judah shall flow with water: A fountain shall issue from the house of the Lord, to water the Valley of Shittim.” (Joel 4: 17-18). (See exegesis on Psalm 46 below for additional passages).
This image also recalls the story of the creation. “A river rises in Eden to water the garden; be-yond there it widens and becomes four branches.” (Gen 2: 10). The life-giving water in the vi-sion of Ezekiel is symbolic of God restoring His original plan. The water is transforming and giving life to all in its path. In the vision of Ezekiel the water flows into the Dead Sea and trans-forms the stagnant saltwater into water that once again teams with life.
The Book of Revelation also gives us a vivid image of the life-giving river of God’s grace. “Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing down from the throne of God and the Lamb, down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine to the nations. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him.” (Rev 22: 1-3).
Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
Psalm 46 consists of twelve verses and is titled God, the Protector of Zion in the NAB and God is Our Fortress in the ESV. Psalm 46 is the first of the Zion hymns of praise of the temple and Yah-weh’s presence, power and strength. (See also Pss 48; 76; 84; 87; and 122).
God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. The Hebrew word that is translated in this verse as refuge is mahseh, which describes a place of refuge, such as a cave or a shelter. The Hebrew word that is translated as strength is oz. Oz describes the strength or stronghold of a fortress or a fortification. The Hebrew words that are translated here as ever-present are meod matsa. Meod is translated as very in the ESV. Meod connotes something that is exceedingly abundant in an immensely powerful and mighty way. The truth that Yahweh is near or present to His people is a reality that is repeated throughout Sa-cred Scripture. “You, Lord, are near to all who call upon You, to all who call upon You in truth.” (Ps 145: 18). “For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon Him?” (Deut 4: 7).
Therefore, we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea. The Hebrew word that is translated as fear in this verse is yirah. Although yirah is often used to describe reverence and awe before God, in this verse it is used to describe cra-ven fear.
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High. God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn. In addi-tion to our passage from Ezekiel Chapter 47 this weekend there are numerous passages of Sacred Scripture using the symbol of life-giving water flowing from Yahweh and His temple. “Therefore, the Lord raises against them (the king of Assyria and all his power) the waters of the River, great and mighty. It shall rise above all its channels and overflow all its banks; it shall pass into Judah, and flood it all throughout: up the neck it shall reach; it shall spread its wings the full width of your land, Immanuel!” (Is 8: 7-8). “Indeed, the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes, the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, He it is who will save us. In a place of rivers and wide streams on which no boat is rowed, where no majestic ship passes, the riggings hang slack; it cannot hold the mast in place, nor keep the sail spread out. Then the blind will divide the great spoils and the lame will carry the loot. No one who dwells there will say, ‘I am sick;’ the people who live there will be forgiven their guilt.” (Is 33: 21-24). “On that day, living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, and half to the western sea, and it shall be so in summer and winter.” (Zech 14: 8).
The LORD of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. Come! Behold the deeds of the LORD, the astounding things he has wrought on earth. The Hebrew word that is translated as Lord in this verse and throughout the psalm is Yahweh. The image of God who is with us is a major theme of Sacred Scripture and all point to the birth of Immanuel, God with us. “See, God is with us as our head.” (2 Chr 13: 12). “Do not fear or lose heart. To-morrow go out and meet them, and the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chr 20: 17). “Their de-fense has left them, but the Lord is with us.” (Num 14: 9). “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Immanuel (God is with us).”
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
St. Paul founded the Christian community at Corinth during his second missionary journey about the year 51. Paul wrote his first letter to them from Ephesus in the year 56.
Brothers and sisters: You are God’s building. Verse 9 reads as follows: “For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. The Greek word that is translated in this verse as field is georgion, which describes cultivated land as being pre-pared for planting. The Greek word translated as building is oikodome. Oikodome de-scribes a house or a building, a dwelling place, but it is also used to describe upbuilding as in the building up of faith. Paul seems to be using this word to describe both of these realities. The human being is called to be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit, and that presence builds up one’s faith. Psalm 127 sheds light on this dual interpretation. “Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build.” (Ps 127: 1).
According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a founda-tion, and another is building upon it. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation that Paul has laid. It is Christ and Christ Crucified that is the foundation of Paul’s preach-ing. Paul mentions this foundation in his Letter to the Romans. “Thus I aspire to pro-claim the Gospel not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on an-other’s foundation.” (Rom 15: 20).
But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation oth-er than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. The image of Christ as the corner-stone of the foundation has evolved through Sacred Scripture. “Therefore, thus says the Lord God: See, I am laying a stone in Zion, a stone that has been tested, a precious corner-stone as a sure foundation; he who puts his faith in it shall not be shaken.” (Is 28: 16). “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.” (Ps 118: 22-23). Referring to Himself, Jesus would quote Psalm 118: 22-23. “Jesus said to them, ‘Did you never read in the scripture: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is won-derful in our eyes?’” (Mt 21: 42). (See also Luke 20: 17). Peter filled with the Holy Spirit after Pentecost again proclaims Jesus as the cornerstone. “He is the stone rejected by you the builders, which has become the cornerstone.” (Acts 4: 11).
Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. The word that is translated as dwells in this verse is oikeo. Oikeo means to live in, reside in, dwell in, abide in, inhabit, or occupy. In the year 56 when this letter was written the great temple was still standing in Jerusalem, but it would be soon totally destroyed. St. Paul likely was aware of the revelation of Jesus that He was the new temple where the fullness of divine life dwelled. “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up’… But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” (Jn 2: 19, 21). Jesus talked very clearly of His indwelling presence with those who believe. “Remain in Me, as I remain in you.” (Jn 15: 4). The Greek word in the verses of The Last Supper Discourse that is translated as abide or remain is meno. Meno also means to reside and dwell in. In addition, meno connotes a sense of enduring in, continuing in. and staying in. Meno adds an under-standing of permanence to the divine indwelling presence.
John 2:13-22
John places the Cleansing of the Temple scene at the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus whereas all three Synoptic Gospels place the event near the end of His ministry. (cf. Mark 11:15-17; Matt 21:12-13; Luke 19:45-46). In John’s Gospel the incident immediately follows the First Miracle at Cana and leads to the story of the encounter with Nicodemus. The occasion for Jesus going up to Jerusalem is the Passover Feast. This is the first of 3 separate Passover Feasts that Jesus attends in the flow of John’s Gospel. In His final Passover Jesus becomes the Passover Lamb.
The temple in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus was still under construction. Construction began ca. 20 B.C. under King Herod and was under construction until the Jewish revolt ca. 60 A.D. It was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70.
The Law required that the temple tax and all transactions required the use of the Tyrian shekel. The voluntary temple tax was ½ shekel for each male 20 years or older. Roman and all other currencies had to be exchanged before tax and cult transactions occurred. It would be improper to use coins with bearing effigies to pay the temple tax. There are reports that the moneychangers were not above cheating people on the exchange rate.
“Take these out of here and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” The Jews rightful-ly saw the temple as the dwelling place of Yahweh. Through the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord declares the temple His house. “For thus says the Lord: …All who keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to My covenant, them I will bring to My holy mountain and make joyful in My house of prayer.” (Is 56: 7). The Prophet Zechariah foresees the day that the moneychangers would be ex-pelled. “On that day there shall no longer be any merchant in the house of the Lord of Hosts.” (Zech 14: 21).
Jesus is overcome with what He experiences in His Father’s House. The Ark of the Covenant, the Stone Tablets of the Decalogue were present in the Holy of Holies just a few feet away. The lack of reverence and awareness had to be difficult for Jesus. His disciples recall Psalm 69:10, i.e. Zeal for your house will consume me. It is interesting to note that in the quotation by the disciples the tense of the scripture passage is changed. Psalm 69: 10 reads, “Zeal for your house consumes me.” (Ps 69: 10). Psalm 69 is a song that depicts the suffering of the right-eous. It is quoted often in the NT in relation to the Passion of Jesus. (See Mt 27:48; Jn 15:25, 19:28-29; Acts 1:20; Rom 11:9, 15:13). In this temple scene on the Feast of Passover Jesus is clearly revealing His future Passion, Death and Resurrection, which would take place at the Passover three years in the future.
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it.” The Greek word that is translated as temple in this verse is naos. Naos, although it can be used to describe the entire temple com-plex, is most often used to describe the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies. In contrast the Greek word hieron is used in the prior verses to describe the outer area where the moneychang-ers were. Jesus now is talking about the inner sanctuary of His body. The Greek word that is translated as raise is egeiro. Egeiro is used throughout the NT to describe the raising of the dead to life and especially the Resurrection of Jesus. For example, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill Him, and He will be raised (egeiro) on the third day.” (Mt. 17: 23).
The Jews demand a sign. Jesus just performed His first sign at the Wedding Feast of Cana. Now Jesus foreshadows the final sign, His death and resurrection, referring to the temple of His body. The presence of God in the Jerusalem Temple is now being replaced by the presence of God in Jesus, and ultimately in the Christian community.
It is after the death and resurrection of Jesus that the disciples are transformed by the experi-ence and enlightened by the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room and at Pentecost. They are able to reflect back and come to a deeper understanding and belief. In the Gospel of John this pistis, i.e., faith, is everything. Faith is necessary for eternal life. John later states: These things are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in His name. (John 21:31). As use of the word faith/pistis evolves in the NT it means everything that we think of when we think of faith or belief. It is a system of understanding and truths that we hold in our minds and hearts, a system of truths that we confess with our creeds, but it is even more. Real faith involves an indwelling presence of divine life in the soul. It involves connectivity with divine life. It involves an opening of the mind, heart and soul to God. With that connection comes an enlightenment that St. Augustine called Divine Illumination. That is the gift part of faith. As in all things faith has a source, God. Faith is both a gift and a response.
I am constantly in awe at the working of the Holy Spirit. I can feel the amazing power of the Spirit moving through communities of faith. The Holy Spirit seems particularly intense at the celebration of the weekend Masses, as it should be. Many of you have commented that you have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit as well.
I recently looked forward to several weeks of Sunday Mass readings. When I did, I found many of the images that had come to me in prayer over the past couple of months. Those images came to me in prayer in preparation for preaching. I used many of those im-ages in my homilies and now I discover that they will be reinforced in the coming readings. I wish I could say that I had the foresight to plan it that way, but I did not. The blessing for me is that now it becomes a wonderful confirmation of the presence and the movement of the Holy Spirit.
For example, the first reading this weekend from the Prophet Ezekiel contains an image that I have used several times over recent weeks. It is the vision of the water flowing from beneath the threshold of the temple. If you were to pick up your bible and read the 47th chapter of Ezekiel you will notice that the shortened version of our reading excludes the many references to the deepening of the water; i.e. it is first ankle deep, and then knee deep, and then waist deep, and finally it is too deep to wade and one must swim. It turns into a deep and powerful river constantly flowing, transforming and giving life to all in its path.
The image of the river represents a powerful flow of love and of life that comes from God. It is the flow of grace, the outpouring of God’s love upon the world. Moses struck the rock in the desert and life-giving water flowed. St. Paul would later point out, “The Spiritual Rock was Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:4). From the Cross, the side of Jesus was pierced and blood and water flowed upon the world and the Church is born. Standing upon the huge rock upon which the town of Caesarea Philippi is built Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Peter you are Rock and upon this Rock I will build my Church.” (Mt 16:18). From the rock gushes forth a stream of water that ultimately flows into the Jordon River.
God, through His only begotten Son Jesus the Christ, and the Church that He established, is the font of all Grace. The flow of grace has a source, a conduit, and a destination. St. Paul writes, “… the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Rom 5:5). Jesus said, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him.” (Jn 7:37-38)
We are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit. We are the Church. We are the Body of Christ. We are thus called to become fonts of the flow of God’s love upon the world. We are an integral part of God’s plan to deliver His love to the world. God is counting on us. Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of us Your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of Your love. Amen.
Some years ago, my family, like many others, set out on a quest to discover our roots and began to construct a family tree. On my father’s side this quickly led to Canada through my great grandparents who immigrated to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My great grandfa-ther worked in the lumber industry and work lured him to the United States. We were able to trace that lineage eventually back to France. I recall feeling a sense of rootedness, know-ing where my family came from.
In my early years of priesthood, I made a religious pilgrimage with a group of parishion-ers, through Canada, visiting various Catholic Churches and shrines. The journey actually began in St. Ignace and Sault Ste Marie, Michigan where Jesuit missionary priests estab-lished communities and built churches.
From there we traveled to Montreal and visited the St. Joseph Oratory. I recall kneeling at the tomb of Brother Andre Bessett for over an hour. My grandmother is certain that it was through his intercession that she was cured of her asthma as a young adult. She traveled from Northern Michigan to Montreal to meet with him. He visited with her and prayed over her. From that day forward her asthma attacks ceased, years of suffering were over.
From Montreal we journeyed east and visited the Shrine of the American Martyrs in Au-riesville, N.Y. We timed the visit such that we were there for the feast day of St. Isaac Jaques, St. John de Brébeuf, and companions, on October 19th. There I was privileged to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the pilgrim group. We also visited the Jesuit cemetery near the shrine. The fortitude and courage of the Black Robes who brought the Gospel to the Huron and Mohawk and the Iroquoian Natives was inspiring.
From there we continued east to Quebec and visited the Shrine dedicated to St. Anne at Sainte Anne de Beaupre. As we traveled east along the St. Lawrence Sea Way I felt as if I was retracing the journey of those first Jesuit missionaries. They traveled west from France, and many followed that same route. I was also retracing my ancestors’ journey west through Canada, or New France, as it was known in the early 17th century.
The following summer I journeyed to Rome, again with a pilgrim group. Upon arrival, as the group was settling in, I went off by myself and walked directly to the tomb of St. Peter. It was early in the morning, and the Cathedral was noticeably quiet. I remember kneeling on that hard marble floor for several hours. My first thoughts took me back to the pilgrimage that previous fall. I realized that I had retraced the roots of my faith to its foundation, the Rock of St. Peter. It was as if I had followed my faith “family tree” to its roots. At that mo-ment I felt completely rooted in my faith and grounded in my priesthood. That awareness will always be with me, and for that I am eternally grateful.
