Friday, May 27, 2016

Reflection: Mark 11:11-26


Friday of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time - Mark 11:11-26

Today Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem and then he and the disciples continued on to Bethany.  When Jesus and the disciples left Bethany the next day, Jesus realized he was hungry.  He saw a fig tree and went over to see if there were any ripe figs on the tree. If they had been ripe, they would have satisfied his hunger for a period of time.

When Jesus got to the tree, however, there were no figs, only leaves even though it was the season for figs to grow.  Jesus then did something very unusual.  When he realized that the tree had no figs, he said: “No one will ever again eat your fruit!”  (I wonder if was Jesus was in a bad mood.) Then Jesus and his disciples traveled on to Jerusalem.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they immediately went to the temple. When they entered the temple area, Jesus was stunned and then outraged.  In the holy Temple, there were money-changers plying their trade.  Merchants were selling doves for sacrifice.  The temple no longer was a temple:  it had become a market place!   In a loud voice, Jesus said to his disciples: “My house is to be called a house of prayer!”

Take a moment and reflect: is your church a holy and sacred place to you or is it simply a building where you go to church?  When you enter the church, do you sense the Divine Presence?  The next time you go to church, I invite you to notice what you experience as you enter this sacred space.  If you are present, awake, and open, you surely will encounter the Divine there! 

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