On this Third Sunday of Lent, the Sacred Scripture gives us 10 Commandments, the Cross of Christ, and the cleansing of the Temple, after which our Lord Jesus shows that He knows what is in the human heart.
The first reading, from the Book of Exodus, gives us the 10 Commandments. The 10 Commandments are unchangeable rules given to us by our Creator, so that we can build a house of virtue. The 10 Commandments lie at the basis of our moral behaviour as Christians. I remember my own catechism class, when we were preparing for First Holy Communion in Poland, and we learned by heart the 10 Commandments. It was basically today’s first reading, and it started with “Jam jest Pan Bóg twój, który cię wywiódł z ziemi egipskiej, z domu niewoli…I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…” Last Sunday, our catechists taught the children preparing for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion the 10 Commandments. Their parents, and all of us in attendance at the class, were given a refresher course in the 10 Commandments. The 10 Commandments come as a package deal – we are not free to pick and choose the commandments that we will obey, and the ones that we will ignore.
In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that “we preach Christ crucified.” “Roman crucifixion was normally a sign of disgrace and defeat for its victims. The crucifixion of Christ, however, was a deathblow to the devil and the means of our salvation” (Ignatius Study Bible New Testament, Scott Hahn ed., pg. 286). It is on the Cross that the kingship of Christ becomes visible, and it is through His Cross that we can hope for our own resurrection and life eternal.
The Gospel brings us the spectacular cleansing of the Temple, where Our Lord drives out of His Father’s house those who were using the Temple as a place of business. As impressive as the cleansing of the Temple is, I would like to focus with you on the last part of the Gospel. In this last part, we are told “Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them…for he himself knew what was within the human person” (John 2:24-25, NRSV). In another translation we read, “Jesus did not trust himself to them, because he knew all men…for he himself knew what was in man” (John 2:24-25, RSV). These are mysterious words. St. Augustine of Hippo has this to say about this piece of Scripture: “The Maker knew better what was in His own work, than the work knew what was in itself. Peter knew not what was in himself when he said I will go with you unto death, but our Lord’s answer showed that He knew what was in man: before the cock crow, you shall three times deny me” (Catena aurea, vol. 4, pg. 83, 2014). The Scripture says that we are your people, the work of your hands. And our Lord, knowing well his work, knowing well the heart of man, would not entrust himself to people around him; even people who believed in him. Is this a pessimistic view of human nature? Perhaps it is a reminder for us of the truth of the words from our opening prayer, which speak of a “confession of our lowliness.” When the temptation comes to us of seeing ourselves as morally superior, as better, as more righteous than our neighbour, we would do well to remember this “confession of our lowliness.” As St. Bede the Venerable says, this is “An admonition to us not to be confident of ourselves, but ever anxious and mistrustful; knowing that what escapes our own knowledge, cannot escape the eternal Judge” (Catena aurea, vol. 4, pg. 83, 2014).
After we make a “confession of our lowliness” the Lord wants to raise us up by His mercy. So let us entrust ourselves into the Lord’s hands of mercy. Let us be steadfast in our Lenten prayer, fasting, and discipline. And let us also call upon the Mary, the Mother of Mercy, in our Lenten observance.
Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus.
May Jesus Christ be praised.
(Fr. Paweł Ratajczak, OMI, March 3, 2024)