“Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Word This Week
This week, in our journey through the Old Testament, we reach Covenant Number Three: and this is the big one – the Covenant with Moses at Sinai. The Ten Commandments are (or should be) familiar to us all: they form our side of the agreement with God – if we stick to these rules and commands, then we are truly God’s people, and he is truly our God. If we ignore them, or break them, then we break the Covenant or relationship. The Temple was, for the people of Israel, the place that guaranteed the permanence of this Covenant – God dwelling with man. Jesus alerts us to the new Temple – himself – since he is the core of the New Covenant, God and Man in perfect unity. Only by the destruction of this new Temple, in his death, will he rise again as an eternal Temple, and the eternal guarantee of the New Covenant which we enjoy.
Today’s Scripture (Psalter: Week 3
Exodus 20: 1 – 17
Response: Psalm 18
The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
it gives light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is holy,
abiding forever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.
They are more to be desired than gold,
than the purest of gold
and sweeter are they than honey,
than honey from the comb.
1 Corinthians 1: 22 – 25
Acclamation for the Gospel:
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! (x2)
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord,
whoever believes in me will never die.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! (x2)
John 2: 13 – 25
Prayer of the Faithful: R/. Lord, give light to our eyes.
Why not read Today’s readings at Catholic Online?
