The church chose this Gospel for last Sunday's Mass because it is a kind of spiritual spring cleaning, which

is exactly what Lent is about. The Lord Jesus enters the Temple, which is meant to be dedicated to the solitary end of worshiping God alone, both for the service of the Chosen People and in example for them. And Jesus cleans house like the prophets of old. And what remains when he is finished? A place of pure worship of God free from anything that might stray our attention from Him. This is what Lent is about for us: purifying our hearts so that what remains is for God alone, exactly how he wishes it, exactly how he made us to be. After last Sunday's Angelus prayer, the Holy Father said: With Easter Jesus initiates a new form of worship, the worship performed by love, and a new temple which he is himself, the risen Christ, through whom every believer can worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:23). St. Paul also tell us, your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, just as Christ refers to His body today as a temple. So, If we allow Jesus to come into our temple, what will he find? Will he see pagan emblems and idolatry: whether to popularity, to what feels good, to money / success, to freedom without responsibility, to family, to my plans? If none of those, good; but will he find a temple that worships Him only half-heartedly, focused more on the routine and on the status quo of I'm good enough or I love God, most of the time? It may be frightening and difficult, but if we allow the Lord to stir us up and clean us out, we will find ourselves happier, more peaceful and satisfied, and free from all those chains that idolatry so sneakingly shackles upon our hearts and souls. Open your hearts, today, now, to the King of Kings who loved us so much to accept death in our place, the doctor of souls who tends our wounds so that we can truly be healed and not just superficially, to the Lord of Lords whose deepest desire is for us to live, for as St. Irenaeus said, the Glory of God is man alive, and the life of man is to behold God. Pope Benedict recently told a group of priests: Christians are called to proclaim vigorously the possibility of an encounter between the man of today and Jesus Christ, in which God drew so near that we could see and hear him. This is the beauty of what we experience today: Jesus Christ comes to you, finds you, and reconciles with you through this sacrament, through us priests, weak human instruments that we are. Come with faith to Our Lord today, and hear him speak to you: I absolve you from your sins.