Dear Parishioners,

Our Scripture passage for the Third Sunday of Lent comes from the Gospel of John 2:13–25. This is the story of Jesus Cleansing the Temple. This passage is appropriate because it invites all disciples to cleanse the temple of our own lives during this Lenten Time.

In our Baptism we become a temple of the Holy Spirit but over the course of time our lives can become cluttered with unholy ideals, noises, and idols (values, actions, behaviors, and attitudes) that should not be there. Lent is a great time to take an inventory of the many ways in which we have allowed sin and distractions to compromise our Christian discipleship and to remove them.

The Ten Commandments are presented to us in the first reading for this Third Sunday of Lent for a reason; we are being invited to cleanse the temple of our lives by evaluating carefully our thoughts and actions in light of these revealed mandates of God’s will (see Ex 20:1–17).

In addition to the Ten Commandments, there are other excellent self-reflections known as “Examinations of Conscience” which can help a disciple recognize previously overlooked or unrealized situations of sin and weakness. By identifying and addressing these obstacles to growth in discipleship, we are able to become more fully the people God desires us to be—Living Sanctuaries of His Presence in the world.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an especially important part of a Christian’s life and Lent is a great time to celebrate this Sacrament. We will be having our Lenten Penance service on Monday, March 18. There will be a short liturgy of the Word and two other visiting priests to hear confessions that evening.