Open with a prayer: Blessed are you, God of the Covenant. You formed Israel as your covenant people. You invite us into a new covenant of love in your Son. Help us to live always in accord with your will. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sharing life: What are you most and least grateful for?

Facilitator reads focus statement: Our first reading tells about the covenant God made with Israel by giving them Ten Commandments to live by. In the gospel Jesus reacts with anger to abuses in the temple, which he sees as violating the covenant. In our second reading Paul calls us to embrace divine wisdom though the world may see it as foolishness.

Now read the assigned readings, pausing for a moment after each reading.

FIRST READING: Exodus 20: 1-17

Our first reading is one of the two versions of the Ten Commandments that we find in the Old Testament. (The second version can be read in Deut. 5:6-21). On Mt. Sinai, God entered into a holy covenant relationship with the people of Israel whom he had just delivered from the slavery of Egypt. (See Exodus, Ch.19). Briefly, the covenant relationship states: "God (alone) will be Israel's God. He will travel with them offering protection and guidance. In response, Israel will follow God's ways." To help the people of Israel understand more concretely what God expected of them, he gave them the Decalogue ("Ten Words"), better known as the "Ten Commandments". The first three commandments have to do with Israel's relationship with God and the last seven have to do with the people's relationships with each other.

In the first commandment God calls Israel to worship God alone and forbids them to carve any images of him. Israel's neighbors had many gods and also had carved images of them. God is greater than any human attempt to capture him in an icon or statue. God knows that it is easy to move from veneration of an image to worship of it. "I am a jealous God." God's "jealousy" is like the protective care a parent has for his/her children. Also, it means that God must be first in our lives. He will not tolerate competition. Finally, it has been well said that if we sincerely follow the first commandment, following the other nine will be much easier. On the other hand if we tend to ignore the first commandment, we will all too easily fail when it comes to following the other nine.

The second commandment calls on Israel to honor God's name. In fact they so revered God's name that they avoided using it at all. In prayer, they used another name for God - Adonai, i.e., Lord. Especially forbidden is the use of God's name for purposes of perjury, magic and curses. The third commandment calls on Israel to set aside one day a week for worship of God. This commandment also insured that workers, especially slaves, had some time off.

The fourth through the tenth commandments were intended to safeguard, protect, and uphold those values upon which a holy and wholesome society is built; e.g., family ties and parental respect (fourth); reverence for life (fifth); marriage and fidelity (sixth); the rights of proprietorship (seventh); honesty and sincerity (eight); and home and hearth (ninth and tenth).

The seven commandments which address Israel's social relationships are very much derived from the first three commandments, for when life with God is rightly ordered and honored, life with others will, most likely, be also healthy and holy.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 19

The faithful Israelite saw God's law as a guide and not as a hindrance to true freedom. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 1: 22-25

Commenting on this reading. Fr. Lawrence Mick writes:

This brief passage confronts us with a basic decision each of us must make. Will we live by the wisdom of the world or by the foolishness of God? So much of our faith life defies conventional wisdom. Our society certainly doesn't teach us to serve others, to fight for justice for the oppressed or to put love above money, just to mention a few values. The gospel teaches us a whole different way of viewing the world and of responding to life. If we try to live the gospel, many will consider us foolish. Are we willing to risk that?

GOSPEL: John 2: 13-25

The cleansing of the temple can be seen as an enactment of the first two readings. Jesus rejects those who put commerce ahead of worship of the Father. He acts foolishly in the eyes of those around him, rejecting what was commonly accepted and risking a violent reaction.

John places this event at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, while the synoptic gospels place it just before the passion. John probably places it here to indicate the meaning of Jesus' mission. John links the cleansing to the destruction of the temple, indicating the end of the old covenant and its forms of worship. The new covenant is in Jesus' body and the new worship, as Jesus told the woman at the well, is in spirit and in truth.

To remain in this covenant, then, we must remain members of Christ's body, the Church. We must worship in the Holy Spirit and in truth, and we must live in that same Spirit of truth.

FAITH SHARING QUESTIONS

1. Name some ways you see people today violating the first commandment. What helps you to keep God first in your life? What makes it difficult?

2. Can you give an example where living the Gospel can make you look foolish to others? If you have a personal example, what gave you the courage to be true to your beliefs?

3. Zeal for his Father's house consumed Jesus. How do you feel about people who are very zealous for a particular cause or for what they strongly believe? Do you tend to write them off as fanatics? What makes their behavior like Jesus'? How is it different?

4. If Jesus visited our church or parish or homes today, what might he cleanse?

RESPONDING TO GOD'S WORD

Name one way you can act on today's readings. Suggestion: Is there one of the Ten Commandments that you are neglecting? If so, pray for the grace of true conversion. What in your life competes for first place with God? Be sure it doesn't become a false idol.

CONCLUDE WITH PRAYERS OF PETITION AND INTERCESSION

Pray especially for the purification of our church and ourselves and for the grace and skills to express our anger in a constructive way. Pray for the Elect preparing for baptism and entrance into our church this Easter.

CLOSING PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, you cleansed the temple so that it would be dedicated to worship. Cleanse our hearts that we might be dedicated to you. We ask this of you who live and reign with the Father and the Spirit forever. Amen.