“Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things…” Most of us are familiar with this Gospel passage. It’s often used to point out that the Christian response to others is not always soft words, but sometimes righteous anger. Yet what is it really about and how does it relate to us?
I read a reflection once about this passage right before Christ drove the sellers out of the Temple: He braided a whip in preparation. Braiding a whip out of leather cords can take hours. Christ’s effort makes it clear that He prepared to cleanse the Temple. This was not an outburst of rage, nor a particularly bad day for Him. This was true justice in action.
What is justice? Is it taking out our anger on whoever is frustrating us? No, of course not. Perhaps we are rightfully angry with someone else for what they’ve done against us or others, or even against God. Perhaps it is in everyone’s best interest to share a few stern words in private. But no matter the circumstance, we are called to virtue, and that looks different in different situations, as Christ shows us here.
We know that He is the Man of perfect virtue. And justice is the virtue of giving to God and to others what they are owed. We owe God reverence, respect, obedience, and worship, to name a few. And we owe others charity, honesty, generosity, prudence, and so on.
The Temple was the Jews’ primary place of worship. In obedience to Old Testament laws, faithful Jews offered animal sacrifices when praying at the Temple – giving God His due. But the sellers here are deliberately taking advantage of those laws to make a profit. We know this because Christ condemns them as a “den of thieves.” Far, far worse than that, they are desecrating the Temple, stabling their smelly wares inside the sanctified walls of God’s holy house. Christ’s righteous anger is an act of restorative justice that amends the wrongs committed against God and others (the faithful Jews).
Our worship as Catholics today looks very different from that of ancient Judaism. Yet like the Jews, we also ought to give God and others what they are owed. The call of today’s Gospel is to turn inward to the temple of our God-given souls. Are you consistently giving God and others their due? Or is there an internal cleansing that needs to take place?
Take a few minutes out of your day and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the ways you have practiced justice toward God and others, and the ways you have fallen short. Then, take up the cords along with Christ, and accompany Him in the spiritual cleaning of your heart. The cords are painful, but they are also fruitful: we are restoring virtue and ultimately restoring our relationships with God and others.
“Jesús entró en el templo y comenzó a echar fuera a los que vendían y compraban allí…” La mayoría de nosotros conocemos este pasaje del Evangelio. Se usa a menudo para señalar que la respuesta cristiana a los demás no siempre consiste en palabras suaves, sino a veces en una ira justificada. Sin embargo, ¿de qué se trata realmente y cómo se relaciona con nosotros?
Leí una reflexión una vez sobre este pasaje justo antes de que Cristo expulsara a los vendedores del Templo: Trenzó un látigo en preparación. Trenzar un látigo con cuerdas de cuero puede llevar horas. El esfuerzo de Cristo deja claro que se preparó para purificar el Templo. No fue un arrebato de ira, ni un día particularmente malo para Él. Fue verdadera justicia en acción.
¿Qué es la justicia? ¿Es descargar nuestra ira contra quien nos frustra? No, claro que no. Quizás estemos legítimamente enojados con alguien por lo que ha hecho contra nosotros, contra otros o incluso contra Dios. Quizás sea lo mejor para todos compartir unas palabras severas en privado. Pero sin importar la circunstancia, estamos llamados a la virtud, y esto se manifiesta de manera diferente en distintas situaciones, como Cristo nos muestra aquí.
Sabemos que Él es el Hombre de virtud perfecta. Y la justicia es la virtud de dar a Dios y a los demás lo que se les debe. Le debemos a Dios reverencia, respeto, obediencia y adoración, por nombrar solo algunas. Y a los demás les debemos caridad, honestidad, generosidad, prudencia, etc.
El Templo era el lugar principal de culto de los judíos. En obediencia a las leyes del Antiguo Testamento, los judíos fieles ofrecían sacrificios de animales al orar en el Templo, dándole a Dios lo que le corresponde. Pero los vendedores aquí se aprovechan deliberadamente de esas leyes para obtener ganancias. Lo sabemos porque Cristo los condena como una “cueva de ladrones”. Mucho peor que eso, están profanando el Templo, guardando sus malolientes mercancías dentro de los muros santificados de la santa casa de Dios. La justa ira de Cristo es un acto de justicia restauradora que repara los daños cometidos contra Dios y los demás (los judíos fieles).
Nuestro culto como católicos hoy es muy diferente al del judaísmo antiguo. Sin embargo, al igual que los judíos, también debemos dar a Dios y a los demás lo que se les debe. El Evangelio de hoy nos llama a mirar hacia adentro, al templo de las almas que Dios nos otorgó. ¿Le das constantemente a Dios y a los demás lo que les corresponde? ¿O necesitas una limpieza interior?
Tómate unos minutos de tu día y pídele al Espíritu Santo que te abra los ojos a las maneras en que has practicado la justicia hacia Dios y los demás, y a las maneras en que has fallado. Luego, toma las cuerdas junto con Cristo y acompáñalo en la limpieza espiritual de tu corazón. Las cuerdas son dolorosas, pero también fructíferas: estamos restaurando la virtud y, en última instancia, restaurando nuestra relación con Dios y los demás.
Hailing from Nashville, Catherine is a graduate of Christendom College with a lifelong passion for words. Her love of writing and her Catholic Faith continue to shape her as a freelance editor, copywriter, and (aspiring) novelist, where she pursues her passions for the love and greater glory of God.
Feature Image Credit: Cocoparisienne, pixabay.com/photos/rope-ropes-node-braided-close-up-326566/
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