On this 3rd Sunday of Lent, we are reminded of a side of Jesus not often spoken about in the cleansing of the Temple. As Tony explains, this episode teaches us that Jesus is not just a nice guy who wants to be our friend. Rather, as the Son of God Incarnate, Jesus desires to cleanse us of all that is not Him in us, so that He might fill us with His Divine Life. And both actions speak to where virtue fits into the Christian life.
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: Exodus 20:1-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Reading 2: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Gospel: John 2:13-15
Tony Crescio is the founder of FRESHImage Ministries. He holds an MTS from the University of Notre Dame and is currently a PhD candidate in Christian Theology at Saint Louis University. His research focuses on the intersection between moral and sacramental theology. His dissertation is entitled, Presencing the Divine: Augustine, the Eucharist and the Ethics of Exemplarity.
Tony’s academic publications can be found here.