Gospel Reflection for the 3rd. Sunday of Lent

March 4th. – Power, Money and Corruption

Often we hear or perhaps even say that money is the root of all evil. However, this is not actually what scripture tells us. What it tells us is that the love of money is the root of all evil. There is absolutely nothing wrong with money, having money or spending money. When we work, we have the right to be paid a just and decent wage or salary. With the money we have rightly and deservedly earned, we can buy the basic necessities we and our families need to survive. What the first reading from Book of Exodus and the gospel of Jesus driving the traders and money changers from the temple warns us about is the danger of putting our trust in money and wealth instead of trusting God.

We remember from the Old Testament that the Jewish People turned their back on God and began to worship a calf that they had made from gold. In the first reading God says to them, ‘You shall have no others gods except me.’ When the people were wandering in the desert they lost faith in God and replaced it with faith in a statue made of gold. In the gospel, the traders, money-lenders turn the sacred temple in Jerusalem into a cheap market place. The temple had its own money, so people had to change their money for temple currency. They were often cheated and robbed by these money lenders. Then people needed animals for prayer and sacrifice; again they were robbed and cheated. Jesus was justifiably angry and took the right action by throwing them out the temple; a sacred place of prayer and worship

Today, we may not be worshipping a golden calf. But we can become so attached and precious about what we have and own, that they can possess us rather than the other way around. They can often have an unhealthy hold over us. On the radio there is programme called ‘Desert Island Discs.’ Guests are asked to talk about their lives and their most treasured possessions. Before it ends, they are only allowed to bring one item on to the deserted island with them. If you were asked to choose one (or two) of your most treasured and precious belongings, what would you decide to save and bring with you?

In a famous book called ‘The Little Prince,’ written in 1943, we are told that ‘It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.’ The gospel of St. Matthew tells that wherever our treasure is, there also will be our heart. Perhaps this gospel is asking us to consider what is precious to us and where our heart is at this stage of our Lenten journey.

As we continue on our way through Lent, we are being asked to consider what is essential to us in our daily lives with each other. What do we treasure most in our lives? We are also being asked to consider our relationship with God. The Ten Commandments are not simply a list of do’s and don’ts. They are offered us to us as a set of guidelines. If we accept and follow them, they will help us to live well with each other and with God. They offer us a quality of life, not a life-style!

• Michael Moore OMI