Homily for December 16, 2019

The question posed to Jesus by the chief priests and the elders in today’s Gospel passage comes shortly after He expelled the merchants and money changers from the Temple in Jerusalem. They wanted to know by whose authority He could do such things. They themselves asserted authority over the Temple, and they had not given Jesus permission to do what He did.

As we just heard, Jesus did not give an answer to the question about His authority, but the observant reader of the Gospel knows the source of His authority. From before His birth, Jesus was called Emmanuel, meaning “God-with-us.”

Because Jesus is “God-with-us,” He has the authority to say how God’s Temple should be used. He knew that it was not being used nor operated with due faith, reverence, and respect 

As we draw closer to the commemoration and celebration of the birth of our Emmanuel, He shows us how to honor God appropriately and helps us by pouring the Holy Spirit into our hearts. May our hearts be truly open to the grace of the Holy Spirit always present and always active in our lives. +