Homily for Monday of the 3rd Week of Advent

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

Jesus did not answer the question about His authority, but the careful 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 was used. He knows that it was not being used nor operated with due faith and reverence. And He responded with righteous anger.

As we draw closer to the celebration of the birth of our Emmanuel, He shows us how to honor God rightly and helps us by filling our hearts with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May our hearts be truly open to that grace, who is always present and always active in our lives.