Friday of Week 33 Year 1

Is it wrong to sell things in the church compound? If items such as religious items like rosaries, prayer books, statues of saints and other relevant items are being sold at a reasonable price to promote faith and prayer; or if food stuff is sold at a reasonable price to promote fellowship and friendship, then such items and food stuff may be tolerated, provided that the parish priest is in agreement with such an activity, and he has given proper permission. This is necessary to prevent abuses, as there are people who claim to be selling things, but with the intention of making money for themselves. This is where parishioners should notify and clarify with the parish priest, especially if they notice someone unknown or unfamiliar selling items. Otherwise, our church compound and in some cases, even within our church, may become a "robbers den," since what is supposed to be sacred space and treated with proper reverence has become another marketplace or supermarket, where there is always a possibility of cheating and swindling going on.

In today's Gospel, "Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. 'According to scripture,' he said 'my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robber's den.'" The Temple was becoming a place where cheating and swindling was going on, and to make matters worse, the chief priests and the scribes were the ones permitting such acts to happen. How do we know this? The Gospel also tells us that "the chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out..." If the chief priests and the scribes were sincere in maintaining the Temple as a sacred space and to be treated with proper reverence, they would have not gotten so worked up when Jesus chased those sellers away. The fact that they tried to do away with Jesus shows that they have got something to hide and do not want to lose the seller's business.

What about us? Are we just as guilty like the chief priests and the scribes? Have we treated our church as a place where business could be done and sellers could do whatever they please, as long as we get a "cut" from such activities? May we come to realise and appreciate the sacredness and significance of the church, and treat it properly.