Third Sunday of Lent: March 15, 2009

The readings are diverse, but if I could detect an overall message it would be to trust the God who loves us and shows us we are loved. The reading of the 10 Commandments reminds us that commandments are not here to damn us, but to protect us from our worst nature and the worst of others—in that sense, they are an instruction in “careful loving.” Then, Paul speaks of the Cross as a “foolish sign” of God’s careful love of us. And, finally, the Gospel tells us that God will see to it that there is “room” for us in His presence—the “cleansing of the Temple” was the removal of “temple stuff” that had spilled over and taken over the “Court of the Gentiles;” in this gentle reading we are told that God will make room for ALL creation in his house…..even for you and me!