Temple of his body: Rebuilt in our souls

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Katie Lease

Destroy the temple and in three days I will raise it up.

Lent is in full swing, and the Lord brings his strong message to us in this Sunday's readings. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks about those who are called to believe in the Lord God: Jews and Gentiles alike.

He reflects on the divinity of Jesus being the power and wisdom of God. Then he says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." God, even in his foolishness surpasses the comprehension and wisdom of his human creation.

As humans we struggle to understand the will of God and we attempt to find rationality in his mystery. Possibly, our most difficult task as creation is to trust in our creator.

Third Sunday of Lent (March 19, 2006) Ex 20:1-17 or 20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17 Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11 1 Cor 1:22-25 Jn 2:13-25

We are called to trust in his strength for even his weakness is greater than any human strength. What a relief to know that we are being supported and loved by one who is stronger than this world. Truly it gives comfort to our souls.

Further, in the Gospel of John, there is the powerful scene of Jesus driving merchants out of the temple. The Lord says "destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up" in response to the taunting of others.

Although the disciples were not yet aware, the Lord "was speaking about the temple of his body." He was relating that his body would be destroyed by the crucifixion, but he would rebuild the temple by his resurrection three days later.

The temple, my friends, is more than we can imagine. The temple that the Lord speaks of has been rebuilt and restored in each of our souls by the salvation that Jesus has given to us.

The temple of the Lord dwells within us: within our hearts, our families, our relationships, and our daily lives. What a gift to know that our souls may share in the Lord's loving and everlasting divinity. But wait . . . there's more.

Following this statement about the temple of the Lord, Jesus recalls through the words of John, his own humanity. It reads that he (Jesus) "did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well."

Our Savior and Redeemer humbly joined us in humanity! He stood on this same earth, and he shared in our struggles.

This is our God - our Creator! This immensity of love is not only difficult to comprehend, but also difficult to accept as our own for this gift is so profound.

Through these readings, we can see the pure love and joy that the Lord has in his creation as well as his ability to relate to us as humans in all of our difficult situations, relationships, and circumstances.

	Reflection questions • Do you struggle to understand the challenges in your life? Can you surrender your need to "understand" to God's infinite wisdom? • During this Lenten season, are you readying your "temple" for the gift of the Risen Lord?

Within this love we can put all our trust, our will, and our lives. He is the only thing that is constant, everlasting, and true.

These are all qualities that we seek to find as humans. How beautiful it is when we have found them in our Lord Jesus Christ!

Katie Lease is a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in rehabilitation psychology and psychology. She is a peer minister at St. Paul University Catholic Center.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

In a Nutshell Eucharistic adoration differs from what happens when we simply look at or admire an artistic image of Christ. Such adoration is prayer that focuses the heart and mind in awareness of the Lord's eucharistic presence. The Lord is reverenced when our distracted minds are calmed before him in prayer. Eucharistic adoration is based on and leads back to the celebration of the Mass. Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   Pope Benedict XVI is among those who repeatedly call attention to Christ's presence in the Eucharist. Recognizing Christ's presence leads to serving as signs of his presence to others, the pope has said. In his first encyclical, "God Is Love," Pope Benedict said, "God's presence is felt at the very time when the only thing we do is to love." The pope spoke about Christ's presence in May 2005 when he participated in a eucharistic congress in Bari, Italy. He said: "Christ is truly present among us in the Eucharist. His presence is not static. It is a dynamic presence that grasps us to make us his own, to make us assimilate him. "Christ draws us to him; he makes us come out of ourselves to make us all one with him. In this way he also integrates us into the communities of brothers and sisters, and communion with the Lord is always also communion with our brothers and sisters." full story   Eucharistic adoration: The basics By Jem Sullivan Catholic News Service Eucharistic adoration is an act of prayer and worship before the presence of Christ in consecrated bread. Adoration takes place whenever we kneel in front of a tabernacle that contains the Eucharist, genuflect toward a tabernacle, kneel as the priest raises the Eucharist at Mass or bow before receiving the Eucharist. It also occurs in a more focused way outside of Mass when the consecrated host is placed in a monstrance on the altar. While this devotion is not new, there is a renewed focus on understanding and fostering it today. full story  Adoration and mission By Dennis Marshall Catholic News Service For people like me who came of age immediately after Vatican II, eucharistic adoration was not much emphasized. While eucharistic piety is not foreign to our tradition, the practice of it is to some. Because of its unfamiliarity, some might view the call to renew the practice of adoration as a nostalgic flight into an ideal Catholic past. In reality, the call to renew adoration is a call to live more radically the eucharistic faith we profess. full story  Where eucharistic devotions lead By Father Lawrence E. Mick Catholic News Service When I was a child our parish often celebrated Benediction. Or perhaps I should say we celebrated something called "--- AND Benediction." Blessing the people with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance so often was added at the end of another devotion. We had rosary and Benediction, Stations of the Cross and Benediction, novena and Benediction, sometimes even Mass and Benediction. In 1973 the Vatican issued new guidelines for Benediction and other eucharistic devotions titled "Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass." This document calls for a different approach to exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction: "Exposition that is held exclusively for the giving of Benediction is prohibited" (No. 89). full story
	Faith in the Marketplace   This Week's Discussion Point: How have you participated -- individually or with others -- in eucharistic adoration?     Selected Response From Readers:
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