HOUSE
OF PRAYER
The curse of a fig tree symbolized the
outcome of Israel's
unresponsiveness to the Word of God. The prophets depicted the languishing fig
tree as signifying the desolation and calamity of Israel due to her unfaithfulness to
God (Joel 1:7,12; Habakuk 3:17; Jer. 8:13). The history of Israel is one
long preparation for the coming of the One Who will be the Savior. But the
promise is unfulfilled in those who reject Jesus Christ through unbelief.
Jesus' cursing of a fig tree is a prophetic action against the faithlessness of
those who rejected His message. For our faith to be fruitful and productive, it
must be nourished with the Word of our heavenly Father and take root through
our love.
The cleansing of the Temple that we read about in today's Gospel
of Mark was another prophetic action from Jesus. We see Jesus' startling and
swift action in cleansing the Temple.
The money changers took advantage of the poor and used the Temple to exploit the worshipers of God and
forced the poor to pay more than the worth of the goods being sold. Their
robbery of the low income people was not only dishonoring to God but unjust
toward the people in their community. In justification for His action to them
Jesus quotes from the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah saying, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. But
you have made it a den of thieves." (Is. 56:7; Jer. 7:11).His act of
judgment aims to purify the worship of God's people and to discipline their
greedy ways.
Jesus went to the disciples and said,
"Have faith in God." They are to pray with a strong faith no matter
how difficult the situation may be. This is also our challenge - to pray with
faith in a loving Father Who will give us the means to overcome difficulties
and obstacles. In our Responsorial Psalm today we acclaimed, "He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with His constancy" (Ps. 96:13).
Today's reading from the First Letter of
Peter is like a brief catechism with so many imperatives to compassion. "Be serious and sober-minded... Be
hospitable to one another without complaining," and so on. We are
called to be good stewards-all by the grace of God. Please take time to reflect
upon this prayer from today's reading. "Whoever
preaches, let it be with the Words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the
strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through
Jesus Christ, to Whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen"
(1 Pt. 4:11).
St. Teresa of Avila stated, "The good that one who practices prayer possesses has been written
of by many saints and holy persons... I can speak of what I have experienced
of."