Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
The cleansing of the temple area is a very interesting and complicated scene. It’s important to understand that what Jesus takes issue with is not the practice of buying and selling goods in and of itself. We are incarnate beings with physical bodies. As such, it is inevitable that we spend a significant amount of time and resources attending to the physical necessities that sustain us in life and well-being. There is a legitimate place for commerce, especially insofar as it helps people to obtain the necessities that they need to live healthy and productive lives.
That said, money is not an inherent good either. It can be a good when it is used in the proper spirit for rightly-ordered pursuits, but can become an evil when the acquisition of wealth becomes tied up in disordered desires and practices. In the Gospel today, the sellers and money changers have clearly crossed the line. They are in the temple area to take advantage of those who have come to worship God and make holy offerings.
This scene raises some important points for personal discernment in terms of how we acquire and utilize wealth in our own lives. Is our gaze always fixed upon Christ and do we allow that to direct our motives and actions? Do we conduct our business affairs in ways that honor and promote our beliefs as Christian people? Ultimately, how do we use the resources that we have at our disposal for the greater glory of God and the good of his people?