22 November 2019
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Everyone remembers how Jesus cleansed the Temple of the moneychangers, but no one remembers what He did next. Once the Temple had been cleansed, “every day He was teaching in the Temple area” (Lk. 19:47). Jesus did not merely cleanse the Temple for a dramatic point, but to make it worthy. The patient work of teaching and building up is less exciting to the imagination than the dramatic work of condemning and tearing down. Yet Jesus is not above the dullness and drudgery that true conversion requires—this is the very logic of the Incarnation.
If it is difficult to remember that Jesus built up after tearing down in the Temple, it is likely difficult to remember the times when He has done the same thing in our own lives. Being attentive to the quiet moments, the times that are less vivid in our memories, requires a bit more effort. If we make the effort, however, we will receive a wonderful gift. We will recognize not only the times that God has tried us, but how He has built us up after those trials. The more we see God’s quiet care for us in the past, the more we will trust in God’s care in the future.