Lenten Reflection: Third Sunday of Lent

Third Sunday of Lent
​"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
What does this mean for us today?

Meditation:
" 'Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.' " These words spoken by Jesus in our Gospel for this Third Sunday of Lent sounded impossible to the people of Jesus' time. The beautiful and immense Temple of the Lord had taken forty-six years to build; Christ's proposal to rebuild it from ruins in three days was unbelievable. The Apostles themselves did not understand these words until after Christ's Resurrection. Do we understand them?

For the Jewish people, the Temple was the symbol of God's presence.  When Christ speaks of His Body as the Temple, He is telling us that He is God with us - Emmanuel. He is the promised Savior, who will redeem the world when the Temple of His Body is torn down.  Although Christ walked this earth two thousand years ago, He is still present to us today in the Holy Eucharist.  The Eucharist is God with us. 

Draw closer to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist during this Lenten season. He desires to have a personal relationship with you, and it is for this very purpose that He remains present to us in the Eucharist. 

Prayer:
"The sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for her young: by your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, for ever singing your praise (Ps. 84 (83): 4-5)" 
 - Communion Antiphon Third Sunday of Lent