To watch Fr. Joe’s homily from the 3rd Sunday of Lent: CLICK HERE!
“Enough,” she said sadly. This was not working. They had some wonderful times together and he was a nice guy, but it was clear, at least to her, that each wanted different things out of life. So with tears and a smile on her face, she wished him well and they parted.
Enough, he said with frustration. The project was going nowhere. They were wasting valuable time and resources. There were too many competing visions and goals and egos. He decided to cancel the next meeting; instead, he spoke one-on-one with each member of the team. He reviewed what needed to be done to move forward. Then he and the team member decided together whether he or she would continue working on the project. A smaller, more focused and in-sync group then brought the work to completion.
Enough, they said. It had been a long year, with both Mom and Dad working at home and the kids attending classes online in their rooms. Living in the same 3,000 square feet of space 24/7 can’t help but lead to impatience, bickering, boredom, and frankly loneliness. So Mom and Dad announced a cleaning day. Every room of the house, yes, including your rooms kids, would be vacuumed, cleaned and dusted. Clothing would be hung up (laundered, if needed), books and games put back where they belong; stuff not needed would be donated or tossed. Everyone worked together cleaning the kitchen and shared family spaces. The day ended with pizza and a movie. Dinner was restored as sacred time, with everyone assigned a role and attendance mandatory. With a clean and orderly house, the family found that attitudes had gotten a bit more positive. They started to be a family again. Just Enough…
My guess is, we all reach the point of enough when we are tired of accepting less than what is possible; when what is right and just eludes us because of selfishness or greed; when we refuse to remain silent any longer for the sake of complacency posing as peace.
Jesus reaches the point of enough in today’s Gospel.
Enough of the commerce and profit that had degraded the Temple. The time had come to restore the Temple as a place of prayer, of welcome, and peace, of charity and kindness.
What Jesus does in cleansing the Temple we must do in our lives. Enough of the merchants who try to sell us on a set of beliefs and values based on self-interest and greed; Enough of the “money changers” who shortchange us of the time and attention we want for family and friends; Enough of the useless, the meaningless, and the destructive that make our lives less then what God created them to be.
I guess in some ways it is about keeping perspective, keeping God, faith, family, others, caring, love, forgiveness, and responsibility at the forefront of our daily lives, before those other distractions and false gods.
And if I were to ask you on your way out of mass today, what do you remember from today’s Homily? I am sure it would be “Family Cleaning Day” begins when we get home today!