God's Temple

Homily for the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

There is a profound connection between today’s readings and the feast we celebrate, the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our first reading from Maccabees recalls how the Jewish people rededicate the sanctuary of the temple after it had been defiled. The reading describes all the ways they adorn and honor this sacred place, for the temple is holy ground, the place where God’s presence dwells.

This theme of honoring the temple as the place where God dwells is echoed in our Gospel text. As Jesus drives out the merchants and moneychangers, he reminds them that the temple is meant to be a house of prayer. Jesus shows a just and holy anger because their commerce was not befitting for the house of God.

Jesus’ zeal for the temple is an echo of the zeal God had shown in creating and preparing Mary to be the Mother of God. Years after Mary’s presentation, the Holy Spirit would overshadow her sinless heart and the Son of God would become incarnate in her womb. By her Immaculate Conception, God had prepared Mary for this moment, making her a worthy dwelling place – a dwelling even more magnificent than the temple itself. Like the temple, Mary’s heart would be dedicated entirely to God – a true house of prayer.

As Christians, we are temples of God because, when we are baptized, the holy Trinity comes to dwell in us. Furthermore, each time we receive communion, Jesus unites himself even more intimately with us and we become his dwelling place. Consequently, we should have the same zeal for our souls as Jesus did for the temple, and strive, like Mary, to make our hearts places where God delights to come and dwell.