Am I Zealous?

Gospel Reflection for March 3, 2024, the Third Sunday of Lent - John 2:13-25

And the pasch of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

And he found in the temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting.

And when he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew.

And to them that sold doves he said: Take these things hence, and make not the house of my Father a house of traffic.

And his disciples remembered, that it was written: The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.

The Jews, therefore, answered, and said to him: What sign dost thou shew unto us, seeing thou dost these things?

Jesus answered, and said to them: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

The Jews then said: Six and forty years was this temple in building; and wilt thou raise it up in three days?

But he spoke of the temple of his body.

When therefore he was risen again from the dead, his disciples remembered, that he had said this, and they believed the scripture, and the word that Jesus had said.

Now when he was at Jerusalem, at the pasch, upon the festival day, many believed in his name, seeing his signs which he did.

But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men,

And because he needed not that any should give testimony of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2:13-25 DRA)

The readings for this Sunday raise an important question that all of us, as Christians, should ask ourselves today: am I zealous? Zeal is not something that is popular in our culture. It tends to be associated with violent, emotional fanaticism, a willingness to justify any means for the presumed end of serving God. This is not the true meaning of zeal, however. The zeal which consumed Jesus is the same zeal that inspired the Psalmist to extol his love for the Law – who could imagine in today’s world expressing such profound love for moral restrictions and precepts? Jesus was zealous for serving God out of loving obedience; this is not fanaticism but the greatest charity possible, the kind of zeal exemplified by the saints throughout history. Christian zeal does not look like Islamic zeal or atheist zeal – rather than acts of terrorism or mass genocides, Christian zeal looks like Mother Teresa, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Katharine Drexel and St. Thomas Aquinas, lives overflowing with faith, hope and charity.

We can see how much the modern world loves the Law by asking how many of the Ten Commandments are reflected in the laws of nations. Throughout the developed world, only one sin prohibited by the Commandments is illegal: theft. A man can worship false gods, blaspheme the name of Jesus in public, never go to church, mock and abandon his parents, murder children in abortion, sleep with as many women (or men) as he pleases even while married, lie and pursue greed with ravenous envy, and what will happen to him? In all likelihood, he will be celebrated as a brave, fearless champion of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He’ll probably even get his own reality or talk show and start up a YouTube channel with millions of views like the celebrities he emulates. But if he steals even one item? Prison.

This shows what in our “enlightened” world is truly valued.

Unlike this postmodernist rebel and cultural icon, Jesus remains as countercultural today as He was in His earthly life – both among followers of God and unbelievers. We should ask ourselves: am I truly zealous for God? Do I examine my conscience regularly and take care that, to the best of my ability, all of my choices are in accordance with His will, and if not, that I repent with honest contrition and try to “go, and sin no more”? Do I genuinely want the eternal joy and perfection of holiness offered in Christ, or is it only appealing when I’m not challenged by the world, the flesh and the devil? If the perversions of society, confusions in the Church and my own temptations distract me from Christ, do I fight against them or let them win, all while convincing myself and others that I’m still a good Christian? These are the questions that should occupy our prayers this Lent.

More specifically, Jesus’s zeal was for His Father’s house. For us Christians, this is the Church, particularly the churches in which we gather to celebrate the Sacraments. Does our zeal extend this far? Are we complacent in the lazy, pusillanimous minimalism which is so rampant today, or do we seek the best and most excellent, the highest beauty and deepest reverence in our participation in the Sacraments? For many of us, the banality, abuse and violation of Tradition which we experience regularly at Mass and the other Sacraments is a consistent source of frustration, one which as laypeople or even as priests, deacons or religious we often feel powerless to correct. It may even lead some of us to deny the validity of Vatican II, recent popes or the Novus Ordo liturgy.

This is not the path of God. Even if today’s time is indeed the worst in history, it is not unprecedented: devout Christians have endured persecutions both within and outside the Church since the Crucifixion. We should not expect any exemption for ourselves today. Out of zeal, we should continue to hope, pray and work for the restoration of beauty, reverence and fidelity to the Deposit of Faith in the Church, growing in wisdom and virtue ourselves and helping instill the same in others, discerning authentic doctrine from mere fallible opinion or discipline and knowing in our hearts that God allows evil only so that greater good may come through it. This Lent, offer your frustrations and disappointments as a sacrificial penance to Christ for the reparation of the sins of yourself, the Church and the world – this is the greatest path to true reclamation and salvation for all.