Don't Be a Thief
Gospel Reflection on Luke 19:45-48 Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, November 21, 2025
Jesus shows us today that the House of the Lord should not be used for anything else other than worshipping the living God; we are not going there to glorify ourselves, but rather, we are going there to glorify him. There are plenty of times when things can be sold at churches for the purpose of glorifying God; there are fundraisers that are held to raise money to build up the Church. This is all possible. However, in today’s Gospel, Jesus gets angry with those who are selling things in the temple area, and based on his level of anger, we can know that these people were not selling things to glorify God. He tells them they have made the temple area a “den of thieves.” They are taking away from people worshipping God, distracting them with materials that will ultimately fade away. Raising money at a church is okay, but doing it for a reason other than to glorify God is never okay. Every activity at church must be directed to the Lord. If not, then those who are trying church for the first time, or giving it one more chance, may be turned away or drawn in for the wrong reasons
.Today’s gospel can be tied back to the idea that the Church is a hospital for sinners. It is a common practice in society today for those who are not believers to call out behavior that isn’t Christlike but which was done by Christians. It’s deemed hypocritical. They think that all Christians should be perfect if they profess to follow Christ. And, while we certainly should try to not sin, the Church was never meant for perfect people. It was always meant to be a hospital for sinners; if we were perfect, we would’ve never needed Christ to save us from our sins. Many think church can be a bragging point to boast about one’s self, but this is never the case. Church is never a place to glorify ourselves, but it is always a place to glorify God.