GOSPEL

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

From the Gospel according to John
Jn 2:13-25

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
“What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said,
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
many began to believe in his name
when they saw the signs he was doing.
But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all,
and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.
He himself understood it well.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Temples.

Jesus was aware of the nature within every individual and thus withheld His trust. The accounts given by these individuals were deemed untrustworthy due to their internal dispositions.
Yet, He has transformed us into dwelling places for His Spirit. Now our body is also a temple. And what do I allow in my heart? A marketplace or the Lord who bears witness on my behalf?

Applied to the context of marriage:

Monica: The more pure my heart, the more accurately I reflect the Lord’s light. Hence, I am committed to this journey of purification, not for my own sanctity, but to genuinely serve as the Lord’s sanctuary for you.

Daniel: I appreciate you, Monica. The more you behave as a temple of God, the more aware I become of your sacredness and the more it helps me to treat you according to the dignity you truly possess. I’m grateful for your dedication.

Mother,
May the Lord be able to trust us because we are going to transmit His righteousness to our spouses. Praise be to the Lord.