When I was newly ordained I was in charge of the Youth Group in the parish. (Aren’t all newly ordained put in charge of the youth group?) Asking the group about Jesus one day one teen girl answered that she thought he was stuck up. All of the “I am” statements and how about boasting “something greater than the temple is here.” Didn’t know quite how to respond to that! The point of Jesus’ statements is to re-orient how we think about things. We like to have everything lined up — this is good, that is bad; this is valuable, that is not. Jesus asks us to look at everything in how they help to promote more loving relationships. While a temple, a sacred space, might be a good thing genuinely encountering another human being with compassion is the true piece of holy ground.
JULY212023
By Church Staff
