It is 22nd November 2019. We celebrate the memorial of St Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr. The readings are from 1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59; and the Gospel from Luke 19:45-48. The readings of the day invite us to meditate on the cleansing of the temple. In the first reading Judas Maccabeus cleansed and re-consecrated the temple for the worship of all people while in the Gospel, Jesus cleanses the house of God. Destroying or desecrating the temple by the enemies shocked the people of Israel so painfully. Our parishes are the contemporary temples. The responsorial Verse tributes, “We praise your glorious name, O Lord.” (1 Chron.29:13). We too have number of priests and laity involved in making the special space of God into money changing locations, fund-raising places, and for social activities than spiritual ones. We need to extremely careful not to stretch and overdo things and neglect building up the Body of Christ. “For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Cor.6:16). Yes, we are consecrated to the Lord. We too are desecrated repeatedly by the forces of evil and the presence of sin in our inner sanctuaries. We all need an urgent inner cleansing and re-dedicate to God. We are admonished by the prophet Jeremiah, “Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, ‘We are safe’ – safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you?” (Jer. 7:9-11). Let us revere God and keep the temples of the Holy Spirit sacred sanctuaries not to be invaded by any power. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.” (1Cor.6:19). We cannot get rid of God by desecrating or allowing to be defiling the house of prayer. May the Lord grant us courage to allow ourselves to be cleansed by the fire of the Holy Spirit. May you have a good day. God bless you.