For what do you prepare in life - an important exam, the start of a new year, the birth of a child?

Today's readings are about preparation. Jesus cleanses the Temple. The Temple is his Father's house - a place meant for prayer and not for business. Jesus cleanses the Temple at this time because he is about to teach there. His teachings are received most deeply when they become part of our prayer.

In the first reading, the Jewish Maccabees retake control of Judea from the Seleucid Empire. They arrive at the Temple and see that this sacred place has been neglected and desecrated. The people are disturbed by this sight but they purify the site, build a new altar and eventually make the Temple a place where God is worshipped again. In a scene that is reminiscent of the original dedication of the Temple by Solomon 800 years before (1 Kings 8), the Maccabees now rededicate the Temple. The people rejoice for eight days.

Each year, Jewish people still remember this rededication as they celebrate Hanukkah for eight days.

I am also a Temple of the Holy Spirit. In daily life, what or who helps me to remember that God dwells within me? Is there anything from which I desire to be cleansed?