In today's readings we hear two house-cleaning stories. In the time of the Maccabees, after the temple had been defiled by pagan idol worship, it needed rebuilding, cleaning, and reconsecration to make it a fit place for worship of the one God. It is to the One God that they express their praise and gratitude by making beautiful the place of prayer, of intimate union with God.

fa In the time of Jesus, after the temple had become a place of commerce, it needed the cleansing of Jesus' presence to make it a fit place for him to teach the Good News. In commerce we calculate what is the least we can give up and still get the most of what we want. In hearing the Word of God we are invited to surrender our whole selves to receive more than we could possibly ask or imagine.

We are invited to be vigilant in keeping our temples, i.e., our whole selves, prepared for the presence of our God. God indeed can and does find us in our messiness, but that doesn't mean we should keep things as messy as possible. Just as blood flows better when the arteries aren't clogged and oxygen when the lungs aren't full of smoke, so our relationship with God flows better when we remove as many obstacles as we can. Keeping our temples "clean," like cleaning our houses, is a way of saying to God "you are always here."