Third Sunday of Lent – Year B

An old story is told like this:

After Mass one Sunday, a person came to his parish priest and said that he would leave the parish and the church.

He gave a long list of reasons for his decision. Most of the participants at Sunday celebration were hypocrites. He had seen many people attending Mass without paying attention to what was going on. During the celebration, people used their cell phone to do something else. Some people only wanted to read the missal, not paying attention to any part of the Mass. Others slept during the ceremony. Countless people impatiently checked their watches as if the Mass went longer than expected. Children were everywhere. They made noise with their toys; they cried and were loudly admonished. The noise children made took away calmness that is needed for the Eucharistic celebration.

The priest replied: "Before you leave the church, I would ask you to do one thing for me. Hold glass full of water and make three rounds around the church during Mass, but please do not let a drop of water fall to the ground.” He accepted and did it at the next Mass.

After the Mass, he went to the priest and told him that he had done it without spilling a single drop of water. The priest then asked him: "So when you went around the church, did you hear anything from the children? Did you hear the cell phone ring? Did you notice any action or movement of the Mass participants?" He replied that because he had to keep a glass of water from spilling, he did not hear or see anything.

Today's Gospel, John 2: 13-25, tells us about Jesus’ act of cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem. After turning upside down all the table and stuffs, Jesus told traders and money changers: “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” (John 2:16) Through the Gospel, we understand that the Lord's house must be a holy place, a place that is clears from unworthy deeds and thoughts. Also, it is a place that has no room for worldly attachments.

Sometimes in our spiritual life, we stray from God. We do not recognize that is our own fault, and blame others instead. We believe that our soul is where God dwells. So how do we prepare a place for God to dwell?

May this Lenten season help each one of us to see more clearly about ourselves. May all the unworthiness be removed from the soul of each one of us.

Fr. Phi Nguyen

Mass Schedules

Weekdays Mass Schedule

Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. Bilingual - English/Vietnamese

Weekend Mass Schedule

Saturday
4:00 PM (English)
6:00 PM (Vietnamese)

Sunday
7:30 a.m. Vietnamese
9:30 a.m. English
11:30 a.m. Vietnamese
1:30 p.m. English

Confession

Saturdays from 3:00-3:30 pm. 
1st & 3rd in English
2nd & 4th in English & Vietnamese

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