Sunday Micro Retreat – March 3, 2024

As you begin your time of reflection, try to realize that you are standing on holy ground and in the presence of God, who wants to talk to you and listen to you.

Make the Sign of the Cross. The Holy Spirit is opening your heart and mind so the Word of God that you are about to read can flourish in you for God's glory. Pray that you continue to work with his grace. Let the words or your prayer flow from your mind through your heart. Try to "feel" what you are saying.

Is there anything you would like to ask God now? What graces does your heart desire?
Talk to God about it.

Today, we ask for the grace of knowing how to respect holy spaces.

Now read the Sunday's Gospel:
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”
His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” They then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But Jesus was speaking of the temple of his body.
After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about human nature, for he himself knew what was within the human person.
(John 2:13-25)

The Word of God touches everyone differently. If there is anything that really stood out for you in this reading, meditate on it. Go to the depths of your heart and listen to what God is trying to say to you.

Next, let's spend some time reflecting on the following points:

1. The Zeal for God's House
Jesus' actions in the temple reflect a deep passion for the purity and sanctity of worship. How does this zeal challenge your own attitudes towards worship and the spaces we consider sacred? Are there areas in your personal or communal worship practices that may have become more about 'transaction' than 'transformation'?

2. The Challenge of Faith Without Full Trust:
Many believed in Jesus when they saw the signs He was doing, yet Jesus did not entrust Himself to them because He knew their hearts. Reflect on the difference between believing in Jesus for the miracles He performs and following Him with a fully committed heart. How does this distinction challenge your own faith journey?

3. Zeal Consuming
Reflecting on the quote, "Zeal for your house will consume me," consider what consumes you in your spiritual life. What are you most passionate about in your faith? Are there things that should consume you more or less, according to the Gospel’s teaching?

4. Signs of Faith
Jesus challenges the demand for a sign with a profound prediction of His resurrection. Reflect on the signs of Jesus' presence and power in your life. How do these signs strengthen your faith, and how do you respond to moments when signs seem absent?

It is good to keep a personal journal where reflections that stood out for you are recorded.
The outcome of those Sunday Micro Retreats is good material that you can talk about in your spiritual direction.