The Gospel for The memorial of St. Cecilia Virgin and Martyr is taken from Luke 19:45, 48 verse Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, it is written, my house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests and scribes and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death. But they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words. It’s not hard to believe that any system that engages someone in something that is meaningful and purposeful can be turned through corruption into something very different.

Instead of the temple being a place where you could encounter God, it was clear that it turned out to be a place that was making money for those who were running the temple. It’s a reminder how often that we see in religion. Those who run a religion get caught up in money and power, and it ruins the heart of what a religion is about, creating a place of intimacy with God through ritual and through teachings. That’s the work of the church. Not to take power, not to serve the needs of those who are in charge. Please reflect on these images found in the scriptures.

And now we’ll close with a prayer. Satan. Father, for all of us who are ministers of your word, bless us with an understanding of what we’re here to accomplish. Not to control behavior, not to tell people what they have to do, but rather to invite them into a relationship with God that is transformative, that brings life, hope and fullness. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.