Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Cleansing The Temple

Alternative Celebration: Learn more here.

Other Celebrations for this Day:

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I

Introduction

After his first military victories over the Syrians, Judas Maccabeus wanted to restore legitimate worship. He had the desecrated Temple cleansed and consecrated anew, rebuilt the altar, and offered the sacrifice in accordance with the Law.

Jesus drove out the merchants from the Temple and it might be a good time to ask ourselves: What has the Lord to drive out from us to make us better Christians? What stands in the way of being closer to him in the life of every day? What matters for us Christians is that we are attached to the Lord and close to the people he has entrusted to us. Then we can worship him with our whole life.

Opening Prayer

God our Father,
we often turn our hearts
into houses of pride and greed
rather than into homes of love and goodness
where you can feel at home.
Destroy the temple of sin in us,
drive away all evil from our hearts,
and make us living stones of a community
in which can live and reign
your Son Jesus Christ,
our Lord for ever and ever.

First Reading

1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59

Judas and his brothers said,
“Now that our enemies have been crushed,
let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it.”
So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount Zion.

Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month,
that is, the month of Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-eight,
they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law
on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made.
On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it,
on that very day it was reconsecrated
with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals.
All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven,
who had given them success.

For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar
and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices
of deliverance and praise.
They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields;
they repaired the gates and the priests’ chambers
and furnished them with doors.
There was great joy among the people
now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.
Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel
decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar
should be observed with joy and gladness
on the anniversary every year for eight days,
from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.

Responsorial Psalm

1 Chronicles 29:10bcd, 11abc, 11d-12a, 12bcd

R.   (13b) We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
“Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity.”
R.   We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
“Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory.
For all in heaven and on earth is yours.”
R.   We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
“Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you.”
R.   We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
“You have dominion over all,
In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.”
R.   We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.

Alleluia Verse

John 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 19:45-48

Then Jesus entered the temple and began driving out the merchants.

And he said to them, “God says in the Scriptures, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of robbers!”

Jesus was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and teachers of the law wanted to kill him and the elders of the Jews too,

but they couldn’t do anything because all the people were listening to him and hanging on his words.

Prayers of the Faithful

– That in our churches the Christians community may experience the presence of God in prayer and joyful worship, we pray:

– That we may make our houses of prayer places of hearty encounter for God with his people, we pray:

– That as living stones of the Church we may build up our communities as people who love and serve, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, our Father,
with the bread of life
and the wine of joy of himself,
your Son will renew his covenant with us.
Let Jesus give us the will and the love
to be faithful to its demands
the way he was faithful to it
even if it meant the cross.
Let us give you true worship
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God, our faithful Father,
you have given us in this eucharist
your Son Jesus Christ
to show us in him what loyal obedience means.
Let your Son be alive in us,
so that our Christian community may be
the temple in which he lives
and where he gathers us together
as his brothers and sisters.
Keep us from all formalism,
that we may worship you with our lives,
by the power and wisdom
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

By his word and actions Jesus has spoken to us today that we must serve God as he himself did: in spirit and in truth, that is: our everyday living must correspond to what we believe, in loyal service of God and people. May God bless you and guide you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTIONS

21 November 2025

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Luke 19: 45-48

A house of prayer, a heart for God

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus entering the Temple and driving out the merchants and money changers. It is one of the few times we see him act with anger — not out of anger for himself, but for love of His Father’s house and compassion for the poor who were being exploited. The Temple was meant to be a place of prayer and encounter with God, yet it had been turned into a market where worship was overshadowed by greed. Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple was, in truth, an act of purification — a call to restore holiness where it had been lost.

This same call to purity of heart and worship is echoed beautifully in today’s feast: the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From her earliest days, tradition tells us, Mary was dedicated entirely to God. Her heart was the truest temple — spotless, humble, and open to the will of the Lord. Where the Jerusalem Temple had been corrupted by commerce, Mary became the new dwelling place of God’s presence, pure and undefiled.

In both the Gospel and the feast, we are reminded that God desires a pure heart more than grand buildings or rituals. We, too, are called to be living temples of the Holy Spirit — places where prayer, mercy, and justice flourish. Like Mary, we are invited to present ourselves wholly to God, not in outward show, but in inner sincerity.

As we honour the Presentation of Our Lady, let us ask her to help us keep our hearts free from the noise of greed, pride, and distraction. May she teach us to make our lives a “house of prayer,” where God’s presence is welcomed and His love made visible to others.

Cleansing our hearts through true worship

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus entering the Temple in Jerusalem, which carriesprofound significance. His journey to Jerusalem was not just a visit; it was a mission to restore the Temple's true purpose as a house of prayer—a place forencountering God. Upon entering the Temple, He drove out the merchants and declared, “My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves” (Luke 19:46). Jesus was not merely opposing commerce; He was calling for a radical return to authentic worship, stripping away the distractions that had overtaken this sacred space.

This prophetic cleansing act reminds us that God’s house—including our own lives—must be founded on true devotion, free from distractions or conflicting intentions. The Temple had become a venue where the focus shifted to material wealthinstead of encountering God. Jesus’ actions emphasise that prayer and worship are about relationships, not transactions. God invites us to approach Him with genuine,open, and humble hearts rather than simply presenting superficial gifts.

As Jesus taught in the Temple, the people “hung on his words” (Luke 19:48). His words carried a promise of life, grace, and transformation, stirring the hearts of those who listened. Today, we are invited to ask ourselves: are we hanging on Jesus' words with the same eagerness? Are we willing to clear out what keeps us from a full encounter with God?

Jesus’ message is a powerful reminder for us to return to the heart of worship and make space for His Word in our lives. May we be open to His teaching, allowing it to shape us, cleanse us, and draw us ever closer to the presence of God.

Hanging & Feeding on the Word

Jesus spoke, and the people “hung on to his words”, says Luke. John, in his visions, was asked to take and eat the book, the “word.” And, this is what we must do as well: hang on to the word, in season and out of season; and feed on it as the daily bread, day in and day out. Dei Verbum, the dogmatic constitution on divine revelation by Vatican Council II, ends with a similar dream and prayer:

“Through the reading and study of the sacred books ‘the word of God may spread rapidly and be glorified’ and the treasure of revelation, entrusted to the Church, may more and more fill the hearts of men. Just as the life of the Church is strengthened through more frequent celebration of the Eucharistic mystery, similarly, we may hope for a new stimulus for the life of the Spirit from a growing reverence for the word of God, which ‘lasts forever’.”

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022; written by Fr. Paulson Velyannoor, CMF