But he was speaking about the temple of his body

Ez 47,1-2.8-9.12 or 1Cor3,9b-11.16-17; Ps 45; Jn 2,13-22
9 NOVEMBER

By purifying the temple, Christ Jesus performs the work of true prophets. He reveals himself as the prophet of God among his people. The prophets always shouted against the falsity of a cult separate from obedience to the Law of the Lord. No worship is pleasing to God if offered in the transgression of his Commandments. In Malachi it is said with infinite clarity that the altar of the Lord is covered with tears because of the repudiation that is committed in his people. One cannot love God and repudiate his law on marriage, which is an inviolable law forever. Indissolubility is the eternal truth of marriage. The law is violated. You go to the temple. The temple is profaned.

Have we not all the one Father? Has not the one God created us? Why then do we break faith with each other, violating the covenant of our fathers? Judah has broken faith; an abominable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. Judah has profaned the temple which the Lord loves, and has married an idolatrous woman. May the Lord cut off from the man who does this both witness and advocate out of the tents of Jacob, and anyone to offer sacrifice to the Lord of hosts! This also you do: the altar of the Lord you cover with tears, weeping and groaning, Because he no longer regards your sacrifice nor accepts it favourably from your hand; And you say, “Why is it?” –  Because the Lord is witness between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have broken faith though she is your companion, your betrothed wife. Did he not make one being, with flesh and spirit: and what does that one require but godly offspring? You must then safeguard life that is your own, and not break faith with the wife of your youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, And covering one’s garment with injustice, says the Lord of hosts; You must then safeguard life that is your own, and not break faith (Mal 2,10-16).

The Jews understand what Jesus had done and ask for a sign that attests He is the true prophet of the living God. The prophet must not give signs. The sign of the prophet is the word uttered by Him that is fulfilled. Jesus does not deny them the sign. He gives them that of his death and resurrection. They will kill him and He will rise after three days. However, he gives it to them, not in a clear way, but speaking by image: “You destroy this temple – he refers to the temple of his body – and I will rebuild it in three days”. Since it is a conditioned sign, its fulfilment requires the work of the Jews and of Christ Jesus. The Jews must destroy the temple, not Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus must rebuild it on the third day, not the Jews. To everyone his work. All the work of salvation is accomplished on a conditioned work that must necessarily be done by two subjects: man and God. Today, in the work of true life, man has taken away man as an acting agent. He left only God. But God cannot act if man does not act. Man acts and God also acts. Man does not act and neither does God.

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

The poverty of our Christianity, its great spiritual misery is in having taken away from man his responsibility in the work of salvation that is together of man and God, of the creature and of the Creator, of the servant and of the Lord. Either we put man at the centre of the work of salvation, through obedience to every Word of God, or there will be salvation for no one. Neither God alone nor man alone. God and man together.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints arrange that every man is at the centre of the mystery of salvation.