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November 12, 2025Jesus & Sacred Space In today’s gospel of John, 2:13-22, Jesus is disturbed by how the worshippers and outsiders treated the Jewish Temple, which like our Catholic churches, are sacred spaces. More than 2,000 years later, we might want to ask ourselves “how do I treat my church, and is it a sacred space in my mind?”
As a seminarian at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton (MA), then-Fr. Coyne—now Archbishop Coyne, was my liturgy professor and taught a class on Sacred Spaces, from the sanctuary, tabernacle, and the nave of the church to the grounds that welcome you into the church. I have always believed that the sacredness of St. Catherine, meaning the care and upkeep of the grounds as well the interior of our church, are important aspects of our Sacred Space here at St. Catherine of Siena. Care and Concern are important words as they bespeak importance and belief.
As the gospel relates, Jesus is particularly upset by the treatment of Temple’s sacred spaces. It was the feast of Passover and many pilgrims had come into town and the Temple for the feast, but it was not the crowds that offend Him rather it was the fact the sacred space had been turned into a marketplace complete with commercial activity (money changers as there was no common currency) and sellers of animals for sacrifices and for food. This commercial atmosphere created an “open bazaar or barnyard” setting, thus these activities destroyed the purity of the house of God. With righteous anger, Jesus drives out the businessmen and their animals and seeks to return the temple to a place of worship. He overturns the tables saying, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His response reminds us that the temple is not a place for profit or exploitation but a house of prayer and encounter with God.
As Catholics, we too are called to respect and honor the sacredness of our worship spaces. And equally important, that our own bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Just as Jesus cleansed the temple, He calls us to cleans our hearts from anything that hinders our relationship with God: sin, distractions, and attachments that keep us from true worship. And while the preceding point— keeping our bodies, our hearts and minds free from distraction and keeping close to Christ, is important—it would also behoove us to grow in our respect for our churches. We can have bake sales or auctions in the gathering spaces but the church proper is for prayer and praise, not for making plans for breakfast. So some things to consider:- Do we believe that our Catholic church is a sacred space, that Christ is present here at St. Catherine of Siena in the Eucharist, in the community, and in the Word of God?
- How do I treat the celebration of the Mass? Am I on time or do I arrive whenever I make it? Am I prepared well for Mass and to receive the Lord; have I cleared my thoughts of other things or is the Mass just one more thing to check off on Sunday?
- Am I dressed as if I am in the presence of God? Do I stand (or sit) before him with attention or am I checking my cell phone, getting up to grab a drink of water because I am bored?
- Do I respond in the dialogue of the Mass to the prayers of the priest, the hymns (which are also prayers)? As Second Vatican Council stated clearly, we are called to “Full, conscious and active participation” in the Mass.