NOVEMBER 19, 2010
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
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GOD'S HOUSE IS HOLY
_Father John Doyle, LC _
_Luke 19:45-48_
Then 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,
the 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.
INTRODUCTORY PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you are the Alpha and the Omega.
You have given me life and offer me eternal life with you. You
deserve my honor, gratitude and love, and yet you never impose
yourself upon me. Thank you for respecting my freedom so that I can
offer myself to you. All that I have is yours; I return it to you.
PETITION: Lord God, teach me greater reverence for your house.
1. ZEAL FOR THE FATHER'S HOUSE Jesus was not an enemy of commerce.
In fact, many times the Gospel makes references to buying and
selling without any negative connotations at all. However, in today's
Gospel passage we find Our Lord irate for two principal reasons.
First, business activity was taking place within the Temple area.
This was, in a sense, a "profanation" of God's house. The Temple of
Jerusalem contained, veiled behind a massive curtain, the Holy of
Holies, where God's mysterious presence dwelled. Yet, paradoxically,
Temple worshipers had first to cross what had the appearance of a
marketplace to be able to worship before the Lord. Second, Jesus was
indignant due to the fact that the temple merchants were dishonest.
Am I always honest in my business dealings? Do I always respect God's
name and the things of God?
2. RETURN TO REVERENCE Jesus was on fire with zeal for the house of
his Father and determined that it be respected as a house of prayer.
Silence, worship and prayer are elements that should be an essential
part of every visit to a church, especially for Sunday Mass. In the
tabernacle of every Catholic Church, Our Lord is present in the
Eucharist as a prisoner of love waiting to enter into dialogue with
us. We are never closer to heaven than when we are before Our
Eucharistic Lord. Yet we can forget this truth. Our postures,
chatter, and dress might contribute to a general "profanation" of
God's house. Do I try to remember every time I enter a church that I
am standing before my Lord who made heaven and earth? Can others see
that I believe Jesus is really present in the Eucharist? Is he the
center of my attention? Can I put aside all distractions?
3. HANGING ON JESUS' WORDS The crowds are described as "hanging" on
Jesus' every word. Jesus showed a reverence for his Father's house
far greater than any external piety the Pharisees demonstrated. He
spoke the truth and was never afraid to stand up for it, even when it
was less than convenient to do so. He was unafraid of those who
"were seeking to put him to death." Jesus' uprightness was the key to
his effectiveness and the attractive power of his words. As
Christians we are called by vocation to imitate the uprightness of
Our Lord in our words and actions.
CONVERSATION WITH CHRIST: Lord, many times I have entered Church
distractedly and forgotten that you were present. I beg your
forgiveness. I ask to be a zealous witness of your love, and I
promise to show you greater reverence in the Blessed Sacrament.
RESOLUTION:I will live the Mass this Sunday with a special
reverence. meditation.regnumchristi.org

Saint Agnes of Assisi was the younger sister of Saint Clare of Assisi and Abbess of the Poor Ladies at Assisi, Italy (1197/1198 – 1253).
[edit] Biography
She was a younger daughter of Count Favorino Scifi. Her birth name was probably Caterina; she took on the name of Agnes when she entered the monastery.[1] Her mother, Blessed Hortulana, belonged to the noble family of the Fiumi, and her cousin Rufino was one of the "Three Companions" of Francis of Assisi. Agnes' childhood was passed between her father's palace in the city and his castle of Sasso Rosso on Mount Subasio.
On March 18, 1212, her eldest sister Clare, inspired by the example of St. Francis of Assisi, left her father's home to become a follower of the saint. Sixteen days later, Agnes retired to the monastery of St. Angelo in Panso, resolved to share her sister's life of poverty and penance. Angry at having lost two of his daughters, her father sent his brother Monaldo, and several relations and armed followers to the monastery to force Agnes, if persuasion failed, to return home.
Monaldo drew his sword to strike his niece, but his arm allegedly dropped to his side, withered and useless. The others dragged Agnes out of the monastery by her hair, striking her and kicking her repeatedly. Agnes' body reportedly became so heavy, perhaps due to the help of her sister, that her assailants dropped her in a field nearby. Agnes' relatives, purportedly realizing that something divine protected her, allowed the sisters to remain together. Saint Francis himself cut her hair and gave her the habit of Poverty, in recognition of Agnes' resistance.
Clare and Agnes were joined by other noble ladies at San Damiano, and the Order of the Poor Ladies of St. Damian's, or the Poor Clares, began. Agnes was said to be very virtuous, and as abbess she ruled with a benevolent kindness, knowing how to make the practice of virtue appealing to her sisters. In 1219, she was chosen to found and govern a community of the Poor Ladies at Monticelli in Florence. She later went on to establish other communities of the order.
Agnes attended her sister during the latter's illness, and shortly thereafter died, on November 16, 1253.
Her remains, and those of her sister, were interred at the church of St. Clare, at Assisi.
Agnes' feast day is the day of her death, November 16.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_of_Assisi