Welcome back to Your Whole Life in Eight Days. Has your mind been turning over different events in your life since yesterday, trying to figure out where they connect to the events of Jesus' life during this week? That's great. But you've got the rest of your life to figure that out. And it's important that this not descend into merely an intellectual exercise. So take your time, focus on one event from your past or present each day and allow God to speak to you through the memory of that event. We've opened up the comments. So if you think you've found events that do fit into these eight days, you think you've found events that don't fit into these eight days, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments this week. Today, we witness Jesus cleansing the temple. And Jesus teaches us that there is such a thing as holy impatience and such a thing as holy anger. The next morning, Monday, the day after Palm Sunday. Today, Jesus and His disciples returned to Jerusalem. On their way, they came across a fig tree. Jesus curses the fig tree for having failed to produce fruit. Biblical scholars debate the meaning of this act.

Some believe Jesus cursing the fig tree represents Jesus' judgment on the religious leaders. Others believe the meaning of this event is a message for all of us about how imperative it is that our lives bear fruit. When Jesus gets to the temple, He is disgusted by the way the merchants and the money changes under the direction of the spiritual leaders have turned the outer court of the temple into a marketplace. But there is a difference between reacting and responding. And this is proof that Jesus didn't act out of rage, which is uncontrolled anger. He responded by expressing his anger in a shocking but controlled manner. How do we know?

Luke shares with us that Jesus took time to watch people making their gifts to the temple treasury. I've always found this fascinating. Jesus was watching how much people contributed. Here, in the Gospel of Luke, we find the origins of sacrificial giving in the Christian tradition. This is what the Scriptures say. "As Jesus looked up, He saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put two very small copper coins. Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on."

Jesus recognized in the widow's act a momentous holy moment. And He wanted His disciples to witness it too. It's amazing how hard we find it sometimes to give away money or things that we know we don't need our attachment to money and things can be enormous. Jesus points out the widow's generosity as holy and heroic because she wasn't giving from her surplus. By giving, she was going to have to go without something. When I'm honest with myself, the great majority of my giving is not sacrificial giving. When I'm honest with myself, the great majority of my giving is giving from my surplus. How much money would you have to give away to make a sacrificial gift? How much money would you have to give away that it would affect or impact your lifestyle? How much money would you have to give away that it would force you or cause you to have to go without something? And it was witnessing the widow's heroic generosity that triggered Jesus' compassion and anger. This is where the anger came from. It wasn't just that they had turned the temple into a marketplace. It was an offense against the poor people trying to do God's will. Jesus then proceeded to make a whip to drive the sheep and the cattle from the temple. He scattered the money changers' coins all over the floor. He overturned their tables and generally wreaked havoc on their corrupt businesses. Why was Jesus so angry? Jesus was angry because the whole situation was unjust. There was a sacrilegious component, but there was also a great injustice taking place here. He was angry because he had tremendous compassion for people struggling just to survive. And he was angry at the hypocrisy of the religious leaders who were supposed to be helping people worship God, helping people get to God, but were actually making it harder for people to do what they were required to do under the laws of their religion. They were creating an obstacle between the poor people and God.

So his outrage was both spiritual and profoundly human. But to really understand the situation, there are some important facts we need to be aware of. The underlying injustice began with the fact that you could only use one currency to buy the animals to be sacrificed in the temple. The religious leaders controlled that currency. You couldn't just pay in your local currency, and this is what necessitated the money changers. This is why the money changers were necessary. The specific currency was a Tyrian shekel. It was originally a Roman coin, but after the Roman Empire closed down the mint that produced the coins in Tyre, 19 years before the birth of Christ, the Roman authorities allowed the Jewish religious leaders to continue producing the coin. The religious leaders were taking advantage of the money changers because they controlled the currency. And the money changers, in turn, were taking advantage of people because the people had no other option. A version of this still happens when we go traveling today. In airports, you're charged 10-- or 10% more to exchange your dollars into a foreign currency. The one huge difference today is that you have other options. The Pharisees had set up a monopoly situation. You had to use the currency they controlled, and you couldn't get it anywhere else. The price gouging was fierce, and Jesus was incensed at the injustice this delivered to good, ordinary, hardworking people who simply wanted to honor God. It is crucial to keep in mind that Jesus' concern for people wasn't solely financial. He was disgusted that the money changes enabled by the religious leaders were making it harder for the struggling masses to worship God. They were placing an obstacle between ordinary people and God, and that incented Jesus. After creating havoc in the temple, some people began to question Jesus' authority to act in such a way. This is when He delivers the powerful prophecy that enraged some and confounded others. Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." Stuck in their literal mindset, they were unable to comprehend. Baffled, they say, "It has taken us 46 years to build this temple, and you are going to tear it down and raise it in three days."

Often in the scriptures, we see hundreds of years between the proclamation of a prophecy and His fulfillment. Remember, it's Monday of Holy Week. Here, Jesus is proclaiming a prophecy that will be fulfilled in six days, which is perhaps the second shortest span between prophecy and fulfillment. The shortest will happen four days later, when Jesus says to the thief on the cross next to him, "I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise." Sometimes God answers prayers immediately, and sometimes it just isn't the right time yet. Sometimes, he fulfills his promises on the same afternoon. And sometimes it takes a thousand years. But God's timing is always perfect. But turning back to what was happening in the temple on Monday, the stage was now set for the showdown. Jesus accused the spiritual leaders of sacrilege and theft. He had exposed their greed when he said they devour widows' houses. And he did all this very publicly at the crucial time for their trade.

This was a major trigger for the Pharisees and other religious leaders. Jesus had now interfered with their commerce. He had interrupted their money supply. He had disrupted their ability to feed their greed, and they became more determined than ever to have him killed. And so, they began to plot Jesus' downfall more earnestly than ever before. While they were plotting, Jesus and His disciples were making their way back to Bethany to spend another evening with their friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Now, let's turn our attention to your life. What events in your life can you connect with the events of Jesus' life on this day?

Did you just have to get a mortgage or refinance your home at a high-interest rate? A mortgage is a major life event. And the relevance of this day's events to financial transactions is clear. Are you angry at someone right now or harboring anger from the past? The major theme in the events of Jesus' life today is injustice. At what time in your life have you been the victim of injustice? When have you stood by and let others be treated unjustly? Was there a time when you treated someone unjustly? The minor themes in the events of Jesus' life on this day include anger, generosity, sacrificial giving, the courage to act in the face of injustice, care for the poor, the mandate to be spiritually fruitful, and enduring friendship. Remember, try not to get lost in all the memories of your whole life. Choose one event from your life each day to reflect upon. Which event will you choose today? What does God want you to learn from that event however far in your past, whether it was ten years ago or this morning? And remember, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. A lot of people are attracted to today's readings because of Jesus' very human expression of anger. This teaches us that anger can be holy, but it's important not to use this to mask anger that is born of self-interest, inconvenience, or personal preference.

The great hero in today's events is the widow. Her enormous generosity expressed through a very small financial gift is just the kind of paradox the gospels are full of. Nonetheless, it is an invitation to examine our own generosity. Generosity is ennobling. The dignity and nobility of the poor widow was enormous. Generosity is beautifully human, but it is also a reflection of the divine. In a world where people are being dehumanized in so many ways, every act of generosity is incredibly ennobling. Each act of generosity changes the course of somebody's life and therefore the unfolding of human history. It's time to embrace the power and nobility of our generosity. The generosity of Christians has been intriguing non-Christians from the very beginning. In today's culture of extreme selfishness, people are astonished when someone is really generous. Be that someone. Astound people with your generosity. This is one of the most practical ways we can evangelize the culture. Decide here and now to live a life of staggering generosity. Set out to do the most good for the most people. This is life's mandate. And if you listen carefully, you will discover this is what your soul is summoning you to. Trust, surrender, believe, receive. Too many Catholics know the agony of watching their children or grandchildren leave the church. If we want to spare the next generation the pain and confusion that comes from losing their faith, the Eucharist is the answer. That's why we've launched a children's membership to the International Society of the Eucharist. Once every three months, we will send a package to these children, teaching them about the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It will include booklets and medals, prayer books, prayer cards, and lots of other surprises designed to create powerful encounters with Jesus in the Eucharist and to inspire a lifelong belief that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. Click the button below to learn more today.

Jesus, I believe that you are truly present

in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist.

Every day, I long

for more of you. I love you above all things.

And I desire to receive you into my soul.

Since I cannot receive you sacramentally at this moment--

I invite you to come and dwell in my heart.

May this spiritual communion increase my desire

for the Eucharist.

You are the healer of my soul.

Take the blindness from my eyes.

The deafness from my ears.

The darkness from my mind.

And the hardness from my heart.

Fill me with the grace, wisdom, and courage

to do your will in all things.

My Lord and my God.

Draw me close to you.

Nearer than ever before.

Amen.

Consecrate America to the Eucharist. Bye-bye.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Come on.

Have a great day.