Holy Week: Monday

"The blessings of the temple are available to us all—young and old and everybody in between.
It is in the temple that we remember who we really are and see with clarity who we really can become."

~Jean A. Stevens

Photo found here

Events: Jesus Cleanses the Temple, Heals the Blind and Lame
Prophecy: "Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people." (Isaiah 56:7)
Summary: Three years prior to this Easter Week, Jesus Christ had cleansed the temple in Jerusalem and called it "my Father's house." On this day of Easter Week, Christ once again clears the temple of money changers but, in his role as Messiah, claims the temple as "my house." He teaches in the temple, and the blind and lame come to Him and He heals them.
Scripture Reading: Christ cleanses the temple, heals blind, and teaches: Matthew 21:12-18; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48

Seeing how upset Jesus was in the account of Jesus cleansing the temple and the depictions of this story in art always used to surprise me. But I've come to realize that he acted strongly because he felt so strongly that it is important to be respectful of sacred things.

This reverence for that which is sacred has guided how I learn about other religions, their books of scripture, their cultures, their dress. People of many religions are often mocked for their beliefs or their outward symbols of belief. Mormons, Muslims, and Jews alike. I want to be more careful when I speak of or observe another's beliefs, which they hold sacred. It IS important to be respectful of sacred things, things you deem to be sacred. It's also important to be respectful of things that others hold dear.