PODCAST | Third Sunday of Lent: Jesus Cleanses the Temple
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Our meditation today invites us to reflect on the value of the virtue of Holy Purity. “People in love demand total exclusivity,” explains Fr Javier del Castillo, “if their love is going to be sincere and true. Love requires a purity of heart… This is in essence what our Lord teaches us today in the Gospel, this Sunday.”
“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.” (John 2:13-17)
Lent is an appropriate moment to closely examine the aspects of our lives which can be transformed by living Holy Purity; for example, our choices of entertainment and relaxation, our conversations with friends and coworkers, our attractions and desires, and our dress and appearance. Our desire and effort to live Holy Purity is a joyful and positive affirmation of our desire to grow in intensity of love, especially when we serve others and when we truly and sincerely serve God.
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Rev. Javier del Castillo
Fr. Javier del Castillo is a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei and currently serves as President of the St. Josemaria Institute. He earned a degree in electronic engineering and moved to Rome to complete his ecclesiastical studies, where he was ordained a priest in 2005 and earned a doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in 2007. He worked as a chaplain in high schools in the Washington, D.C. and Chicago areas for several years, offering spiritual accompaniment to students, parents, and teachers. From 2015 on, he served as the vicar of Opus Dei in the midwest; he was appointed regional vicar of the United States in 2022. He became vicar of the United States and Canada in 2024, following the restructuring of the regions, until his appointment as Vicar General in April 2025.
