There are different Scripture reading options for the third Sunday of Lent, with one set (the Scrutinies) specifically geared toward the journey of those coming into the Church. The other option, from John’s Gospel, talks to us about the destruction of idols, both literal and figurative.

Jesus notices as He enters the temple that some people are doing things that desecrate that holy place. They were fulfilling the literal demand of the law but were using that law to benefit themselves. We may face a similar temptation: falling in love with something other than God. For some of us, that something is money. Even though most of us have way more than we will ever need, there is an insecurity that goes with not having what other people have or not having all of our wants and desires.

During the time of Jesus, there were people selling things that were necessary for the sacrifices people offered in the temple. What we don’t know is how much of a profit people were making or how the sellers were taking advantage of people. I’m sure that Jesus wasn’t uncomfortable with people fulfilling the law of the Lord, but He was unwilling to settle for people taking advantage of others. It was even more scandalous that they would take advantage of people in the name of God.

I would guess that most of us reading these words consider ourselves to be pretty good people. Because we are relatively good people, we might even fall into the temptation of judging other people by outward appearance or actions. Many of us have gotten far away from the rule of life that Jesus gave us: We are to love others as we would like to be loved.

During Lent, we attempt to become more enlightened and purified in our path to follow Jesus. We are challenged to move beyond complacency and self-righteousness to a point of challenging ourselves to the next step of discipleship. We are not called to wait for others to change before we become more deeply committed. We are meant to be purified, just like Jesus purified the temple area. What are the idols that have crept into our lives? What are the ways that we use our religion to take advantage of or exclude other people?

To become enlightened, we have to admit that we do not know everything, and there are sources of wisdom greater than ourselves. We must be open to seeing beyond what we think we already understand. If we look back at our lives, we can see examples of when we thought we knew everything and later understood that wasn’t the case. Why would this moment be any different than the past?

Purification can happen only when we know that we need to be washed clean. That means we need to become aware of the places where we are living unhealthy and unpurified lives. We need to realize that our lives may not have the necessary right attitudes accompanying our choices. Do we go through the actions without having our hearts involved as well? Are there some behaviors in our lives that we just settle for because they’ve been there so long? Do we believe that we can be better than we are right now?

True humility is the virtue that allows us to see ourselves and life as it truly is. Let us pray for humility to allow us to see where we need to become enlightened. Let us invite love more deeply into the actions of our lives so that we might be purified. Sacrificial generosity will allow us to let go of the idols that reside within us.

Father Donald Wester is pastor of All Saints Parish in St. Peters.