My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves
MESSAGE #2634 from the Blessed Mother May 26, 2004
http://littlemary.excerptsofinri.com/
My daughter, Blessed will be those who go forth and proclaim the Gospel. They will be truly blessed by Almighty God. Those who truly live the Gospel will be protected from the evil one. Woe to those who know the truth but refuse to live it, for how they will suffer for turning their back on God. So many today continue to crucify my Son because of their refusal to live and speak the truth. Very few are willing to be persecuted for living their faith.
I plead with my children today, let go of fear and be light to this world. Let go of fear and teach others all that I am teaching you. It is time now to be true warriors for Christ. Work constantly to strengthen your faith in God and live, live holy lives. Receive the Sacraments often, for then much strength will be given to you.
Dear children, please understand that you are entering a time of great purification. You must prepare your hearts now and respond to the many messages God has so graciously given you. You must stand tall and live, live a pure and holy life. You must learn the truth and truly live your Catholic Faith. You must listen to your Most Holy Pope and not allow evil to enter your Church. Can you not see what is happening around this world? Bishops against Bishops, Priests against Priests, children against parents and authority. This is all part of Satan’s plan to destroy you. Parents are behaving like children and they are not living their vocation. A great darkness is covering this world because so many are not listening to God.
It is time now to put the Tabernacle and Statues back into Church. It is time now to say the St. Michael prayer, for you need this Archangel’s protection. If you continue to remove the holiness from your Church, you will see much more destruction. You will see much more irreverence and impurity. Shame on those Pastors who have allowed their Church to become a social hall.
Knees must begin to bend, even if the kneelers have been removed. Man must get down on their knees and pray, pray more in Church. The Rosary must not be denied, it must be recited by all my children. It must not be hidden in a chapel, for all my children must join hands and pray it together.
I am warning my children today, for God is not pleased with what is happening in many churches today. God will not have mercy on those who are leading others astray. This message is your wake up call and soon, very soon you will have to respond. This world is in danger and man can no longer deny Heaven’s pleas. All must repent of their wicked ways, for time is truly running out. A great sign will be seen from the heavens, but for many it will be too late if they continue to crucify my Son, Jesus. Convert, convert now and take refuge, refuge in Our Heart.
These messages are truly from my heart because I do not want to see my children suffer. Please, please share this message with the world so more repent and turn to Almighty God. Amen.
Genuflection, an Act of Reverence and Adoration –
Fr. Robert J. Fox – Reverence in Church
http://christianfamilyoutreach.com/pamphlets.htm
Just before entering the pew, one should genuflect. A genuflection is the bending of the knee to the floor as an act of reverence. (There is the saying: LEFT KNEE TO THE KING, RIGHT KNEE TO GOD.) By this simple act you are showing adoration to Jesus Christ, present in the tabernacle. The tabernacle should be in a visible place in the church with a sanctuary lamp or candle always burning. Whenever you pass before the Most Blessed Sacrament (Jesus) in the tabernacle, you should also (thoughtfully) genuflect.
Catechism of the Catholic Church - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
584 Jesus went up to the Temple as the privileged place of encounter with God. For him, the Temple was the dwelling of his Father, a house of prayer, and he was angered that its outer court had become a place of commerce. He drove merchants out of it because of jealous love for his Father: “You shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade. His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’” After his Resurrection his apostles retained their reverence for the Temple.
Gospel (St. Luke 19:45-48)
http://www.usccb.org/nab/112108.shtml
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.
An Excerpt of a Homily by Fr. Robert Altier Friday November 19, 2004
http://www.desertvoice.excerptsofinri.com/
Now the thing that we have to look at is the point that Our Lord Himself is making. He goes into the temple and says, This is to be a house of prayer, and yet you are turning it into a den of thieves. What has been happening in the Church for the last number of years is that there is less and less and less and less prayer going on. Lots of talking, lots of goofing around, lots of playing around, lots of running around, but very little prayer going on in most Catholic churches. Just go someplace and try to pray before Mass. Try to pray after Mass. I am sure we have all experienced it in various places. It just becomes a zoo and you cannot pray even if you want to. It is a house of prayer.
The Blessed Sacrament is right there, and yet no one pays attention to Him. And just think what happens if you have ever tried to suggest to somebody that they should be quiet or maybe they should go outside or at least out to the foyer or down to the church hall. Boy, do they get angry.
But we also need to look and ask, “Have I myself given in to some of that?” We need to make some changes if we have. If we are the ones giving in to making the house of God a den of thieves then we need to change it and we need to make it a house of prayer.
We have to remember also that each one of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and therefore it is not just the church building where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved that is a house of prayer, but each one of us being a temple of God is to be a house of prayer. So we can also ask ourselves, “Am I turning the house of prayer into a den of thieves? That is, am I failing to pray? Am I failing to live according to the word of God in my day-to-day life? Is there something that I should be doing for the Lord that I am not? Am I stealing from God by refusing to give Him what is His due?” All of us can look at that same point and see where perhaps we are not praying as we should when we are called to be a house of prayer.
We are called to be a temple of the Holy Spirit wherein the Most Holy Trinity Himself dwells, and yet how much attention do we really give Him? If we are going to be upset when people are turning the church building into a social hall, why is it that we are not upset when we turn the temple of God – our own bodies – into a social hall? Why is it that we are not upset when we turn this house of prayer – our own hearts and souls – into a den of thieves? God is asking of you great things, to be truly a temple of the Lord, to be a house of prayer, to be a place of worship, to be a place where God Himself is reserved with the greatest glory, the greatest honor.
