Restoring my father's house on a foundation of faith

Wow, what a set of readings today. The 10 commandments and one of the most famous moments in Jesus’ life when he overturns the merchants and throws out all the people from the Temple for not engaging in spiritual thought and work. For me, the Third Sunday in Lent is about restoring the Father's house and using faith as the foundation and it’s about building a personal life foundation on this faith and the commandments.

Today’s readings resonate with me in two ways. My father passed away in November after a long struggle with dementia and so the idea of restoring my father’s house and remembering his legacy and qualities through a foundation of faith became real to me in ways I would have never imagined. Through my father’s struggle I watched my mother who is a devoted Christian woman of faith never waver from her daily prayers and devotions and her unwavering belief that “the good Lord will take care of us” and restore the image of our father’s house. During all of this my mother’s prayers often created a path or an opportunity for my father’s care that we often would not have known to ask or expect but it was one that provided the answers that we needed--it was that faith foundation that guided our family.

The other reason this story resonates with me is I've always loved the image of Jesus going in driving out the merchants and flipping the tables and all that. It's a moment of true humanity and raw emotion directed at doing the right and just thing. “Are you kidding me with the commodification of the church?” “Are you kidding me with not seeing what the real purpose is here?” It’s like the Storm at Sea story where Jesus shows agitation for needing to be awoken to calm the sea—a trust moment between he and humanity. We have all been there. I can relate to moments in my coaching and personal life when what is nicknamed “Red Lingel” emerges when my passion for the right thing or my passion for norming students and debaters in “the Jesuit way” creates similar fervor. Restoring the Father's house and doing it with a foundation of faith. As the first reading reminds us well, this faith journey and this personal journey is guided by the commandments.

Finally, as we continue to deal with this pandemic with hope over the vaccine and hope that people will continue to make smart safe healthy and science based decisions let’s remember what brought us here on this Third Sunday of Lent. Let’s remember and let’s foster that foundation of faith as we as we continue to rebuild and restore not only our personal houses, but our faith houses and our Father’s House as well.

Author: Dan Lingel, Counseling Department

(Photo Cred: Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash)