Homily on John 2:13–22 :Zeal for Your House Will Consume Me ( 9-11-25)

There was a small town where a government hospital once served hundreds of people every day. Over the years, things changed. The hospital still had its building, equipment, and staff, but everything was falling apart. The casualty ward was closed, the operation theatre was not working, and patients had to wait endlessly for even simple treatments. To get proper care, people had to pay money privately to doctors or staff. The poor suffered the most.

One day, a young doctor was appointed as the new medical officer in charge. He was kind, compassionate, and full of enthusiasm. When he saw the situation, he was deeply moved. He didn’t just complain; he decided to act. He began cleaning up the system, repairing what was broken, and ensuring that every patient was treated with dignity. He stopped the practice of taking bribes, which made some people very angry. A few even threatened him. Others mocked him, saying nothing would ever change. But he stood firm.

He worked day and night, sometimes alone, sometimes with the few who believed in his vision. Slowly, the hospital began to change. The casualty ward reopened. The operation theatre started functioning again. Medicines became available, and people began to trust the hospital once more.

One evening, as villagers stood outside watching ambulances come and go, an old man said, “If the zeal of one young man could bring such change, imagine what would happen if a few more caught that same zeal.”

In today’s Gospel, from John 2:13–22, Jesus walks into the temple and finds people selling cattle, sheep, and doves. He makes a whip of cords and drives them out, saying, “Take these things away. Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace” (John 2:16). The disciples remember the Scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me” (Psalm 69:9). That one word, zeal, opens the heart of this passage. .

Zeal, that is the fire of the heart that burns for God and His Church. It is what moved Jesus to act, what moved prophets like Elijah to stand alone before false gods, what made Peter and Paul suffer and shed their blood. It is what once set the saints ablaze and built the Church from nothing. The same fire burned in the prophet Elijah, who stood alone on Mount Carmel and cried, “I am filled with zeal for the Lord God of hosts” (1 Kings 19:10). When others bowed to false gods, Elijah stayed faithful, even when his life was in danger. That is zeal.

But today, let us ask ourselves, Do we still have that zeal?
Do we still burn for the Church, or have we become frozen?

There was a time when priests, religious, and lay faithful worked day and night for the Gospel. They were mocked, beaten, and rejected, yet they rejoiced to suffer for Christ. Today, we get tired too easily. We spend hours planning programs, but seldom remain in tears before the tabernacle. We worry about the decline of vocations, but not about our decline in faith. We talk about mission, but our hearts have lost the fire of mission.

Even among us priests and religious, the zeal for the Church has been replaced by zeal for our institutions. We build big colleges, hospitals, and retreat centres, but where is the zeal for saving souls? Some dioceses and congregations are drowning in loans, not because they loved the poor too much, but because they loved projects too much. The first Christians preached Christ; we promote institutions.

Look also at Saint Paul. In Acts 14:19–20, he was stoned and dragged out of the city, thought to be dead. The disciples stood around his wounded body, weeping and praying. But Paul opened his eyes, stood up, and the very next day went to another city to preach again. Can you imagine that? Bruised, bleeding, nearly dead, yet preaching the Gospel the next day. That is not human strength. That is the fire of zeal. Today, if someone criticizes us, we withdraw from ministry. If there is no applause, we lose interest. The Church of the first apostles grew through wounds; today’s Church is shrinking through comfort.

Saint Francis of Assisi heard the voice of Christ: “Rebuild my Church.” He did not wait for a committee or a fund. He began with what he had: his own life. He rebuilt the Church not with stones but with holiness, poverty, and love. Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross did the same. Their zeal reformed the Carmel when it was lifeless and dry. They were mocked, imprisoned, misunderstood, yet they never lost the flame.

Look at Saint John Mary Vianney. When he arrived in his parish of Ars, almost no one came to church. The taverns were full, the people careless. But he did not give up. He prayed day and night before the tabernacle, fasted on bread and potatoes, and offered all his suffering for the souls of his people. Slowly hearts began to change. Confessions increased. Families returned to faith. By the end of his life, people came from all over France to see the holy priest of Ars. His zeal rebuilt a dying parish. That is what zeal can do. It can bring life where there was death.

Today, more than any other time, we need that kind of zeal again. Not anger, but holy passion. Not noise, but conviction. Not fear, but faith. We see churches being sold, convents closed, and holy places turned into bars and dance halls. Many simply say, “That is how times are.” But Jesus never said, “Let it go like this.” He said, “Go into the entire world and preach the Gospel” (Mark 16:15). The Holy Spirit is not tired but we are.

We talk about the “natural death” of the Church, but that is a lie. The Body of Christ cannot die. What can die is our zeal. When we stopped preaching about life, about family, about the command to “be fruitful and multiply,” we began to witness spiritual barrenness. We supported “natural family planning” without spiritual balance, and now we face “natural death planning” in our parishes. The Church dies where life is not welcomed, where large families are seen as burdens, and where children are not raised in faith.

If we truly want to rebuild the Church, we must begin again with families. Not one or two, but many families. Every parish must look honestly at its priorities. We spend much on luxuries, decorations, and grand programs, while many good families struggle to raise their children. If every parish could support even a few large families,  spiritually and financially, the Church would breathe again. Supporting life is not charity but it is our mission. If we invest in families, we invest in the future of the Church.

We also need zeal in our priests and religious. Not zeal for comfort, but zeal for the cross. Let our formation houses become houses of prayer, not business centres. Let our superiors and bishops encourage holiness more than success. Let us go back to the tabernacle — the place where zeal is born. If we kneel long enough before the Lord, He will give us His heart.

My dear brothers and sisters, zeal for Christ, Gospel and the Church is the life of faith. Without zeal, even the most beautiful church is only a shell. Zeal makes a priest weep in prayer. Zeal makes a mother pray for her children with tears. Zeal makes a missionary walk through rain and heat for the Gospel. Zeal makes a Christian family shine with faith in a dark world.

We do not need more plans or meetings. We need more fire. We need hearts that burn again for God. Let us stop saying, “It is too late.” It is never too late for God. The Holy Spirit has not left the Church. He still looks for hearts that will say, “Here I am, Lord. Set me on fire.”

Jesus cleansed the temple not out of anger, but out of love. Let Him cleanse our hearts today. Let Him drive away everything that keeps us cold and lifeless. Then the Church will live again; not through wealth, but through holiness; not through numbers, but through burning hearts. Let us be consumed by zeal again. Zeal that prays, suffers, rebuilds, and never gives up.

Lord Jesus, give me your ZEAL

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God Bless…