After the people of Israel were exiled to Babylon, returning to Jerusalem in 538 BC, they were faced with rebuilding their city. Several centuries later, they were conquered by the Greeks, becoming a part of the Greek empire. During the reign of King Antiochus IV in the 2nd century before Christ’s birth, God called Judas Maccabeus to lead the people of Israel to overthrow the Greeks. Judas Maccabeus took back control of the Temple and restored the rituals of worship there. In today’s reading from 1st Maccabees, we hear about the cleansing of the Temple, which our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate in their holiday of Hanukkah. In the Gospel, Jesus quotes Jeremiah, stating that the Lord’s house is to be a place of prayer and worship. The Mass we celebrate each Sunday is supposed to be sacred and holy to us as we gather together around the Lord’s altar. We are to see our church as God’s house, as a holy place dedicated to our liturgies. Let us never forget God’s presence with us as we worship him around his altar.
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