Lesson I. Kyrieeleison! God, have mercy on us! Kyrieeleison

Today from the bible and Church tradition that we know Christ went to the Temple and attacked the money changers and those who sold animals and cried in a voice heard by all “It is written,  my house shall be called a house of prayer and you make it into a den of robbery” [Mt 21:12,13].

O Lord, We know We have sinned against You and your temple [and our body] through our thought and deed,  sometimes knowingly and other times without knowledge. We have been indifferent to your church laws. We are sorry. It was we who struck Him and spit on Him and mocked Him through our daily sin.  Have mercy on us, O Lord.

“Don’t think, O Lord,  that I don’t love you. I may escape from you and still love you. And I may Sin and Still love you and I may deny you three times and still love you.” If the Lord is angry or upset with me, this will be my earnest pledge, I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyes  or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord in my heart and my life."

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins (psalm 130).

Lord, grant that i may despise the world and all that is in it, that i may place them at your feet, that You may walk on them as you did on the clothes they spread in the way. Lord make a new whip to cleanse my heart and your temple after i made it a noisy den.

Church Fathers on clearing the Temple

St. Ambrose of Milan, "God doesn't wish His temple to be an assembly for salespersons, but a dwelling of holiness. He is confirming that the priesthood service should not be through exploiting the religion in trade, but through free and voluntary giving".

St. Cyril of Alexandria, "As the Jews were so concerned with Moses ritual through their service in the temple, they had actually promoted it not in spirit but in mere letters. The Lord then came to demolish the letter, and to set up the new spirit.