Preparing the Temple

One

Christ and Forty-Six Years

All four Gospels tell the story of Jesus cleansing the temple. Jesus drives out the money-changers, knocks over their counting tables, and generally makes a scene. And of course, people aren’t going to let this go without getting an explanation. They say to Jesus, you need to give us some sign that you have the authority to do this sort of thing. And Jesus famously says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will build it up again.”

Of course, we all know what that means. It’s a prophecy about Christ’s resurrection after three days in the tomb. But back then they didn’t know what it meant. They thought it meant he was literally going to destroy the physical temple. And that temple had been prepared for so long, it seemed impossible that it could be not only destroyed, but rebuilt so quickly.

And actually, thinking about how long the temple had been prepared helps us think about how it was that God prepared for Christ, and for the construction of His body, which would be destroyed and raised up again.

Two

Christ’s Body is the Temple – but He hasn’t been prepared for forty-six years

When Jesus makes His remarkable claim, do you remember what his listeners say? They say, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in just three days?”

Now forty-six years is an interesting number. Because, after all, if the temple is a symbol for Jesus’ body, then we would expect that if the temple was forty-six years old, then that’s precisely how old Jesus would be at his death. But of course, Jesus wasn’t forty-six years old at his death. It’s a fairly well-established matter of tradition that Jesus was thirty-three years old at his death.

That’s still thirteen years less than forty-six. It’s still thirteen years of preparation unaccounted for. So what was going on thirteen years before Jesus was born?

Three

Thirteen Years Before Jesus Was Born

In 1987, St. John Paul II released his great encyclical on Mary, called redemptoris mater. It’s a beautiful document about Our Lady but what’s interesting for us is the date, 1987. Why was it released in 1987? Because it’s thirteen years before the new millennium. Because it’s thirteen years before we celebrated the two thousandth anniversary of Christ’s birth. And the tradition is that Our Lady was thirteen years old when she bore Christ.

In other words, God was building the temple of Christ for forty-six years. But the foundations of that temple began with Our Lady

Four

Forty-Six Years of Preparation

Thirteen plus thirty-three equals forty-six. The physical temple had been under construction for forty-six years. And Christ’s body had been prepared for forty-six years. Prepared for the ultimate sacrifice and the glorious resurrection. But that preparation had already begun before Christ was born.

It had begun with the Immaculate Conception. The construction of the Perfect God-man had begun with the construction of the Perfect Woman. Preparation for Christ’s coming had begun with Mary.

Five

Prepare for Christ by going to Mary

Every advent, we’re supposed to prepare for Christ’s coming. And, of course, in the Old Testament, the Temple was the preparation for Christ’s temple. It symbolized God’s presence on earth. It symbolized the way all things were made holy. It symbolized the perfect sacrifice and perfect prayer to God. And all these things were perfectly fulfilled in Jesus.

But the temple took time to build. The one of Jesus’ time took forty-six years. And as we’ve just seen, the temple, who is Jesus Himself, took forty-six years to reach the completion of His work. A completion of the work that began with Mary.

So what’s the takeaway for us? If we would prepare for Christ’s coming, prepare with Our Lady. Her perfect humanity is the foundation for Christ’s perfect humanity. She is the foundation of the temple who is Jesus.

How to prepare for Christmas with Mary: Consecrate yourself to Mary. Give Mary your unconditional permission to form you in the likeness of Jesus. Tomorrow is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Go to Mass for the Feast and say the Act of Consecration after Mass. It’s included at the end of this transcript.

Then make the commitment to sit at the School of Mary every day in the Rosary so She can teach you to be like Jesus. And before Christmas, go to Confession. That is a great way to let Mary prepare you this Advent. 

Act of Consecration to Mary by St. Maximilian Kolbe 

“O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet, humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you. 

“If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: ‘She will crush your head’ [Gn 3:15], and ‘You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world’ [Office of the B.V. Mary]. 

Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.” 

Allow me to praise you, O Sacred Virgin. 

Give me strength against your enemies.”