1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59
1 Chronicles 29:10-12
Luke 19:45-48
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TAKE IT BACK
"On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled [the temple], on that very day it was reconsecrated." —1 Maccabees 4:54
A friend of mine joyfully celebrates the yearly anniversary of being sober. This is a good celebration. But could you imagine a repentant Christian observing the anniversary of the day they first got drunk? To observe such a day, it would have to be “transformed” and consecrated by Jesus (Rm 12:2). The day would then be a memory of victory rather than failure and regret (1 Mc 4:59).
What Judas Maccabeus did is to reclaim the day of the temple’s defilement by purifying the temple on that very same day of its worst disgrace (1 Mc 4:54). No longer would that day be a holiday on the calendar of the kingdom of darkness; it would become a day of triumph for the kingdom of God.
What was the worst day of your life? What bad days can you allow Jesus to redeem? Offer to Jesus your bad days. The Lord plans to restore the devastated parts of your life, “the years which the locust has eaten” (Jl 2:25). Give Him permission to purify them and turn them to the good (see Rm 8:28).
The Lord wants to reconsecrate more than bad days. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor 6:19), the special dwelling places of God. Reconsecrate your body to the Lord. Let Jesus cleanse your body and rededicate it. Make your body a house of prayer (see Is 56:7).
Prayer: Jesus, my Redeemer, I will no longer let evil rule my memories. I offer my failures and defeats to You. Turn them into Your trophies.
Promise: "My house is meant for a house of prayer." —Lk 19:46
Praise: Mary, Our Lady of Presentation, was presented to the priests in the temple at age three and lived in the temple for nearly a decade. Hearing the Scriptures proclaimed daily, she, the "Mother of the Word Incarnate," knew the Word of God intimately.
(This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
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