(1) The Mystery of Walsingham – Our Lady’s Holy House Foundation (EWTN)

(2) 2024 Lenten Meditations (Third Sunday of Lent)

When the Child Jesus with the voice of a young boy said on Mother Angelica, “Build me a Temple and I will help those who help you,” she didn’t at first completely understand, but later she wrote, “To me, this Temple is a miracle. The miracle is not so much that the Temple was built, but how it was built. From the very start, it was the Lord’s own doing – He designed it. He built it, and He paid for it. God’s Providence is so awesome” Yes, “the Temple” has become a wonderful place where many people encounter God.

Jesus, in today’s Gospel, referred to the Jewish Temple as “my Father’s house,” which hearkens back to His words in the Temple many years before as a boy: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49).

One of the penitential practices we can offer during the Season of Lent is to make a pilgrimage to a holy site, especially those associated with the events we are recalling these 40 days and Holy Week, such as the Passion of Our Lord and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist. Perhaps, somewhere in your area, there are large outdoor Stations of the Cross, a church with the Sorrowful Mother, etc. Let your devotion lead you to make a little pilgrimage for the love of Jesus who suffered and died for love of you. Go to your “Father’s house” where you will encounter Him in a new and rich way.

May God bless us and transform our hearts.