Word of the Week

3rd Sunday in Lent

Pour out: Eckcheo (Gk.): meaning “to pour out; shed forth”. It can also be used as a metaphor to distribute largely. Other words that can be translated from this Greek word include gush, spill, and run greedily.

“Jesus went up to the Temple as the privileged place of encounter with God. For him, the Temple was the dwelling of his Father, a house of prayer, and he was angered that its outer court had become a place of commerce. He drove merchants out of it because of jealous love for his Father: "You shall not make my Father's house a house of trade. His disciples remembered that it was written, 'Zeal for your house will consume me’ (Jn.2:16-17). After his Resurrection his apostles retained their reverence for the Temple” (CCC, 584).

The aforementioned Greek term can be found 23 times in the New Testament.  In his gospel, John strategically places the phrase “pour out” in his treatment of the Cleansing of the Temple, which is noteworthy in that all four gospels give an account of this episode (Mt.21:12-13; Mk.11:15-17; Lk.19:45-46), but only John uses the aforementioned phrase (Jn.2:14-16). John, a theologian of “sign”, begs the reader of his text to ask the question: Why? Simply, to draw our attention to the paschal mission of Christ. The whole theology behind the Cleansing of the Temple is highlighted by Christ’s expulsion of the oxen, sheep, and pigeons. This signifies that the old temple ritual sacrifice is passing away and being replaced with the one true sacrifice of Christ, who is “the Lamb of God” (Jn.1:19, 36).  From the outset of his gospel, John begins to weave a liturgical thread that constantly points us to the events upon Calvary. 

Furthermore, you see throughout the other gospels and NT writings this liturgical theme revealed in the language of ‘pouring out; shedding forth’, often very specific to the “blood” being shed for the new covenant church (Mt.9:17, 23:35, 26-28; 2:22, 14:24; Lk.5:37, 22:20; Tit.3:6)). Luke and Paul proclaim this ‘pouring out’ to be the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-23; Rom.5:5). In addition, Luke (with the martyrdom of Stephen) and John (with the saints being cleaned in the blood of the lamb) tie this term to martyrdom (Acts 22:20; Rev.16:6).

As we continue our journey into the Lenten Season, we must continue to strive to imitate Christ in the very ‘pouring out’ of his body. In this donation of flesh, we have been given a directive to donate out our very being to the body of Christ. This is at once a call to serve the poor and at the same time a call to catechize. Yes, you heard me—catechize! There is an illuminative point in Sacred Scripture for all catechists as it relates to ‘pouring out’. The Holy Bible uses the Greek term, katacheo, to speak of the call to “inform, instruct” (Lk.1:4). This is the basis for the English word catechism. It also uses the word, Katacheo, to speak of the event regarding the woman with the alabaster box when she “pours” the precious ointment over the head of Christ (Mt.26:7; Mk.14:3). Our Catechesis, when it is both offering and participating in the life of Christ, is like a sweet smelling fragrance being ‘poured out’ upon the mystical body of Christ.

“The Temple sanctuary is the undisciplined soul, filled not with animals and merchants, but with earthly and senseless attachments. Christ must expel them with the whip of his divine doctrine to make spiritual worship possible.”

--Origen

Primary Texts Consulted

•  Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
•  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.

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