A Marketplace of Ideas

"Take these out of here,

and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."

His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,

Zeal for your house will consume me. // John 2:16-17

“I started doing this and everything changed . . .”

As my finger swipes video after video, I am bombarded with posts on social media telling me how to hack my self-care routines. How to eat, how to exercise, how to relax, how to make friends, how to have a good work/life balance.

This past year especially, I’ve fallen into the trap of the “how-to” rabbit hole. As a new college grad struggling to adjust, I tried implementing so many of these tips and tricks that “work wonders” until I reached the point of fatigue. As the noise grew, my ability to hear my own needs faded. 

One year after graduating college, I sat down and honestly asked: What does it actually look like to care for myself? 

Friend, don’t let the noise of the Internet be louder than the voice of your Father. 

God cares for you deeply. He wants you to be healthy, joyful, connected, loved, and whole. He literally wants to dwell within you and bear much fruit. Scripture makes this clear in today’s Second Reading: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

And in today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims boldly that the dwelling place of God is not a place for selling, marketing, and reckless spending. It is a place of glory, worthy of being cared for as such.

Saint Paul declared that we are the dwelling place of God. Therefore, zeal, or eagerness, to take care of ourselves—God’s home—should consume us! (see John 2:17)

But it’s not the online “marketplace of ideas” that gets us there.

In relationship away from the noise, God guides you and me specifically towards the next right step each day. 

Maybe it is what you eat or how your work life needs to change. Regardless, with all of our different circumstances, gifts, and weaknesses, there is no universal life hack. There is no quick fix you can buy. All you need is an eager heart to heed the voice of your good Father every single day.