March 9 2025
First Reading
Colossians 2:16-23
Freedom From Human Rules
16So don’t let anyone judge you because of what you eat or drink. Don’t let anyone judge you about holy days. I’m talking about special feasts and New Moons and Sabbath days. 17They are only a shadow of the things to come. But what is real is found in Christ. 18Some people enjoy pretending they aren’t proud. They worship angels. But don’t let people like that judge you. These people tell you every little thing about what they have seen. They are proud of their useless ideas. That’s because their minds are not guided by the Holy Spirit. 19They aren’t connected anymore to the head, who is Christ. But the whole body grows from the head. The muscles and tendons hold the body together. And God causes it to grow.
20Some people still follow the basic spiritual powers of the world. But you died with Christ as far as these powers are concerned. So why do you act as if you still belong to the world? Here are the rules you follow. 21“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 22Rules like these are about things that will pass away soon. They are based on merely human rules and teachings. 23It is true that these rules seem wise. Because of them, people give themselves over to their own kind of worship. They pretend they are humble. They treat their bodies very badly. But rules like these don’t help. They don’t stop people from chasing after sinful pleasures.
Second Reading
James 2:14-26
Show Your Faith by What You Do
14Suppose a person claims to have faith but doesn’t act on their faith. My brothers and sisters, can this kind of faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or a sister has no clothes or food. 16Suppose one of you says to them, “Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well.” And suppose you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done? 17It is the same with faith. If it doesn’t cause us to do something, it’s dead.
18But someone will say, “You have faith. I do good deeds.”
Show me your faith that doesn’t cause you to do good deeds. And I will show you my faith by the goods deeds I do. 19You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that. And they tremble!
20You foolish person! Do you want proof that faith without good deeds is useless? 21Our father Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar. Wasn’t he considered to be right with God because of what he did? 22So you see that what he believed and what he did were working together. What he did made his faith complete. 23That is what Scripture means where it says, “Abraham believed God. God accepted Abraham because he believed. So his faith made him right with God.” (Genesis 15:6) And that’s not all. God called Abraham his friend. 24So you see that a person is considered right with God by what they do. It doesn’t happen only because they believe.
25Didn’t God consider even Rahab the prostitute to be right with him? That’s because of what she did for the spies. She gave them a place to stay. Then she sent them off in a different direction. 26A person’s body without their spirit is dead. In the same way, faith without good deeds is dead.
Gospel
John 2:12-25
12After this, Jesus went down to Capernaum. His mother and brothers and disciples went with him. They all stayed there for a few days.
Jesus Clears Out the Temple Courtyard
13It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. So Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courtyard he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves. Others were sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So Jesus made a whip out of ropes. He chased all the sheep and cattle from the temple courtyard. He scattered the coins of the people exchanging money. And he turned over their tables. 16He told those who were selling doves, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17His disciples remembered what had been written. It says, “My great love for your house will destroy me.” (Psalm 69:9)
18Then the Jewish leaders asked him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do this?”
19Jesus answered them, “When you destroy this temple, I will raise it up again in three days.”
20They replied, “It has taken 46 years to build this temple. Are you going to raise it up in three days?” 21But the temple Jesus had spoken about was his body. 22His disciples later remembered what he had said. That was after he had been raised from the dead. Then they believed the Scripture. They also believed the words that Jesus had spoken.
23Meanwhile, he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast. Many people saw the signs he was doing. And they believed in his name. 24But Jesus did not fully trust them. He knew what people are like. 25He didn’t need anyone to tell him what people are like. He already knew why people do what they do.