I once overheard a conversation where one man said to another, “Catholics just have too many rules and regulations.” I guess some people feel this way. We have to go to Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days. We are told to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. There are rules about who can and cannot receive the Eucharist. Yes, there are quite a few rules. But we don’t think of these things in that way. They are simply a part of being Catholic. Today we heard the story about Moses and the Ten Commandments. More rules. To the people of ancient Israel, however, these commandments were very important. They were part of a covenant with God.

You know, for three Sundays we have had Old Testament readings about covenants. Two weeks ago we heard about Noah, then Abraham and Isaac, and now Moses. But what is a covenant? It seems like an old-fashioned term, doesn’t it? The word “covenant” comes from the Latin “con venire”, meaning “a coming together”. Basically, a covenant is a bond or a promise between two parties. In a faith setting, God the Creator places us in a close love relationship. But we have our own part to play in this relationship. The Commandments are the means by which we fulfill our part of the bargain and express our love for God. Obeying the commandments is an expression of love.

Think about marriage for a moment. We know that this is a covenant between a man and a woman…. for life. Once you are married, there are certain rules. You cannot continue to date other people. You are responsible for the welfare of your spouse, financially, emotionally, etc. Sure, these are rules but you follow them gladly because of the love you have for each other. Abiding by the marriage covenant is an expression of love.

You know, the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments is fitting for this third Sunday of Lent. As I have said before, this 40-day period is a time for self-reflection. Think about the commandments today and how you apply them in your life. Could you do better? For example, look at the third Commandment: “You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain”. Well, we all slip up at times, don’t we? Now, I am not talking about the times you blurt out “Oh my God!” when you are startled. I am talking more about the G-D that slips out in a heated argument. How does that express our love for God? Or what about the second Commandment: “You shall not serve false gods before Me”? Think of the many false gods some begin to worship: money, material things, celebrities? You know in today’s Gospel we saw Jesus clearing the temple of all that was unholy. Perhaps we should take time this Lent to do the same.

Even though the days of Lent seem to be flying by, there is still a full month before Easter to take stock of how we are living and make changes where needed. If you haven’t been doing well with your Lenten promises, you can just start over. Lent is not like a winning streak for a football team…one loss and it is over. No, Lent is a long season and we all have our ups and downs. We don’t have to worry if our streak has been broken. We can just pick it up again…right here and right now. But above all, take the remaining time of Lent to do a little spring cleaning in your own temple, driving out anything that takes the place of God.