Zelus domus tuae comedit me

Raphael, The Judgement of Solomon (1518-19)

In the Gospel of today (the Monday after Laetare Sunday), the Holy Evangelist John recounts our Lord's cleansing of the Temple, referencing the words of Psalm 68: "The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up." God the Son has rendered judgement upon the moneychangers and merchants, and He has gained the fear and praise of Israel. The Mass Lesson for the Monday after Laetare Sunday recounts the Judgement of Solomon (3 Kings 3:16-28), where the royal ancestor of Christ resolves a dispute between two harlots through a most wise judgement, earning him the fear and praise of Israel. 

Returning to Psalm 68, "the zeal of thy house..." is the first Antiphon of Tenebrae (Zelus domus tuae comedit me...). Chorus Breviarii has sung Psalm 68 as part of Tenebrae for nearly twenty-four years, and for many of those years, these words were chanted in the sanctuary of St. John the Evangelist in Hillcrest. Now, San Diego locals know what kind of neighborhood Hillcrest is, but the parish remained fairly untouched by the outside world until a certain dramatic event that spread across both Catholic news sites and secular media (e.g., the New York Times). Since those days, we haven't celebrated anything at St. John's. It is good to meditate on our Lord's actions in the Temple considering the most recent news from a certain ministry at that parish.

It's a bit much to go on a full explanation of who, what, where, etc. It's best to save that for a site like California Catholic Daily. Instead, let us consider the first verse of Psalm 78.

O God, the heathens are come into thy inheritance, they have defiled thy holy temple: they have made Jerusalem as a place to keep fruit.