Lectionary Preaching Workbook
In the ancient liturgy, this Sunday was known as Oculi - "Eyes" or "Vision" Sunday - from the fourteenth verse of Psalm 25, the Psalm that was also sung as the Introit on the Second Sunday in Lent: "My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he shall pluck my feet out of the net." In the Gospel for the Day, John 2:13-22 (13-25 in the Roman missal), the cleansing of the temple supports the "vision" emphasis but with a twist: The eyes of the people are opened by the Lord, who reveals himself as the replacement for the temple and its religion.