Several weeks ago the gospel reading at Catholic masses was the one from St. John identified by the phrase "thieves in the temple". Up front, there is no stinger of this nature at the end, as the following interpretation comes right from a web site associated with scripture commentary by approved Catholic Church writers.

In occupied Jerusalem it was not basically a sacrilege that "money changers" operated in temple. It often was a matter of survival and community. What drove Christ in the story livid was exploitation, usury and more.

It seems the theme is quite a bit about trade-offs and they have been around in all times. The furor about indulgence sales which brought on the Reformation is well-known.

Trade-offs are abundant across the boards. Get the ball across the goal line, through the hoop, pin down enough shoulders of the demonized opposing school---what date rape? Perform enough vein-bulging fist waving denunciations of abortion, what approval of police brutality or wholesale support of economics-dictated military action?

Amazing that in so much of what passes for "cultures" a gay male pulverized for such also has been violated so many times by stalwart examples of "y" chromosomes. Am I missing something?

A famous atheistic firebrand of a college professor sexually harasses female students and has a drinking problem. Was George Carlin plugged with Peruvian Marching Powder when he delivered the performance captured on You Tube captioned "Abortion"? Hey, oh inferior one, look how hard they hit God! And certainly the one in the previous two paragraphs.

Notice only the right things, regurgitate them and pick up the "A" in your tribal seminar.