Being the Temples of God!

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Ez 47:1-2,8-9,12; 1 Cor 3:9-11,16-17; Jn 2:13-22

Today, our Mother Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome!

Why should the dedication of the Lateran Basilica be important for Catholics? 

A comparison would help us understand the significance of this feast. 

St. John Lateran is the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, where the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) presides. Hence, it is the Pope’s Church. If a parish Church is dedicated, it is a feast for all its parishioners. Likewise, since St. John Lateran is the Papal Basilica, it bears the significance of being ‘the parish Church’ for all Catholics. In other words, this is the mother Church of all Churches in the world. As such, it is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church. 

Accordingly, the readings of the day focus on the theme of ‘temple.’ 

In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel helps people overcome their discouragement over not having any land or place in which to pray. The prophet announces the day on which the people will adore their God in a new temple, which will be the House of God and the House of the People of God. 

There is a beautiful insight in the first reading. The water that flows from the side of the temple, when it empties into the sea, the salty water of the sea becomes fresh. Wherever the river flows, there is life. 

When we mingle with God, we become like Him. That magic takes place in a Church, which becomes the official meeting place between God and us. When we enter God’s residence in faith and hope, we are healed of our impurities and become like the Resident of the House. 

If the first reading talked about a physical building as God’s abode, St. Paul, in the second reading, reminds us of the fact that we are temples of God. The Spirit of God dwells in us. If so, how do I keep the residence of God? Is my ‘self’ a worthy dwelling place for God? What are the things that endanger intrinsic holiness, and how should I purify myself?

Jesus cleanses the temple in the Gospel. When commercial interests replace the worship of God, Jesus warns them that they should stop making His Father’s house a market place. 

Secondly, Jesus refers to himself as the New Temple. God residing in Jesus makes him the Temple. But his own people failed to see the manifestation of God in Jesus. Their bias and hatred for Jesus blinded them to the fact of who Jesus was as the God-bearer and God Himself!

Jesus lets us see how we can be temples of God. He was the image and replica of God the Father. Jesus’ virtues like compassion, mercy, and justice help us understand the presence and work of the Spirit of the Lord in him. 

How do we manifest God in our lives? Are we the ‘Temples of God’ in whom people can glimpse the Divine? How am I the ‘Spiritual Presence’?

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar