The Pope's Cathedral

Nov. 9: Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Happy Birthday to my dad!

Almost as important, today marks the consecration of the first basilica in Rome (which was donated by the Lateran family in 324). It’s been destroyed and rebuilt many times, which is pretty good symbolism for the Church. We’ve faced many trials over the millennia, but we always come back.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “The beauty and the harmony of churches, destined to render praise to God, invite us human beings too, though limited and sinful, to convert ourselves to form a ‘cosmos,’ a well-ordered construction, in close communion with Jesus, who is the true Holy of Holies.”

Reading 1

Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

The angel brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the southern side of the temple, south of the altar. He led me outside by the north gate, and around to the outer gate facing the east, where I saw water trickling from the southern side. He said to me, "This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah, and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine."

Temples aren’t the source of rivers; they’re merely built on top of them. The temple doesn’t create water; at best, it collects the rains and diverts them to where they are most needed.

In Ezekiel’s time, the temple represented the Jewish faithful, but now we take it to be the whole Church. We’re supposed to take God’s blessings (the rain) and direct it to wear it can grow fruit and freshen stagnant water.

But we should never mistake the temple for a cloud, nor the Church for God!

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore, we fear not, though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,
the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!

To be clear, Jerusalem isn’t on a river. The Psalmist is confident of God’s protection in disaster, not that the city itself will necessarily survive. Because the important part is the people, not the buildings.

Reading 2

1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17

Brothers and sisters: You are God's building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

Here, Paul makes the symbolism clear. The temple building is a visual representation of God’s work on Earth. His most important work is us. We must allow Him to work in us.

Alleluia

2 Chr 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord,
that my name may be there forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

God ordered the building of the temple so that we would have a visible representation of Him on Earth.

Gospel

Jn 2:13-22

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."

His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me.

At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?"

Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."

The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?"

But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

If the Temple is meant to symbolize God, using it as a place to make money is extremely disrespectful. Jews came from all over the world to worship there, but they didn’t necessarily bring oxen or doves to sacrifice. Certain entrepreneurs saw a need and filled it, but we shouldn’t restrict access to God with a monetary price. It’s why the modern Church asks for donations, not entrance fees.

But as Jesus goes on, he explains that the temple itself isn’t the issue; that would be a form of idolatry. Our bodies are the real temples, built in the image and likeness of God. Jesus, fully human, is also a temple in that sense; being perfect, He is the perfect image of God on Earth.

“Though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea” (which happened to St. John Lateran Basilica a few times), we don’t have to worry, because God will rebuild us just as Jesus, on the last day.