Friends, today our Mother Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the oldest and highest ranking of the four majors ‘St. Peter, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls’ basilicas in Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the diocese of Rome, the official ecclesiastical seat of the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, not St. Peter’s Basilica, as so many mistakenly believe. The Basilica is also called the Church of Holy Savior or the Church of St. John Baptist. In ancient Rome, this was the church where everyone was baptized. It is the oldest church in the West, built in the time of Constantine, and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324. This feast became a universal celebration in honor of the archbasilica, the ecclesiastical mother church, called “the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world” as a sign of love for and union with the See of Peter. Two basic points are important in today’s celebration. First, the physical building as well as we, are both God’s temple and dwelling place. Second, both the physical church building and we are the physical evidence and manifestation of God’s presence on earth, and as such, must be kept holy and sacred.
Friends, the first reading from Ezekiel says that God dwells in his temple. This reminds us of God’s ever-abiding presence within his temple. As a sign of God’s presence among his people, the “Temple” or “Church” is a place from where the river of God’s joy emanates and flows towards us to nourish and satisfy us. It is a place of refuge and a place where we find eternal bliss, a place where our spiritual hunger and thirst are satisfied, and most importantly, it is a place of healing where we find Jesus, our balm of Gilead (Jer 8:22) that heals our wounded souls. Ezekiel recapitulates thus about this river that flows from God’s temple or church: “Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live…for wherever the river flows, it brings health, and life…because this water comes from the sanctuary.” Therefore, in every dedicated church dwells the fullness of the presence of the Trinitarian God. It is a sacred, permanent dwelling of God, and a place of prayer. So, it must be accorded utmost reverence.
Friends, in the second reading, Paul takes us to the next and very important dimension of the temple of God, and that is us; “You are God’s building…did you not realize that you are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit of God was living among you?” This is straight and direct to the point, and this is what we are. We are the seat of God’s government because our hearts are the innermost sanctuaries of the Holy Spirit. Paul reminds us of God’s special presence within us. We are God’s living and mobile temple. Therefore, there is a special call today to keep this temple holy, pure, and sacred, because God does not dwell in a flirty temple. If our temple remains sacred, his spirit will continue to dwell therein. Unfortunately, many of us Christians, in the name of “liberty” and its twin sister “human rights,” have abused ourselves ‘God’s temple’ so much. Some have done this through drug and alcohol addiction, sex addiction, excessive makeups and tattoos, and even attempts to take their own lives. All these, however, are manifestations of our sheer ignorance of who we truly are, the temple of the living God.’ We belong primarily to God because we did not create ourselves. This is why Paul warns us of the imminent danger associated with treating God’s temple with utter disrespect, contempt, and impunity: “If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred and you are that temple.”
Friends, in the gospel, Jesus’ action in the temple brings us to the climax and significance of today’s celebration. He gives us a typical good example of how we ought to treat and reverence the temple of God. John summarizes Jesus’ action and words thus: “Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will rebuild it…but he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body…” Our bodies as God’s temple were purchased through the water of baptism, and consecrated through the sacred oil of Chrism and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, whereas the physical church is also consecrated by both the presence of the Trinitarian God and the presence of “God’s priestly, holy and chosen people” (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore, as we commemorate the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica today which reminds us of God’s sacred presence with and within us, let us joyfully acclaim with the psalmist: “The water of the river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most-High dwells…God is for us a refuge and strength…the Lord God of Host is with us, the God of Jacob is our strong hold…!” The Lord be with you …may the Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I wish you a blessed Sunday and a fruitful new week ahead of you.
