Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Today is the feast of the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Why does the Church celebrate the dedication of this building which exists in one particular place? It seems to me that one reason for this is that Christianity is a religion that brings together the spiritual and the physical aspects of human existence and affirms the importance of both. As Christians we believe that we worship a God who is not bound to a particular time and place (and indeed is outside of time and space), but who also became man and lived on the earth for a time. The dual character – physical and spiritual – of Christianity is seen in its emphasis on concrete places and real people who have encountered God in their lives at particular times and in particular places. These people have in turn influenced others to encounter God in their own lives.
The gospel reading for today shows Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple. The people who see this note the zeal of Jesus for the house of God, which is the way that the temple was viewed in Jesus’ time. In Jesus’ time, the temple was a holy place. It was the place where God was present to the Jewish people in a particular way. It was also a place of prayer. Even today, Christians believe that certain places and buildings are important and deserve to be celebrated because of their particular role in bringing God and human beings together. For instance, many people go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land. We believe that Jesus is present in the reserved sacrament in the tabernacle in our local parishes. And particular church buildings, such as the Lateran Basilica that have had a prominent role in the Church’s witness through history and they deserve to be celebrated and protected.
The pairing of the gospel reading with the second reading, from 2 Corinthians, shows that as Christians we can and should think of ourselves and our bodies as spiritually significant and holy. Ultimately the Church is not a building, nor is it a collection of buildings—instead the Church is Jesus’ mystical body, of which all Christians are members. It is made up of human beings. As Christians, we are members of Christ’s body and temples of the Holy Spirit.
Reflecting on the readings for today, I feel challenged to reflect on the question of whether my life is indeed built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Jesus became incarnate in a real, human body. He came to save not only our souls but our bodies as well. This teaching has many implications—it matters what we do with our bodies and how we treat other people. Today each of us has the opportunity to think about what it means for us to be a temple of the Holy Spirit and a member of Christ’s body. Each of us is an image of God in human flesh. Do we live our lives in such a way that lives up to this image?
Joel Schickel