Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. It is one of those feast days, which, if it falls on a Sunday takes precedence over the regular Sunday readings. What does a basilica in Rome have anything to do with us? The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome. It was built in the time of Constantine and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324. This is the church where popes were consecrated. Celebrating the dedication of this cathedral is symbolic of the unity of the Catholic Church. To everyone who loves the church, this is not merely the feast of a basilica. Rather, it is the feast the universal church, the people of God, the Body of Christ, united as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Today, I would like to draw on the scripture reading and reflect on the various meanings of the temple/church and offer some practical implications.
The Human Person – A Church unto Itself
In the first reading, the image of the water flowing from the temple in Ezekiel’s vision (Ez 47:1-2,8-9,12), is a reference to baptism. Ezekiel’s vision is realized when Jesus stepped into the river Jordan and sanctified the waters of Baptism. John had said, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But the one coming after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3:11). At our baptism, we are baptized by water and the Holy Spirit, and we become the temple of God’s glory. This is why Paul says in today’s second reading, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? … For the temple of God, which you are, is holy” (1 Cor 3:16-17).
Here then is the practical implication: by our baptism, every Christian is a church unto himself or herself. Just like every temple is holy we too are called to holiness. There are three implications of this: First, that I take myself seriously; that I care enough about myself to pray, to worship, to rest, to eat right, to exercise. My mind, my heart, my soul, my body must be preserved as God’s dwelling place. Second, just as Jesus cleansed the temple in today’s gospel reading (Jn 2:13-222) that I cleanse my life of that which is not worthy of God. My life should be such that God feels at home in me. Thirdly, that I treat other people with respect and dignity; that I approach each person with a sense of sacredness. Jesus invites us to love even our enemies because even those with whom we disagree have divine dignity.
The Home – A Domestic Church
In the early Christian era, the church and home were the same thing. People did not gather for worship is churches because churches were not yet built. They gathered in the homes of people. The Catholic Church calls the home “the domestic Church.” The home is the most basic church. The parish church is made up of hundreds of small churches.
For a moment, think about your home and the people with whom you live home. The space and the people together with whom we make our home is our most prized possession. And yet, the home is the most threatened of all spaces. Our very busy schedules can sometimes make our homes more like a hotel. With technology and social media literally at our fingertips our homes can be very lonely places. The home, where each person should be loved beyond measure, can also the place where domestic abuse of children, spouse, and aged can be rampant.
Today, I am inviting you to think of your home as a temple, a church, a sacred space. Our home has a dignity, a sanctity, and a solemnity not only because it is God’s dwelling place but also because each person who dwells in the home is God’s temple. Everyone in the home – husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, children and siblings have a sacred calling – to make the home a domestic church. This means praying together, eating together, being kind to one another, protecting and supporting one another, loving one another, and especially when we hurt one another through our words and actions – forgiving one another.
The Parish – God’s Holy Temple
If every baptized person lives as God’s temple, it has an impact on the home. And if every home is maintained as the domestic church, it has an impact on the parish church. And if each parish is a vibrant community, the universal church becomes a visible sign of the reign of God. This is the ideal.
We strive for the ideal but that does not mean we are perfect. We know from our own lives that we are not perfect. The home is not made of perfect individuals. Similarly, the universal Church and our parish church is not perfect. History tells us that the Church has failed many times in history.
On the one hand, it is our responsibility to support our parish and to make our community a holy and sacred place. Our worship should be solemn, our prayers should be genuine, our gatherings should be loving. We must be the Body of Christ in our broken and hurting world.
On the other hand, the parish, like the water flowing from the temple in today’s first reading, should be a life-giving community. It should be a place of welcome and healing for all, especially for those on peripheries of society and the church. It was Pope Francis who had said, “The church is a not a museum for saints but hospital for sinners.” And again, “I can clearly see that what the Church needs today is the ability to heal wounds and warm the hearts of faithful, it needs to be by their side. I see the Church as a field hospital after a battle.” Most recently, in his apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te, Pope Leo XIV said, “The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking. Where the world sees threats, she sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges. She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness and welcome.”
As we come to celebrate this Mass here in God’s temple, Christ comes to us once again in Holy Communion. We will leave this Mass as individual tabernacles. May our homes too be tabernacles in our neighborhoods. May the world be God’s temple because you and I and our homes are temples of God’s divine presence. Amen.
Fr. Satish Joseph