Where God Dwells, Life Flows. Sunday Breakfast with the Word: FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA.

Sunday Breakfast with the Word: FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA.

 
(Ezekiel 47:1–2, 8–9, 12; 1 Corinthians 3:9–11, 16–17; John 2:13–22)

 

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. The feast of today may sound like a celebration of a building, but in truth, It goes beyond this to reveal to us how we are the temple of God’s dwelling. It is a celebration of God’s living presence in us and among His people.

 

The Lateran Basilica, located in Rome, is the oldest and highest-ranking of all churches in the world. It is officially called The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist at the Lateran, it is the cathedral church of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome.

 

The Basilica was dedicated in the year 324 A.D. by Pope Sylvester I. It was the first church built after the persecutions of early Christians. It stands as the mother and head of all churches, symbolizing the unity of the universal Church under the Pope’s pastoral care.

 

So, today, when we celebrate this feast, we are not merely honouring a building of stone, but celebrating the Church as the living dwelling of God.

A church is not just a building or an edifice. The Church means a people consecrated, sanctified, and alive with His Spirit. The Lateran Basilica is a sign of every christian, every parish, every community that becomes a home where God truly dwells.

 

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Wherever the water flows, it will bring life and health.

 

In the first reading, we read about a vision by the prophet Ezekiel. In this vision, the prophet Ezekiel sees water flowing from the temple, not just any water, but a life-giving river that heals the land, makes the sea wholesome, and brings life wherever it goes. Trees along its banks never wither, their fruits never fail, and their leaves bring healing.

 

What a powerful image! This temple water symbolizes God’s grace flowing from His presence. The temple becomes the source of renewal and transformation for all creation. This is telling us that grace abounds in the presence of God. God’s presence gives life.

 

The Lateran Basilica as the mother church  represents the fountain of grace that flows from Christ’s presence in His Church. From the altar of the temple, from the Eucharist we celebrate, God’s mercy and life flow into the world.

 

The grace that comes from the presence of God constantly is renewing our hearts and healing souls.

This underscores the power of God’s presence, for some of us who are afraid to go to church and be the prince of God. No time in the presence of God is a waste.

 

Wherever  the Christian Goes.

 

Personally, you and I are also the temple from which living water must flow.  We have to be the living water. Wherever a Christian goes  there should be life, peace, healing, and love.

The world thirsts, and the Church is called to be the stream that refreshes it. So we have to ask ourselves today “Does God’s life flow through me? Do people encounter hope, joy, and renewal when they meet me? Or do they encounter the opposite? What do I bring to places where I go?

 

The Temple of God is Sacred, and You are that Temple.

In the second reading, Saint Paul says

 

 “You are God’s building. By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ.

  Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.

 

Here, St. Paul made us understand that the real temple of God is no longer a building of stone, but the heart of every believer. You and I are God’s temple, because His Spirit dwells within us.

Paul says that the foundation of this living temple is Jesus Christ Himself. We may build many churches, but if Christ is not the foundation of our faith, everything collapses.

This reading is making us understand that this celebration is not only about a building in Rome. It shifts our attention from a physical temple in Rome to our own hearts.

 

The Lateran Basilica reminds us that God wants to dwell not only in cathedrals, but in every human soul made in His image. We do not destroy this temple through our sinful lives, hatred and indifference.

 

To destroy this temple through sin, hatred, or indifference is to insult the God who lives within. Therefore, to honour this feast, we must rebuild our inner temple, that is our hearts and body, keeping it pure, sanctified, and full of light.

 

Therefore, the question today is “how holy are our hearts? What kind of temple am I? Is my heart open and holy enough for God’s presence to dwell there? Do I constantly destroy it with the type of life I am living?

 

Destroy this Sanctuary, and in Three days I will raise it up.

 

 

During the Passover feast, visitors from all over the country throng to the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

Many foreigners use the courtyard of the temple only accessible to non-Jews to make some transactions and change foreign currencies.

Because of that, some people use it as an avenue to sell their cattle, sheep, donkey etc. Because of this eagerness to sell their goods at this great feast, many sellers even occupy the entrance of the temple and some of them move a little inside the temple.

Many of the people use that avenue to promote their business instead of celebrating the goodness of God for saving them out of Egypt.

Some of the halls were transformed into markets. So, when Jesus saw this, He reacted. What Jesus did was like a reminder that this temple is not for economic gain. His action is a reminder to the people that the temple is for spiritual enrichment.

His zeal burns actually not against the people, but against the pollution of God’s house. The temple had become a marketplace rather than a place of prayer.

Jesus’ action reminds us that God’s dwelling must be a place of holiness, not business or corruption.

His words shocked the crowd: “Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.” They thought He meant the building, but He was speaking about His own body, the new and eternal temple.

The Church is the body of Jesus Christ and he is the head. Through the Church, we are connected to Christ, just like the body is connected to the head. He says “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

In Christ, the true temple has arrived. No longer do we need to go to one location to find God; in Jesus, God Himself has come to dwell among us. Through His death and resurrection, the temple of His body becomes the new and living sanctuary of grace.

And when He rose, He made us members of His body the Church meaning that we, too, share in this temple-life. Wherever Christ is, there the true temple stands: holy, alive, and victorious over death.

 

Therefore, the cleansing of today’s temple is a revelation that Jesus does not dwell where there is sin, so, the easiest way to expel sin, to change our lives, to become holy, prayerful, charitable, generous, peaceful, etc. is to invite Jesus into our lives. When we truly accept him into our lives, we will surely change and transform.

It is not only about sin, but the spirit of unforgiveness, worry, depression, pain, bitterness, loss of faith, prayerlessness, hopelessness,etc.

When we put our mind and life and trust in Christ, we will regain a living water again, our lives will change and our hearts cleansed from every atom of dirtiness in the form of sin.

Let us ask ourselves: Have I allowed Christ to cleanse my heart from whatever makes it a marketplace instead of a place of worship?

 

 

Conclusion.

 

1.Today’s feast is not about marble, columns, or architecture.it is about living stones, you and I, who form the dwelling of God.

When we gather for Mass, we become the spiritual Lateran Basilica, a visible sign of God’s invisible presence.

Let us, then, re-dedicate the temple of our hearts to the Lord today. Let His grace flow through us as the river flowed from the temple of Ezekiel.Let our lives bring peace, joy, life to others instead of the negative.

Let us invite Jesus into our hearts and develop a burning desire for his presence.  Let His zeal cleanse us, as He cleansed the temple of Jerusalem. And let His Spirit fill us, so that when others see us, they may recognize the living God dwelling in His people. People should not encounter us and lose the remaining faith they have. Our lives should heal.

 

2.God desires to dwell in you. Your body is His dwelling. We should not keep God away from His dwelling.

The Lateran Basilica and our own hearts are meant to be His home. Let us make room for Him daily. That body we are destroying today is God’s dwelling. Your body is His sacred dwelling.

The Lateran Basilica stands as a symbol of this deeper truth that God does not only live in temples made of stone, but in the living temples of our hearts.

Let us not keep God away from His own dwelling. Each day, make room for Him  in your thoughts, in your words, in your choices, and in your heart. Always receive Jesus in the Holy communion.

 

3.The Church is alive where grace flows. Like the river in Ezekiel’s vision, wherever the Spirit flows, there is life, growth, and healing. The Spirit of God gives life and not destruction.

In the time of faithlessness, challenges,, hopelessness, bitterness, we need to feed our souls with the life giving word of God.

In John 6:63.  Jesus says “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. Keeping God away , will leave us broken and distorted.

Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Proverbs 4:20-22 advises us “My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.” God’s word is life to those who find it and healing and health to their flesh.

4.We are temples of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies, words, and actions should reflect the holiness of God’s dwelling.

Let us not destroy our lives through the sins of immorality, hatred, wickedness, lack of passion for God. Let us begin to see our bodies as something that is not ordinary but a building that inhabits the spirit of God.

Let us treat our bodies with respect and honour and not use it as a source of economic gain, a way or means to get money. This attracts the wrath of God as it did in the gospel.

Let us begin to see ourselves as living sanctuaries of His presence. To misuse our bodies, to sell our dignity, or to treat this temple as a tool for selfish or economic gain, is to desecrate what God has made holy.

So today, He calls us again to cleanse the temple of our lives  to drive out everything that defiles and to make room for His Spirit to dwell fully within us. What is that which desecrates the presence of God in your life? It is time for cleansing.

Cleansing is necessary for renewal. Just as Jesus cleansed the temple, we too must allow Him to purify our hearts from greed, pride, and selfishness.

5.Unity in the Church is sacred. The Lateran Basilica symbolizes the unity of all believers under one faith and one shepherd. Division weakens the temple of God. We should not allow division to creep into our churches, families and religious organizations.

Our mission is to be life-givers. Like the waters flowing from the temple, our words, works, and witness must bring healing and life to others and not division. Remember, where God dwells, life flows. Let us be mindful of this.

 

Finally, As we celebrate the feast of the Dedication of Lateran Basilica , Jesus reminds us to dedicate ourselves to God and present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable (Romans 12;1-2) and not to desecrate it because of what it is; the temple of God.  This temple is for God only.

 

May God through His grace, help us to live up to His expectation. May He continue to save us from sin and temptations and hence dwell always in us. Amen

 

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