HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF LATERAN BASILICA

 

HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF SAINT JOHN LATERAN BASILICA NOVEMBER 9

Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12;  Psalm 46:2-3,5-6;8-9; 1 Cor. 3:9c-11,16-17; John 2:13-22

GOD DWELLS IN HIS CHURCH

I pray that the Lord Jesus will continue to make His presence known to, and through you, and may you be a source for other people to remember that God is with them. AMEN

Church Building is one of the images of the church, with Jesus as the foundation and the cornerstone, and we the various building blocks of the structure. Even as we celebrated the dedication of the new church, there were still items in the church that needed to be completed. The edifice was not fully complete. I also recalled that in centuries past, a construction of a church building would often take years, or even decades. 

The people would come into the church and be able to experience the presence of the Lord Jesus, but it still had finishing touches to be completed.  I see in this the symbol of the church as the people of God who are united with our Brother and Savior, Jesus, to continue to spread the Good News and the praise of God by our serving our sisters and brothers, but which still needs to be fully completed.

It is as a result of this that Christians are reminded of the Re-Membering and Re-Imagining Ourselves as Church and Becoming and Being Church.  We are the church.  We must continue to reflect on that.

The readings today speak about the House or Temple of God. It is the place where the presence of God can be experienced in a very strong way. Ezekiel experiences it when an angel brings him to the Temple in Jerusalem and he explores the House of God and sees the water flowing from the Temple. The vision of Ezekiel of the Temple corresponds to the actual geography of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The way the Temple is situated on the hills of Jerusalem, the main drainage from the Temple would flow out of the south-eastern side, down the Kidron Valley to the south, and make its way eventually to the Jordan River which flows into the Dead Sea. As the water flows from the Temple, it gives life to the plants and animals along its banks.  It even refreshes the salty water of the Dead Sea at the point where the river empties into the Dead Sea.   

The psalm continues the theme of life-giving water flowing from the Temple of the Lord which was mentioned in the First Reading. It reflects on water as a source of joy for the Holy City and Temple of God. For Jewish people, whose ancestors traveled through the desert, water and sources of water were important, even sacred. Coming to a water source was truly a blessing from God. Thus the temple of God is appropriately linked to water, and water would gladden the city of God and the presence of God felt by the people of God.  

Paul speaks about the new Temple of God, not built with inanimate stones, but with animated or spirited persons. The foundation of this edifice is Jesus Himself.  It is in this Temple of God, the people of the church, that the presence of God is found. It is a life giving edifice.     

In the Gospel, Jesus demonstrates His respect for the physical building in which the presence of God dwells. Merchants have taken over the outer courts of the Great Temple and have turned it into a market place. Justifiably, Jesus is angered by the desecration of the place where the presence of God strongly dwells. When Jesus is challenged to give a sign which will show that He has authority to cleanse the Temple, Jesus speaks of a different dwelling place of the presence of God. If this Temple would be destroyed, Jesus will have it restored in three days. This new, different, and better Temple of God is Jesus Himself.

Dear Sisters and Bothers, today, the Church of Rome, not just the city of Rome but all the communities that are united with the Bishop of Rome (all of us), celebrate the dedication of the official church of the Bishop of Rome: Saint John Lateran Basilica. The basilica of Saint Peter is not the official church of the Bishop of Rome. The church of Saint John, which was originally built by the Roman Emperor Constantine on the Lateran Hill, is the main church of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. Its dedication marked a special time in the history of Christianity. Believers began to celebrate their worship service in a public and open building. This is one of the places where the first buildings were erected as a public place where the church, the assembly of believers, could meet and give open and visible praise to God.

As the Universal Church celebrates the dedication of this edifice, it recalls that the building is only a sign of the more authentic dwelling place of God, Jesus. We are reminded that just as Ezekiel saw life-giving water flow from the Temple of God, so the life-giving water flowing from the pierced side of Jesus and from His Body, gives life to the new House of God, which is the church, the People of God. The image of water as seen by Ezekiel corresponds with the cleansing water of Baptism which flows through the church and gives life to all who are plunged into the life of Jesus.

Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, today is really the end of the Feast of All Saints. It is the last day of the major celebration of the Communion of Saints. Eight days ago we celebrated the Feast of the Church Triumphant, those who are the heavenly branch of the Communion of Saints. Seven days ago, November 2, was the Feast of All Souls, when we reflected on, and prayed for, the Church Suffering, those in transition from this life to the eternal life. Today we celebrate our feast day, the feast of the Church Militant. This is who we are. We are still on earth, fighting the battle, being part of the earthly living church of Jesus. 

Today we remember that we are saints, still in the process of being formed. The construction of the church is not yet finished. We still need some of the finishing touches completed; some of us still have a lot of work which needs to be done by us and within us. We are the dwelling place of God as long as we are built on the foundation of Jesus. 

Today, I am challenged to be a befitting dwelling place for God. People should be able to experience the presence of God when they are near me, not because I am holy in and of myself, but because God is holy and God has chosen to make a dwelling place within me.

Today, I am reminded as a Christian to keep the house of God Holy. 

MEDITATION When I think of the church, what images come to mind? Do I sense that I am part of the church, the Body of Christ? Can people experience the holiness and presence of God when they meet me? 

PRAYER Lord God, make us to realize that we are part of the divine edifice, the church, the Body of Jesus. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

O DIVINE WORD, WHO TOOK FLESH FOR HUMAN SAKE, REDEEM US IN OUR SITUATION

© Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus