THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA
Ezekiel 47: 1-2, 8 – 9, 12; Psalm 46; 1
Corinthians 3:9c-11,16-17; John 2:13-22
November 9, 2014
What causes your anger? Usually, the
main reason of our anger is when our expectations are no longer met or when
things and even people cease to function accordingly. A mother gets angry when
she discovers that her son is no longer going to school. A wife gets angry when
she learns that her husband is already looking for another wife. When ideas,
things, and people, no longer exist in harmony, anger enters into the scene.
And such is the anger of Jesus in our
Gospel today. When he went to the temple area, he found those who sold animals
for sacrifices and money changers. He made a whip, drove them all out of the
area, spilled the coins, and overturned their tables! He was very angry because
the temple which is the place of His Father has become a marketplace! He was
angry because the temple which is a place for the people to encounter God has
become a place for business. He was angry because the temple which is a place
of life has become a venue for people to be overburdened.
What happened in our Gospel today is
the exact opposite of our first reading. We heard of the prophet being brought
by the angel to the entrance of the temple. From there, he saw water flowing
out to the corners of the world. And wherever the river flows, there is life,
there is an abundance!
Today, we celebrate the dedication of
the Lateran Basilica in Rome. This basilica is important because it is the
oldest basilica of our Christian religion. For quite some time, it has become
the residence of the Popes. And upon its walls one reads the inscription, “Omnium
Urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater, et caput.” (Mother and Head of the entire
city and all churches in the world.) Thus, we realize an important identity of
the Church: that she is a Mother! And as a mother gives life to her children,
the Church too, must be a life-giving witness in the world today! The Church
has to be like the temple in our first reading today that is the source of life
and abundance in creation!
However, St. Paul in our second reading
today furthered our understanding on the Church. The Church or the temple does
not only refer to the building. According to Paul, “each of us is a temple of
God where the Spirit dwells in us.” Therefore, we are the Church! Some of us
might be a big as a basilica or as small as a kapilya! Nevertheless, by virtue of our baptism, we become the
Church!
This is therefore our challenge today
as we celebrate the dedication of the Lateran Basilica – that just as the
Church is called to become a life-giving witness in the world today, you and me
are also called to give life to others especially to those who are living along
the peripheries. This is the meaning of New Evangelization - that we go out to the world not to condemn
it but rather share with it the abundance of life given to us by God!
What causes your anger? However, a
deeper question would be: What kind of Spirit is living inside your temple? Is
it life- giving or earth shaking? Amen!
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