Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Feast)
Theme: The temple is sacred
The feast we celebrate today is the seat of the Bishop of Rome that is the Pope. It is the oldest church and it is the first in the order of hierarchy. It is referred to as “ecumenical mother church of the Roman catholic faithful. This is a celebration that also reminds us of who we are as children of God and Christians. As we celebrate today’s feast, it is an opportunity for us to reflect about the sacredness of our church and place of worship. It is a profound space, that is sacred and a place of prayer and encounter between God and his people. This was why Jesus got angry and chased people out of the Temple, because they turned it into a business place; instead of a sacred place and a place of prayer. Today’s celebration presents us the opportunity, to re-evaluate how we operate within this sacred space that we gather to pray as Christians. As a person, are you conscious of the sacredness of the church when you are there? Or that is when you begin to make use of your phone, to reply messages and do other things online? The liturgy of today is encouraging all of us to be conscious of the sacredness of the church and act accordingly whenever we are there.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we should also remember that as children of God, we are also the Temple of God. This is the assertion of St. Paul in today’s 2nd reading. By implication, it simply means that we should be conscious of the fact that our life should reflect the sacredness of God, and all that we do should reflect holiness and Gods presence. This consciousness will go a long way towards making us better children of God and Christians. Suffice it to say that holiness of life becomes our goal, and that will guide all our word and action at all times. Automatically it will help us to be conscious of the things we do with our life, because strictly speaking, it does not belong to us; so to say. Remember that Gods Temple is holy and you are that Temple. Let this be our guide in all that we do in our daily life.
Jesus in the gospel reading reiterates the fact that our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Let us be mindful of what we do with our body, strictly speaking it belongs to God and should be treated as such. May God grant us the grace to be conscious of this fact at all times, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.