The celebration of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran reminds us of God’s goodness and of the promise fulfilled by Jesus to Peter when He said: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the power of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Since Christianity was accepted by the Roman Empire in the 4th century, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran has become the symbol of Catholicism. It is the official seat of the Bishop of Rome, where the chair of the successor of Peter is found. Recognized as the Pope’s cathedral, it receives the title “Mother and Head of all the Churches of the City and of the World.”
The first reading describes the ideal of a temple: a meeting point between the river and the sea, a place where earth and heaven come together. This understanding helps us grasp Jesus’ action in driving out the merchants. The temple, meant to be a fertile place of goodness and holiness, had become a space of deceit and sin.
The temple priests question Jesus about the authority by which He acts, and He responds by inviting them to destroy the temple, for He will raise it up: “He was speaking of the temple of His body.” With the Paschal mystery – His body destroyed and risen – a new form of worship begins. At the same time, we are reminded that today each one of us, in the Risen Christ, is a “temple of God,” because the Spirit dwells within us (1 Cor 3:16).
Beyond the literal-historical meaning of the text, there is a theological meaning: the place of God’s presence becomes the assembly of Christians; a building made of people, of “living stones.” All of us were consecrated as “temple of God” on the day of our baptism.
This feast should awaken in the faithful the gift of communion with the Pope and the assurance of knowing which is the true temple of God. Christ is the true place where God has drawn near, where He became man. We will never be deprived of the true sanctuary: Jesus Christ.
Sr. Tresia
Provincia San Raimundo de Peñafort
