Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Lectionary: 671
Reading 1
The angel brought me
back to the entrance of the temple,
and I saw water flowing out
from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple was toward the east;
the water flowed down from the southern side of the temple,
south of the altar.
He led me outside by the north gate,
and around to the outer gate facing the east,
where I saw water trickling from the southern side.
He said to me,
"This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.
Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine."
Responsorial Psalm
R. (5) The waters of the river gladden
the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore, we fear not, though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling
of the Most High!
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling
of the Most High!
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,
the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling
of the Most High!
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
You are God's building.
According to the grace of God given to me,
like a wise master builder I laid a foundation,
and another is building upon it.
But each one must be careful how he builds upon it,
for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there,
namely, Jesus Christ.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God's temple,
God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord,
that my name may be there forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
"Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
"What sign can you show us for doing this?"
Jesus answered and said to them,
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
The Jews said,
"This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?"
But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
What is the importance of a building to our worship? We know that we can experience God and experience a personal relationship with Him regardless of where we are or what we are doing. We are blessed with a loving God that approaches each of us in a unique way and invites us into an intimate experience that is as unique as each of us are unique. Because of this, there are many who argue that churches and other places of worship do not matter. Furthermore, there are others who criticize outward displays of faith, such as iconography, statues, incense, and other adornments which are an intricate part of Catholic worship and reverence. Those who are quick to condemn and proclaim that none of these things are necessary are forgetting why these things are done and, in many cases, that it was God Himself who encouraged these things.
We are present in the physical world and are guided by our senses so as to function properly while existing here. All five of our senses (sight, hearing, smelling, speaking, and touching) are geared towards the physical with each action of these being processed by our brain and bringing about some sort of stimulus as a reaction. Once this stimulus is processed by the brain, it enhances our overall experience to the interaction we are having. All these senses are focused on the physical realm with our brain acting as an mediator. Two out of the three parts of every human being are involved in this process, the physical and mental, while the third part is left out and can only react to what the other two parts are doing. I am referring to the spiritual part of us. Because of our five senses are focused on the physical, while the mental part of us processes these things, our spirituality is left as a spectator in the process and can only react to what the physical and mental are doing The spiritual part of us can either react to what is happening or remain separate and aloof. If the spiritual part of us chooses to react, that means the physical and mental experiences are then focused on bringing our spirituality into the equation and it then becomes a participant and feeds off of the physical sensations and the mental processing thereof. This is when a physical and mental experience can be transformed into a spiritual experience.
This is where the tools of worship come into play. Certain places and certain things can be used to add a physical and mental aspect to our worship which will then feed into our spirituality. To start with, we are communal creatures by nature. When a group of individuals come together for the same purpose or for the same reason, there will always be a sense of comfort and a sense of belonging. Community worship is no different. It adds strength and conviction to what is being done and to what is being prayed. There is an underlying fellowship that is then guided by the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said,
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
There is a sense of love, belonging, support, and conviction when we gather together to worship. Jesus knows this and encourages it. We read this many times in the Gospel where the a lot of Jesus’ ministry is focused on the act of breaking bread and enjoying a meal together. Those who wish to remove the physical adornments from corporal worship and prayer would then have to demand the removal of all food, holy oils, and wine from religious gatherings in order to be consistent and true to their word. They would also have to condemn the construction of the Arc of the Covenant that was built and adorned through the specific instructions of God. The bowing, dancing, and reverence given to the Arc of the Covenant would also have to cease.
These adornments and rituals are added to both corporate and personal worship as devices to increase our spirituality and our spiritual experience with God. It is through these things, that all three parts of us are orientated towards God and away from the distractions of the secular world and the all the temptations it has to offer. Stimulating our spirituality reduces the effect of Original Sin and the temptations of the world that could easily lead us astray and minimize the effect of us interacting with God. All these things serve as a vehicle of stimulating and leads to a deeper experience with God. Through all of these things we are invited to smell, touch, listen, witness, and tell of our love towards our God while also feeling how much He loves us.
The Apostle Paul draws a collation between that which is physical in this world and the spiritual relationship it has to God. We all are described as “God’s building.” In another place, he uses, “Living Tabernacles.” In other words, God dwells inside of us, for we were created in His image, and we are receivers of his love, grace, and Divine Mercy constantly. We have the capability of orienting our physical and mental aspects of our selves towards that spiritual relationship we have with God and participate with our whole body, mind, and spirit. “This behavior is aligned with the Greatest Commandment, which tells us to, “love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” To do that correctly means that we have to orient our entire conscious self towards God. When we have done this correctly through prayer, meditation, and proper worship, we will experience almost immediate results. Our relationship with God will deepen and we will begin a journey of understanding and love.
When Jesus was driving out the money changers and merchants in the temple area, He was making a point. There was a spiritual disconnect among many of the faithful and there was no spirituality behind their actions. The physical and mental were far removed from God’s presence and love. The purposes were selfish instead of selfless. There was no love behind their actions. In much the same way, we can live our lives devoid from the presence of God. The results will be as shocking and heartbreaking. Choosing God above all other things and then inviting ourselves to participate in the relations, which bring about a flood of love and God’s Divine Mercy.
It is true what Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and Mamon.” The choice remains up to us to become receivers of all God’s grace and actions, or are we going to sideline that which is known for something obviously lesser.
Deacon Tom
On Nov. 9, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the parish church of the popes, considered the mother church of Catholicism. The basilica's history began around 318 or 324 C.E. and was alternately destroyed and rebuilt until 1724.
Although this is a major celebration in Rome, many of the faithful, especially in the Americas and Asia, might ask, "So what?" Maybe, rather than think of a cathedral that most of us will never enter, we might consider the meaning of our own experience of places of worship and what we experience as sacred space.
Not every space on Earth is the same, not for human beings. Our experiences and preferences lead us to favor certain places and avoid others. Places — with their smells, sounds, lighting and atmosphere — bring back memories, both joyful and not so. In some places we feel like strangers, in others, we're deeply at home and peaceful. Entering some spaces gives people a sense of the holy — just ask pilgrims who have been to Lourdes or to the Mormons' Sacred Grove in New York.
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Ezekiel
47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Psalm 46
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22
People of the Middle Ages built cathedrals to proclaim the greatness of Christianity's God. With towers pointing to heaven, their immense windows portrayed saints and sacred stories in brilliant light. The space inside tamed both city and forest into breathtaking order. The "smells and bells" transported people into a sense of transcendence. Mere humans could enter these places and feel both their insignificance and an awesome awareness of participating in something immeasurable.
Temples, be they Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris or the centuries-old log church in Cahokia, Illinois, provide the faithful with religious experiences that engage all the senses, put them in touch with the past and remind them of where all is going. It happens for those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hands to be touched and blessed.
In today's Liturgy of the Word, Ezekiel describes a fantastic, hopeful vision of a new temple for his exiled people. Every detail illustrated its vivifying power. As a dwelling place of God, all that flowed from it would nourish and cleanse such that even the water of the Dead Sea would become pure and refreshing.
If Ezekiel's vision inspired Jesus, he found little reflection of it in the Temple of his day. While the buying and selling were legitimate and necessary for worship, commerce seemed to have become an end in itself, eclipsing the experience of worship. In that, Jesus saw a living sacrilege undercutting the very purpose of that sacred space. His reaction sprang from his passion for leading others into a deep and mutual relationship with God and one another.
If John's Gospel had not been written decades after Paul's ministry, we could consider today's selection from 1 Corinthians as a commentary on Jesus' final statement about destroying and raising up the temple. People considered the Jerusalem Temple, like churches, synagogues and mosques, as a place of encounter with God. Paul wanted the Corinthians to realize that, like Jesus, they themselves were now to serve that purpose.
Paul asked them bluntly, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" If he asked the same of us today, with what depth of conviction could we say yes? With what depth of sincerity could we say that we believe the Spirit of God is actively present in our community of faith? These are questions that might prove fruitful for those of us who are not celebrating today in Rome.
"The temple of God, which you are, is holy!" Contemporary English doesn't communicate the word "you" quite as precisely as some other languages. In Spanish, one can say you with tú, vosotros, usted and ustedes. The first two (singular and plural) are spoken among loving equals, the others are more respectful or formal. When Paul says, "You are the temple," he's using the plural you. That means that we are the temple, not each on our own, but as a community, as church, as the body of Christ. (See 1 Corinthians 12.)
What does this tell us? When Jesus spoke of "this temple," he implied that he himself incarnated the presence of God. That's generally not a problem for us to accept. But when we hear Paul tell us, "It's 'you,' " isn't this a call to collaborate? To discern together? To be concerned about our communal temple's upkeep?
Take a look at the basilica we're commemorating today, or picture the most magnificent church or space you know. It's overwhelming, majestic, beautiful, extraordinary.
It's a dim shadow of what the Spirit wants to make of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment