Word to the Wise
Friday, November 9, 2012 - Nov. 9 - The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
[Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22]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. [1 Cor.]
A very large friend of my family once said to me, "If the body is the temple of the Spirit, I'm a basilica!" St. Paul was writing while the temple of Jerusalem was still in existence. The Romans destroyed it in 70 A.D. and St. Paul was martyred before that time. However, the Corinthians would have been more familiar with the pagan temples of their own region. Big temples can be awe-inspiring. They are testimonies to the faith and generosity of believers. They can be the symbol of an entire nation or religious group, such as St. Peter's in Rome can be for Catholics in the western church. Today the church celebrates the annniversary of a "lesser" temple in Rome (it's still a huge place) - the Basilica Cathedral of St. John Lateran in Rome. It's a cathedral because it is the official church of the Diocese of Rome, and the pope is Bishop of Rome! So, the anniversary of this dedication is as much about the pope and the church in Rome as it is about the buiding itself.
Nevertheless, the scriptures for today's liturgy focus on the temple image, and St. Paul's image is one that we can all relate to. We may not be great basilicas but we are temples nonetheless. I am put in mind of the poem by e.e. cummings: "i am a little church, not a great cathedral..." Our own personal temple of the body is like any other temple. It is a place of reverence but it also requires maintenance! Do we take good care of our temple? On another level, do we regard every human life is a temple of the Spirit. St. Paul's warning about destroying God's temple should give us serious pause for thought. Those temples exist in the womb and on death row. We don't have to go to Rome to see a temple. Temples are all around us. This otherwise somewhat strange feast can have the purpose of reminding us of where God's Spirit truly dwells. AMEN
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