Word to the Wise
Saturday, November 9, 2013 - 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.
I'm sure I've told this story before, but I find it helpful here! A VERY large family friend once said to me: "If the body is the temple of the Spirit, then I'm a basilica!" Today is the 1689th anniversary of the original dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. It's the official cathedral of the pope, even if St. Peter's Basilica gets all the attention. Both are magnificent buildings but that's all they would be unless the real temples of God come to them. As St, Paul reminds us, WE are the temples of God and part of grand temple that is the Body of Christ.
Like all great church buildings, we can become cluttered with all kinds of stuff. The image of Jesus "cleaning house" in the gospel scripture today makes me wonder what would happen if we went into one of those gift shops that we see in church vestibules and starting throwing stuff out into the street. Or if we overturned the pamphlet tables, etc. etc.? Scripture scholars tell us that this action by Jesus was the major catalyst to the plot to kill him. He struck at the heart of the whole religio-political reality in Jerusalem! Imagine him "cleaning house" in our personal temple! How would we react?
Last but not least, Ezekiel offers us the image of a temple that brings forth life-giving water [for us the waters of baptism] that gives life to all kinds of fruit trees - a life giving river. This is what the physical temple building should exist for - to be a place where all the temples of God can find renewal. The three witnesses of Ezekiel, Paul and Jesus speak together today. We may visit the Lateran Basilica someday, but the real temple is in us. AMEN