Breaking Open the Word
November 9, Dedication of Lateran Basilica
Introduction
Ezekiel 47:1-13
Psalm 46
1 Corinthians 3:9-17
John 2:13-22
INTRODUCTION
This week our Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. This Basilica is also a cathedral – not every basilica is a cathedral nor every cathedral a basilica. In this case, the Basilica is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, and it is the home church for the Bishop of Rome, that is, the Pope. The name Lateran is derived from the name of the family where the Basilica was built. What makes a church a Basilica? Keep reading!
Gospel Explained
This week’s gospel is a formidable look into the resolve of Jesus to bring all people to Himself and He will not allow anything to get in the way of that triumph – in fact, Jesus gets down right angry over the situation. The events described in today’s gospel are written about in each of the four gospels. The other gospels have the event occurring later in the ministry of Jesus, while John has it at the beginning.
Doing a little math, we know that Herod began renovating the Temple around 19 or 20 BC. In the gospel there is reference to the Temple having been built over the course of 46 years, that would place the event around 28 AD, toward the beginning of His ministry. It is also certainly possible that Jesus did the cleansing twice. Afterall, the Temple area was a heavy trade area.
The Temple was divided into several courts, the court where today’s gospel took place was the outer most court where animals were bought and sold for sacrifice, and where the Gentiles would have been allowed. The inner Temple was restricted to Jews who were there for worship – something a Gentile would not have done.
This gospel passage follows the wedding at Cana event where Jesus turns things upside down by turning water into the best wine, the wine that should have been served at the beginning of the wedding – a precursor that things are going to change. In today’s gospel, Jesus is bringing everyone’s focus away from the ritualistic view of fulfilling the Mosaic Law with sacrifice and moving the focus to the intent of worship which is the advancement of relationship. By having the marketplace right there in the Temple, where merchants were cheating people out of their money be means of inaccurate money exchange, those involved were robbing the Gentiles of the opportunity to worship.
Jesus cleanses the Temple not simply by yelling and screaming but He is using force – our relationship with the Father is that important to Him. After the cleansing Jesus is challenged by people who asked Jesus for a sign as to why He had done such a thing. The use of the term “sign” is used frequently in the first 12 chapters of John’s gospel. One of the major purposes of John’s gospel is to establish Jesus as the Christ so connecting His works to Old Testament prophesies was important.
The ”sign” that Jesus gives is the destruction of the Temple and how it would be rebuilt. Things have changed. The old ways are being replaced by the teachings of Jesus as He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
Today's Theme
TODAY’S THEME: WE GATHER IN WORSHIP TOGETHER IN GOD’S HOUSE
The Basilica is the oldest of the major Basilicas in Rome, dedicated in 318AD. The name Lateran is derived from the name of the family where the cathedral was built. There was a point in history when the papacy was located in France. When the Pope returned to Rome, they found the Basilica in shambles so the headquarters for the Pope was moved to St. Peter’s and the Basilica was completed by Pope Innocent X in 1655 AD.
What is the difference between a basilica and a cathedral? A cathedral is where a bishop of a diocese has his bishop’s chair, the cathedra or the place from which the bishop speaks with authority. A basilica is a functioning church that has a special importance. You can identify a basilica by three things: the Ombrellino ( a colorfully patterned umbrella), Tintinnabulum (Bells), and the Papal Cross Keys.
In our first reading from Ezekiel, the prophet is foretelling Jesus Himself. The Temple had been destroyed under King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, and the Israelites were exiled to Babylon. Ezekiel, while in exile, has these visions of a new temple, that temple is Jesus. Wherever the water flows the temple in Ezekiel’s vision there is healing and life, there is growth and abundance and that is all contained in the new covenant with Christ.
St. Paul makes the temple personal by instructing that each of us is a temple, and Jesus is our cornerstone. When we see the reality of those words, we better understand why we come together as one people. We come together for healing, life, growth and abundance – all of those things are shared with us as a community and individually (yes, both at the same time) by God in His scripture and in the Eucharist. Together we are incredibly strong and God can use us to further the Mission of Christ.
Theme in our Life Today
A couple of years ago, I had the chance to attend Mass at the Basilica – it was incredible. The holiness of the God experience is rather overwhelming. That, I believe, is what Jesus was getting at in today’s gospel. Our Catholic churches, our places of worship, are places of close relationship with God. Our Catholic churches are where Jesus is alive in the Eucharist. We need to always consider them precious, and treat them with great respect.
When we enter our churches, there is always holy water reminding us of our baptism, and a crucifix reminding us of the great love God has for us. And there is of course, a tabernacle in which lives the very body and blood of Christ our Lord. When you enter a Catholic church, do you feel that sense of awe and hear God calling you? Do you get the sense that God is smiling at you because you have come to spend time with Him?
As noted, a church is where we come together – and should be with great reverence. There is a great deal of pressure to divide our communities. The price of division is steep – look no further than the books of Ezekiel and Jeremiah. We are one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. The sacred beauty of our churches reflects the great love God has for us, and that we need to want for one another. Lifting each other up, making each person feel important, seeing the genuine face of Jesus in every person – that is our call.
We are called to want the Good for others, everyone. We read in the bible that we are to love one another…it does not say we have to like everyone. We are imperfect people who do not always get along. However, when we understand what the Good is that we need to desire for others, relationships flourish.
Prepare for Sunday
1. When you enter the church this week…shhhhhhh…. No talking. Talking is fine in the narthex and outside. Let’s recognize the reverence of the tabernacle.
2. Read the introduction of the book of Ezekiel.
3. Get to Reconciliation, and take with you someone you love!
It’s a beautiful day! Go smile at God today!