Dedication of St. John Lateran

 

Jn 2:13-22

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

The Temple in Jerusalem, as magnificent as it was. stands today as not in its original form, but as the foundation for a Muslim Mosque. The Temple Jesus spoke of was the temple of his body which reigns now in heaven.

We celebrate the dedication of a beautiful basilica in Rome, the Pope's church as the head of the Diocese of Rome. I was blessed to be there again this June on pilgrimage and attended Mass in this historic and holy place. Its beauty, size and history are overpowering and inspiring. With so much at question in the world today, it is a solid reminder to focus not on buildings, as magnificent as they may be, but on the person and teachings of Jesus that will endure forever. 

Bro, Rene

Dear God, help me to be faithful to you and your teachings. Amen.