You Are the Living Temple of God!

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica -Year C

·  Ezekiel 47:1–2, 8–9, 12 ·  Psalm 46 ·  1 Corinthians 3:9–11, 16–17 ·  John 2:13–22

You Are the Living Temple of God

Dear friends in Christ,

Today the Church celebrates something very beautiful and deeply meaningful—the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. At first, we may think we are celebrating a building but today it is really about what that building stands for. The Lateran Basilica is the Mother Church of the whole world—the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. But the Church invites us to celebrate this feast not to focus on bricks and stones, but to renew our understanding that:

We are the Church.
We are the living Temple of God.

This is exactly what St. Paul tells us in the second reading: “You are God’s building… You are the Temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (1 Cor 3:9, 16). We sometimes forget this. We speak about going to church as though the Church was only a building. But the building is only holy because of the One who dwells there.
And you are holy because God dwells in you.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus enters the Temple and sees it being misused—turned into a marketplace. And He acts—strongly, decisively, passionately: “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” He does not act out of anger, but out of love.
The Temple was meant to be a place where God’s presence could be felt,
a place of prayer, mercy, reconciliation, and encounter. Jesus was not just cleansing a building.
He was reminding the people to cleanse their hearts. Because soon, the Temple He speaks of will not be made of stone. Jesus says: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He is speaking about His body. And now, through baptism, His Body is in us.

We Must Examine Our Inner Temple. Today, the Lord asks us very gently but very honestly:

• What has been allowed to clutter the temple of your heart?
• What marketplaces have we let move inside our souls?
• What noise is drowning out God’s quiet voice?

Maybe:

• Unforgiveness
• Resentment
• Discouragement
• Fear
• Overwork
• Anxiety
• Addiction
• Bitterness
• The dirty eye to that parent of a special needs child

These things do not belong in God’s temple—
and we are His temple. Jesus wants to cleanse the Temple again—not by force, but by love.

From the first reading, we are presented with an imagery of the water that gives life. Ezekiel sees water flowing from the Temple—water that brings life wherever it goes. Where God is welcomed,
life returns. When we let Christ purify the temple of our hearts,
life begins to flow again:

• Peace where there was stress
• Joy where there was heaviness
• Hope where there was despair
• Reconciliation where there was division

This is what Jesus wants for you.

So, What Must We Do?

It begins simply:

1. Make time for silence and prayer.
2. Return to confession—allow Jesus to cleanse the Temple.
3. Forgive someone, even if they don’t deserve it—because you deserve peace.
4. Let your life itself be a sanctuary—a place where people encounter God in your kindness, patience, and mercy.

Today is not just about a basilica in Rome.
It is about you. The Church is not merely a structure. The Church is a living body. The dwelling place of God. The Temple where Love lives.

Have a splendid day!