November 9, 2014

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

The angel brought me
back to the entrance of the temple,
and I saw water flowing out
from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple was toward the east;
the water flowed down from the southern side of the temple,
south of the altar.
He led me outside by the north gate,
and around to the outer gate facing the east,
where I saw water trickling from the southern side.
He said to me,
“This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.
Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

Responsorial Psalm ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

R. (5) The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore, we fear not, though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,
the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!

Reading 2 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17

Brothers and sisters:
You are God’s building.
According to the grace of God given to me,
like a wise master builder I laid a foundation,
and another is building upon it.
But each one must be careful how he builds upon it,
for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there,
namely, Jesus Christ.

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.

Gospel Jn 2:13-22

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
“What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said,
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.

From: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

The Spring in the Temple

[1] Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was is-
suing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced
east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold
of the temple, south of the altar. [2] Then he brought me out by way of the north
gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate, that faces toward the
east; and the water was coming out on the south side.

[8] And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down
into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will
become fresh. [9] And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms
will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters
of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.

[12] And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees
for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit
every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will
be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

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Commentary:

47:1-12. The vision of the spring revitalizing everything it meets on its flowing
from the southern end of the way, is one of the most striking images temple and
ending up in the Dead Sea, in the book. Its content is reminiscent of the vision
of the bones (37:1-14): there, it was the Spirit that gave life to the dry bones; here,
the water refreshes the dead waters. The image of the river reminds one of how in
paradise (Gen 2:10-14) the four branches of the river make the whole garden beau-
tiful; here, a single river actually gives life. Although the vision contains references
to actual places, such as the oasis of En-gedi (v. 10), the Dead Sea or the Arabah,
it is symbolic and what it shows is that the renewal of the temple and its worship
will bring all sorts of advantages to the whole people.

There is an echo of this vision in the New Testament in the words of Jesus recor-
ded by St John: “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes
in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water’”
(Jn 7:37). Early Christian tradition links this text of St John with Ezekiel’s vision,
seeing in the spring in the temple the waters of Baptism that flow from Christ who
is life, or from Christ’s side on the altar of the cross: We go down to the water’s
edge steeped in our sins and impurity, and we walk out of the water, our hearts
filled with grace, fear of the Lord and hope in Jesus” (”Epistula Barnabae” 11, 10).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17

Apostolic Ministry (continuation)

[9] For we are God’s building.

[10] According to the commission of God given to me, like a skilled master buil-
der I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. [11] For no other foun-
dation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

[16] Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in
you? [17] If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s tem-
ple is holy, and that temple you are.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

9. “God’s field, God’s building”. The Second Vatican Council uses these images
to describe the inner nature of the Church: “The Church is a cultivated field, the
tillage of God (cf. 1 Cor 3:9). on that land the ancient olive tree grows whose holy
roots were the prophets and in which the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles has
been brought about and will be brought about again (Rom 11:13-26). That land,
like a choice vineyard, has been planted by the heavenly cultivator (Mt 21:33-43;
cf. Is 5:1f). Yet the true vine is Christ who gives life and fruitfulness to the bran-
ches, that is, to us, who through the Church remain in Christ without whom we
can do nothing (Jn 15:1-5).

“Often, too, the Church is called the building of God (1 Cor 3:9). The Lord com-
pared himself to the stone which the builders rejected, but which was made into
the cornerstone (Mt 21:42; cf. Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:7; Ps 117:22). on this founda-
tion the Church is built by the Apostles (cf. 1 Cor 3:11) and from it the Church
receives solidity and unity. This edifice has many names to describe it — the
house of God in which his family dwells; the household of God in the Spirit (Eph
2:19:22); the dwelling-place of God among men (Rev 21:3); and, especially, the
holy temple. This temple, symbolized in places of worship built out of stone, is
praised by the Fathers and, not without reason, is compared in the liturgy to the
Holy City, the New Jerusalem. As living stones we here on earth are built into it
(1 Pet 2:5). It is this holy city that is seen by John as it comes down out of hea-
ven from God when the world is made anew, prepared like a bride adorned for
her husband (Rev 21:1f)” (”Lumen Gentium”, 6).

The Lord wants Christians to be living stones in this building and has associated
them in the redemptive task of saving all mankind, so that in the course of their
own redemption they might also be co-redeemers with him, completing “what is
lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col 1:
24): “Jesus has wanted every person to cooperate freely in the work of redemp-
tion [...]. The work of salvation is still going on, and each one of us has a part in
it [...]. It is worth while putting our lives on the line, giving ourselves completely,
so as to answer to the love and the confidence that God has placed in us. It is
worth while, above all, to decide to take our Christian faith seriously” (St. J. Es-
criva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 129).

10-11. With a solemn introduction (”According to the commission of God given
to me”, which equipped him for his ministry), St Paul identifies what holds toge-
ther the community at Corinth and its individual members — Jesus Christ, the es-
sential basis for every spiritual building. Christ, as St Peter reminds us, is “the
stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of
the corner. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name un-
der heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12).

Therefore, all genuine catechesis must be Christ-centered; it must all be focused
on Jesus Christ, perfect God and perfect man, and on his teachings. Catechesis,
says Bl. John Paul II, means “to reveal in the Person of Christ the whole of God’s
eternal design reaching fulfillment in that Person. It is to seek to understand the
meaning of Christ’s actions and words and of the signs worked by him, for they
simultaneously hide and reveal his mystery. Accordingly, the definitive aim of
catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with
Jesus Christ; only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make
us share in the life of the Holy Trinity [...]. We must therefore say that in cateche-
sis it is Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God, who is taught — everything
else is taught with reference to him — and it is Christ alone who teaches — any-
one else teaches to the extent that he is Christ’s spokesman, enabling Christ to
teach with his lips” (”Catechesi Tradendae”, 5-6).

Also, reflection on the fact that Jesus Christ is the foundation of the spiritual buil-
ding, leads to the conclusion that a Christian “needs to be not only linked to Je-
sus Christ,” St John Chrysostom points out, “but to adhere to him, to be finally
attached to him: to be separated from him to the least degree is to be lost [...].
Notice all the comparisons the Apostle makes to explain this intimate unity: Je-
sus Christ is the head, we the body, for there can be no gap between head and
body. He is the foundation, we the building; he is the vine, we the branches; he
the spouse, we the bride; he is the shepherd, we the flock; he is the way along
which we are to travel; we are the temple, and God dwells therein; he is the first-
born, we his brethren; he is the heir and we co-heirs; he is life and we have life
through him; he is the resurrection and we men are raised up; he is the light by
which our darkness is dispelled” (”Hom. on 1 Cor”, 8, “ad loc.”).

16-17. These words apply to the individual Christian, and to the Church as a
whole (cf. note on 1 Corinthians 3:9). The simile of the Church as God’s temple,
frequently used by St. Paul (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:16), shows
that the Holy Trinity dwells in the soul in grace. As Leo XIII reminds us, by means
of grace God dwells in the just soul as in a temple, in a special and intimate man-
ner” (”Divinum Illud Munus” 10). Although this indwelling is attributed to the Holy
Spirit (cf. John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19), it really comes about through the pre-
sence of the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, because all actions of God
which terminate outside God Himself (activities “ad extra”) are to be seen as ac-
tions of the one, unique divine nature.

This sublime mystery which we could never have suspected, was revealed by
Jesus Christ Himself: “The Spirit of truth [...] dwells with you, and will be in you
[...]. If a man loves me, he will keep My word and My Father will love him, and
We will come to him, and make Our home with him” (John 14:17-23). Although
this is a matter which we never plumb in this life, some light is thrown on it if we
remember that “the Divine Persons are said to inhabit as much as they are pre-
sent to intellectual creatures in a way that transcends human comprehension,
and are known and loved (cf. “Summa Theologiae”, I, q. 43, a. 3) by them, yet
in a way that is unique, purely supernatural, and in the deepest sanctuary of the
soul” (Pius XII, “Mystici Corporis, Dz-Sch”, 35).

Reflection on this wonderful fact will help us to realize how extremely important
it is to live in the grace of God, and to have a horror of mortal sin, which “dest-
roys God’s temple,” depriving the soul of God’s grace and friendship.

Moreover, through this indwelling a human being begins to receiving an inkling of
what the Beatific Vision — Heaven — will be like, for “this admirable union [of in-
dwelling] differs only by virtue of man’s [present] condition and state from union
whereby God fills the blessed [in Heaven]” (”Divinum Illud Munus”, 11).

The presence of the Trinity in the soul in grace invites the Christian to try to have
a more personal and direct relationship with God, whom we can seek at every
moment in the depths of our souls: “Get to know the Holy Spirit, the Great Stran-
ger, on whom depends your sanctification. Don’t forget that you are God’s temple.
The Advocate is in the center of your soul: listen to Him and be docile to His in-
spirations” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 57).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: John 2:13-22

The Cleansing of the Temple

[13] The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
[14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons,
and the money-changers at their business. [15] And making a whip of cords, he
drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out
the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. [16] And he told
those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; you shall not make my
Father’s house a house of trade.” [17] His disciples remembered that it was writ-
ten, “Zeal for thy house will consume me.” [18] The Jews then said to him, “What
signs have you to show us for doing this?” [19] Jesus answered them, “Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [20] The Jews then said, “It has
taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
[21] But he spoke of the temple of his body. [22] When therefore he was raised
from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed
the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

13. “The Passover of the Jews”: this is the most important religious feast for the
people of the Old Testament, the prefiguring of the Christian Easter (cf. note on
Mt 26:2). The Jewish Passover was celebrated on the fourteenth day of the month
of Nisan and was followed by the festival week of the Azymes (unleavened bread).
According to the Law of Moses, on those days every male Israelite had to “appear
before the Lord God” (Ex 34:23; Deut 16:16) — hence the pious custom of making
a pilgrimage to the temple of Jerusalem for these days, hence the crowd and all
the vendors to supply the needs of the pilgrims; this trading gave rise to abuses.

“Jesus went up to Jerusalem”: by doing this Jesus publicly shows that he ob-
serves the Law of God. But, as we shall soon see, he goes to the temple as the
only-begotten Son who must ensure that all due decorum is observed in the
House of the Father: “And from thenceforth Jesus, the Anointed of God, always
begins by reforming abuses and purifying from sin; both when he visits his
Church, and when he visits the Christian soul” (Origen, “Hom. on St John”, 1).

14-15. Every Israelite had to offer as a passover sacrifice an ox or a sheep, if he
was wealthy; or two turtle-doves or two pigeons if he was not (Lev 5:7). In addi-
tion he had to pay a half shekel every year, if he was twenty or over. The half she-
kel, which was the equivalent of a day’s pay of a worker, was a special coin also
called temple money (cf. Ex 30:13); other coins in circulation (denarii, drachmas,
etc.) were considered impure because they bore the image of pagan rulers. Du-
ring the Passover, because of the extra crowd, the outer courtyard of the temple,
the court of the Gentiles, was full of traders, money changers etc., and inevitably
this meant noise, shouting, bellowing, manure etc. Prophets had already fulmina-
ted against these abuses, which grew up with the tacit permission of the temple
authorities, who made money by permitting trading. Cf. notes on Mt 21: 12-13
and Mk 11:15-18.

16-17. “Zeal for thy house will consume me” — a quotation from Psalm 69:10. Je-
sus has just made a most significant assertion: “You shall not make my Father’s
house a house of trade.” By calling God his Father and acting so energetically,
he is proclaiming he is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus’ zeal for his Father’s
glory did not escape the attention of his disciples who realized that what he did
fulfilled the words of Psalm 69.

18-22. The temple of Jerusalem, which had replaced the previous sanctuary
which the Israelites carried around in the wilderness, was the place selected by
God during the Old Covenant to express his presence to the people in a special
way. But this was only an imperfect anticipation or prefiguring of the full expres-
sion of his presence among men — the Word of God became man. Jesus, in
whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col 2:9), is the full presence of
God here on earth and, therefore, the true temple of God. Jesus identifies the tem-
ple of Jerusalem with his own body, and by so doing refers to one of the most pro-
found truths about himself — the Incarnation. After the ascension of the Lord into
heaven this real and very special presence of God among men is continued in
the sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist.

Christ’s words and actions as he expels the traders from the temple clearly show
that he is the Messiah foretold by the prophets. That is why some Jews approach
him and ask him to give a sign of his power (cf. Mt 16:1; Mk 8:11; Lk 11:29). Je-
sus’ reply (v. 20), whose meaning remains obscure until his resurrection, the Je-
wish authorities try to turn into an attack on the temple — which merits the death
penalty (Mt 26:61; Mk 14:58; cf. Jer 26:4ff); later they will taunt him with it when
he is suffering on the cross (Mt 27:40; Mk 15:29) and later still in their case a-
gainst St Stephen before the Sanhedrin they will claim to have heard him repeat
it (Acts 6:14).

There was nothing derogatory in what Jesus said, contrary to what false witnes-
ses made out. The miracle he offers them, which he calls “the Sign of Jonah” (cf.
Mt 16:4), will be his own resurrection on the third day. Jesus is using a metaphor,
as if to say: Do you see this temple? Well, imagine if it were destroyed, would it
not be a great miracle to rebuild it in three days? That is what I will do for you as
a sign. For you will destroy my body, which is the true temple, and I will rise
again on the third day.

No one understood what he was saying. Jews and disciples alike thought he was
speaking about rebuilding the temple which Herod the Great had begun to con-
struct in 19-20 B.C. Later on the disciples grasped what he really meant.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12 ©

The angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. He said, ‘This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.’

Psalm

Psalm 45:2-3,5-6,8-9 ©

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is for us a refuge and strength,

a helper close at hand, in time of distress,

so we shall not fear though the earth should rock,

though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea.

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within, it cannot be shaken;

God will help it at the dawning of the day.

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

The Lord of hosts is with us:

the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

Come, consider the works of the Lord,

the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.

The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

Second reading

1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17 ©

You are God’s building. By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ.

Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.

Gospel Acclamation

2Ch7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord,

for my name to be there forever.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 2:13-22 ©

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

(For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,) And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." II Maccabees 12

November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. As a reminder of our duty to pray for the suffering faithful in Purgatory, the Church has dedicated the month of November to the Holy Souls. The Holy Souls are those who have died in the state of grace but who are not yet free from all punishment due to their unforgiven venial sins and all other sins already forgiven for which satisfaction is still to be made. They are certain of entering Heaven, but first they must suffer in Purgatory. The Holy Souls cannot help themselves because for them the night has come, when no man can work (John 9:4). It is our great privilege of brotherhood that we can shorten their time of separation from God by our prayers, good works, and, especially, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

To Help the Holy Souls in Purgatory:

1. Have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered up for them.

2. Pray the Rosary and or the Chaplet of Divine Marcy for them, or both.

3. Pray the Stations of the Cross.

4. Offer up little sacrifices and fasting.

5. Spread devotion to them, so that others may pray for them.

6. Attend Eucharistic Adoration and pray for them.

7. Gain all the indulgences you can, and apply them to the Holy Souls

8. Visit to a Cemetery

Litany for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

The just shall be in everlasting remembrance;

He shall not fear the evil hearing.

V. Absolve, O Lord, the souls of the faithful departed

from every bond of sin,

R. And by the help of Thy grace

may they be enabled to escape the avenging judgment,

and to enjoy the happiness of eternal life.

Because in Thy mercy are deposited the souls that departed

in an inferior degree of grace,

Lord, have mercy.

Because their present suffering is greatest

in the knowledge of the pain that their separation from Thee is causing Thee,

Lord, have mercy.

Because of their present inability to add to Thy accidental glory,

Lord, have mercy.

Not for our consolation, O Lord;

not for their release from purgative pain, O God;

but for Thy joy

and the greater accidental honour of Thy throne, O Christ the King,

Lord, have mercy.

For the souls of our departed friends, relations and benefactors,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those of our family who have fallen asleep in Thy bosom, O Jesus,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who have gone to prepare our place,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

(For those who were our brothers [or sisters] in Religion,)

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For priests who were our spiritual directors,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For men or women who were our teachers in school,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who were our employers (or employees),

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who were our associates in daily toil,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For any soul whom we ever offended,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For our enemies now departed,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those souls who have none to pray for them,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those forgotten by their friends and kin,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those now suffering the most,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who have acquired the most merit,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For the souls next to be released from Purgatory,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those who, while on earth,

were most devoted to God the Holy Ghost,

to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament,

to the holy Mother of God,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For all deceased popes and prelates,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For all deceased priests, seminarians and religious,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For all our brethren in the Faith everywhere,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For all our separated brethren who deeply loved Thee,

and would have come into Thy household had they known the truth,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those souls who need, or in life asked, our prayers,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

For those, closer to Thee than we are, whose prayers we need,

grant light and peace, O Lord.

That those may be happy with Thee forever,

who on earth were true exemplars of the Catholic Faith,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be admitted to Thine unveiled Presence,

who as far as we know never committed mortal sin,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be housed in glory,

who lived always in recollection and prayer,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be given the celestial joy of beholding Thee,

who lived lives of mortification and self-denial and penance,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be flooded with Thy love,

who denied themselves even Thy favours of indulgence

and who made the heroic act

for the souls who had gone before them,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

That those may be drawn up to the Beatific Vision,

who never put obstacles in the way of sanctifying grace

and who ever drew closer in mystical union with Thee,

grant them eternal rest, O Lord.

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord,

R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.

Let Us Pray

Be mindful, O Lord,

of Thy servants and handmaids,

N. and N.,

who are gone before us

with the sign of faith

and repose in the sleep of grace.

To these, O Lord,

and to all who rest in Christ,

grant, we beseech Thee,

a place of refreshment,

light and peace,

through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen

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Zenit.org

The Church, Where We Celebrate the Answer to the Love of God

Lectio Divina: Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Rome, November 07, 2014 (Zenit.org) Monsignor Francesco Follo | 383 hits

Roman Rite

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Ez 47 1-2.8-9.12; Ps 46; 1 Cor 3, 9-11.16-17; John 2: 13-22

1) The Church is our home

Today we should celebrate the XXXII Sunday in Ordinary Time, however since in 2014 this Sunday falls on November 9, the liturgy calls us to solemnly commemorate the dedication of the Mother Church of Rome, the Lateran Basilica, originally dedicated to the Holy Savior and later to the Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist.

1 Today the liturgy celebrates the 'Dedication of the Lateran Basilica' that was built by the Emperor Constantine, on the Lateran hill. This feast since the 12th century has been celebrated on November 9. Initially it was just a celebration in the city of Rome then it was extended to all the Churches of the City and of the World, as a sign of communion and unity to the chair of Peter, who, according to St. Ignatius of Antioch, 'presides over the whole assembly of charity' and according to St. Clement of Alexandria, 'presides over truth'.

The readings of today's Mass help us to search for a true and deep relationship of love with the Lord, whom we meet in the stone temples dedicated to the encounter with Him, but especially in Christ the "Temple of the living God" and in the Church made by us. However, before to briefly meditate on the sacred texts I think that it is important to ask ourselves, "Why is it important for the Christians to celebrate the dedication of a church and the existence of the church as a place of worship?” To respond I draw inspiration from the words of the Gospel: "The time has come, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship him."

These words raise others questions such as: "Why do we Christians give so much importance to the stone church if everyone can worship the Father in spirit and truth in his heart or in his own house? Why is there the obligation to go to church every Sunday? ".

The answer is that Jesus Christ does not save us individually. He has come to form a people, a community of people who are in communion with Him and with one another.

In fact, it should be noted that the religious man or woman has always sought in every way to make present and visible the divinity, even when faith said that it was a God invisible and inaccessible to the human understanding. The Chosen People, by God's will, built the famous temple of Jerusalem to give a home to God, enjoy his presence and be a witness to the mutual fidelity to the covenant. In Christianity the stone church, as the new temple of God among us, has taken on a deeper meaning: it is the place where the believers celebrate the divine mysteries in communion of faith. It is the place where God is present among us in order to build a permanent dialogue with us, his children, and where, under the Eucharistic species, He feeds us with his body and his blood. It is the place where the divine mysteries are revealed in the liturgical celebrations and where the stone church makes visible the true

Church that is the Communion of the faithful experiencing fraternity in Christ. Therefore, it is also the site of the feast that finds its highest expression in the celebration of the Eucharist, the memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord.

From the first catechism lessons we have learned that by baptism each of us has become the temple of God and that Jesus has taught that the temple of God is, above all, the heart of the person who welcomes his word. Referring to himself and to his heavenly Father He said of every Christian believer: "We will come to him and make our home with him" (Jn 14, 23). St. Paul writes to the Corinthians: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God?”(1 Cor 3: 16). If the temple of God is the believer, it should not be forgotten that the place of the presence of God and of Christ is "where two or more are gathered in his name" (Mt 18, 20). Since the Second Vatican Council, the Christian family is called the "domestic Church" (Lumen Gentium, 11), namely the divine family temple, because, thanks to the sacrament of marriage, it is par excellence the place where "two or more" are gathered in his name and God is there.

2) The Church place of a Presence.

The new "place" where to worship the Father is the body of the risen Christ. Jesus himself mentioned it already in the debate with the Jews, greatly offended because the money changers and the animal sellers had been driven out of the temple. As we read in today's Gospel, the Jews were asking for a sign as to why the Messiah had made so violent a gesture. Jesus answered with a prophetic sign: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." He was speaking of the temple of his body, as the disciples remembered after his resurrection. In his conversation with the Samaritan woman the same concept resurfaces. When asked where one must worship God, on Mount Gerizim or in Jerusalem, Jesus, even knowing that salvation will come from the Jews, puts himself above of those issues. The place where one can get in touch with God is not Mount Zion in Jerusalem in Judea nor Mount Gerizim in Samaria, but the person of Jesus, who has offered his body on the cross. Since then every altar is a sacrificial mountain. "The time has come, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (see Today's Gospel). God is Spirit and Life in the same way that He is Love and Light. His worshipers do not worship with sacrifices of blood and of burned animals (holocaust) but rise with him in spirit, like beloved children who know how to love.

3) Feast of Christ and our own.

Today is a feast of the Son of God who became flesh and has put up his tent - his body - among us. The churches of stone are a sign of his presence: he speaks, gives himself as food and presides over the community gathered in prayer. On the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, every local community, above manifesting their communion with the See of Peter, remembers and celebrates the dedication of the local church. Jesus teaches that the temple of God is, above all, the heart of the one who accepts his Word, and every time this Word is accepted, Jesus says, "We will come to him and make our home with him."

Today’s feast it is not strange one, even if it seems to honor old and important “walls”, the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The readings of the Liturgy invite us to shift the focus on their symbolic meaning. Of course, this feast reminds us of the symbolic value of this particular cathedral, which brings us back to the Chair of Peter and his successors, the popes, as a point of reference and guarantee for the unity of the faith. However, we are celebrating today above all the Church as a spiritual house of which, as St. Paul reminds us in the second reading, we are the living stones built upon the foundation that is Christ.

"If we ourselves are God's house, we are being built up in this age, in order to be dedicated at the end of the age. The building, or rather its construction, involves hard toil, its dedication means exultant rejoicing. What was going on here when these walls were rising, is going on here and now when believers in Christ are being gathered together. It's by believing, you see, that beams and stones, as it were, are being hewn out of the forests and the mountains; but when they are catechized, baptized, formed, it's as though they are being chipped and chiseled, straightened out, planed by the hands of carpenters and masons. "(St. Augustine, Sermon336, In dedicatione Ecclesiae).

The consecrated Virgin in the world live with particular intensity this dedication, offering their body and soul completely to Christ following the example of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. She was the first tent of the Word of God and the one who, first and in a unique way, gave body to the Body of Christ. I recommend to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to be able to keep in our hearts the One whom she guarded even under her heart. Our prayer to the Virgin Mary and the example of the consecrated Virgins will help us to surrender ourselves to the Spirit, because only in the abandonment to the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the extension of the Incarnation, which is the Christian life, and the extension of the Incarnation of God, which is the mystery of the Church and of the holiness of each one of us, is fulfilled.

Patristic Reading

Saint Caesarius of Arles, bishop

(Sermo 229, 1-3: CCL 104, 905-908)

We have all been made temples of God through baptism

My fellow Christians, today is the birthday of this church, an occasion for celebration and rejoicing. We, however, ought to be the true and living temple of God. Nevertheless, Christians rightly commemorate this feast of the church, their mother, for they know that through her they were reborn in the spirit. At our first birth, we were vessels of God’s wrath; reborn, we became vessels of his mercy. Our first birth brought death to us, but our second restored us to life. Indeed, before our baptism we were sanctuaries of the devil; but after our baptism we merited the privilege of being temples of Christ. And if we think more carefully about the meaning of our salvation, we shall realize that we are indeed living and true temples of God. God does not dwell only in structures fashioned by human hands, in homes of wood and stone, but rather he dwells principally in the soul made according to his own image and fashioned by his own hand. Therefore, the apostle Paul says: The temple of God is holy, and you are that temple. When Christ came, he banished the devil from our hearts, in order to build in them a temple for himself. Let us therefore do what we can with his help, so that our evil deeds will not deface that temple. For whoever does evil, does injury to Christ.

As I said earlier, before Christ redeemed us, we were the house of the devil, but afterward, we merited the privilege of being the house of God. God himself in his loving mercy saw fit to make of us his own home. My fellow Christians, do we wish to celebrate joyfully the birth of this temple? Then let us not destroy the living temples of God in ourselves by works of evil. I shall speak clearly, so that all can understand. Whenever we come to church, we must prepare our hearts to be as beautiful as we expect this church to be. Do you wish to find this basilica immaculately clean? Then do not soil your soul with the filth of sins. Do you wish this basilica to be full of light? God too wishes that your soul be not in darkness, but that the light of good works shine in us, so that he who dwells in the heavens will be glorified. Just as you enter this church building, so God wishes to enter into your soul, for he promised: I shall live in them, and I shall walk the corridors of their hearts.

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY JN 2:13-22

You are the temple of God

Fr. Jack Peterson

Most regular feasts during the church’s liturgical year are superseded by the Sunday celebration. However, this week’s feast is important enough for the church that it does not get dropped in favor of the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. We celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of the first major church built by Christians after the conversion of Constantine and his edict in 313 AD allowing Christians the freedom to practice their religion.

The Basilica of St. John Lateran was built in Rome on land given by Constantine to Pope Miltiades which included the ancient palace of the Laterani family. The popes, in fact, lived on this land until the Avignon period. The basilica was dedicated in 324 AD and was named Most Holy Savior. After the 6th century, the name of St. John was added. In our day, it is mostly referred to as St. John Lateran.

Why the big deal? There are two good reasons. One is that since Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire until 313 AD, it was prohibited to erect public places of worship. When the first church was built in Rome, it was a cause for a major celebration. The church has chosen to recall that day with profound joy through this liturgical celebration.

Secondly, St. John Lateran is the official cathedral of Rome, the seat of the pope. It is the cathedral of cathedrals since the church in Rome, as St. Ignatius of Antioch says, “presides in charity” over the whole Catholic communion. In fact, the facade reads: “the mother and head of all the churches of the city and of the world.”

As important as this commemoration is, the church also uses this celebration to loudly proclaim a more important truth of our Christian faith: Each and every human heart is a temple of God. “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 3:16-17). There will come a day in time when every cathedral, basilica, church and chapel on this earth will no longer exist, but human souls will exist for all eternity. God desires to dwell in us for all eternity. Each soul is more important than the most grand of cathedrals.

This great reality of our faith leads to better understand the nature of true worship of God. St. Ceasarius of Arles offers a poignant reflection: “My fellow Christians, do we wish to celebrate joyfully the birth of this temple? Then let us not destroy the living temples of God in ourselves by works of evil. I shall speak clearly, so that all can understand. Whenever we come to church, we must prepare our hearts to be as beautiful as we expect this church to be. Do you wish to find this basilica immaculately clean? Then do not soil your soul with the filth of sins. Do you wish this basilica to be full of light? God, too, wishes that your soul not be in darkness, but that the light of good works shine in us, so that He who dwells in the heavens will be glorified. Just as you enter this church building, so God wishes to enter your soul, for He promised: I shall live in them, and I shall walk the corridors of their hearts.”

Consequently, we are invited today, as we are every day, to seek conversion of heart. We are asked to look honestly at our brokenness and sin, repent with humility and true sorrow, and beg the Lord for the grace to live upright and holy lives. We are summoned to recommit to the dying to self that love entails in order to love God with all our heart and our neighbor with passion and zeal.

So, my brothers and sisters, our worship of God is twofold. We gather in faith to remember with joy the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran — the first major basilica erected by Christians for the worship of our most holy Savior. We also gather to joyfully recall that God has chosen to make us living temples; He has chosen to dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The first form of worship is shallow and incomplete without the second: “for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.”

Fr. Peterson is assistant chaplain at Marymount University in Arlington and director of the Youth Apostles Institute in McLean.

Archdiocese of Washington

A Homily for the Feast of St John Lateran

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

Today is the Feast of St. John Lateran in Rome. This is the Pope’s true Cathedral (not St. Peters). And thus, in celebrating this Feast, we celebrate the unity of the Church. The Pope’s work is to unite and strengthen the members of the Church whom the devil would like to sift (divide) like wheat (see Lk 22:31ff). On this feast we do well to examine a few teachings about the Church that the readings supply.

I. The Shock of the Church - One of the more puzzling aspect of God’s approach to reaching us is his subtlety. Considering that God could thunder from the heavens, and visibly, forcefully interject himself into the doing of this world, his quiet and more subtle methods surprise and even shock us. In terms of entrusting his message to the world, his methods seem even stranger to us. Jesus never wrote a book or left anything physical behind that related to his person. Instead he taught disciples and entrusted his teachings specifically to twelve rather ordinary men, and told them to go out into the whole world! So much of the Lord’s plan seems to depend on weak human beings. Scripture says,

For, “every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent?… So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. (Rom 10:13,14)

But what if preachers are unholy, or lazy? What if they are weak or ineffective? Are you shocked that God would make your faith depend on the preaching of the Church?Are you shocked, scared. Or do you trust that God can work even through weak, sinful, inconsistent human agents to accomplish his mission?

We might speculate that the Lord chooses not to overwhelm us (like Satan does) since his call is one of love. He seeks sons and daughters who love him, not slaves who cower in fear and say “yes” more to escape his wrath than to enjoy his love. Perhaps he uses this quieter and less overwhelming way propose rather than impose. The Feast of St. John Lateran, commemorates the Pope’s Cathedral in Rome, and is a symbol of the endurance of this unlikely system. During the age of the Church, nations has risen and fallen, empires, come and gone, yet here we still are. The Psalm today says, The LORD of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob (Ps 46:8)

Many today also express shock and horror at sin and weakness in the Church. And it is a disgrace when the charges are accurate. But remember, Jesus was found in some pretty strange company as he walked this earth. He dined with sinners and spoke the truth to them. He compared himself to a doctor caring for sick people. No surprise then that the Church, a hospital really, would have some sick sinners in her care.

Whatever his reasons, the Lord does not follow the usual “marketing” plan of the world, with all its loud and intrusive methods. He did not write a book, but founded a community, the Church, which is his body. It is quite a shocking departure form worldly ways and expectations. It requires a lot of trust to understand how such an unlikely method could win the day. And that leads us to the next point.

II. The Surety of the Church. Another shocking truth that we express every Sunday in the Creed is that the Church is an object of faith. We say, I Believe in one, holy catholic and apostolic Church. Many today will quickly announce that they have faith in God, not in man. And yet every Sunday, there it is, “I believe in the Church.” How and why can we say this? Because the Church is not merely human, the Church is also divine. The Church is the Body of Christ, He is the head of the Body, the Church and the Holy Spirit indwells it.

Someone else may say, “I don’t believe in the Church, I believe in the Bible.” But of course we would have a Bible without the Church. Scripture itself speaks of the Church, not the Bible as the pillar of the truth. St Paul wrote: If I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. (1 Tim 3:15)

So again the Church is an object of faith. But how can we trust the Church, the apostles and their successors? Here too Scripture is replete with teachings that the Lord will guide his Church and preserve her from error:

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Luke 10:16 “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.”
Mat 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

So here is a call to faith. Do you believe that Christ speaks through his Church? Works through his Church? Teaches through his Church? If not, you are an orphan, you don’t even have Scriptures. since the Scriptures derive their origin and delineation form God but through the Church.

Stand with Jesus today and say of the Church Zeal for your house will consume me.

III.The Sanctification of the Church - The Gospel today clearly shows that the Church, as with any gathering that includes human beings, is always in need of cleansing and purification. Ecclesia semper reformanda (The Church is always in need of reform). At one level we can become too worldly, too entangled with the world. At another level we can allow sins in our own members and clergy to go unaddressed. At yet another level we can become timid and fearful and no live the radical call to the Gospel or no longer proclaim it to others.

Frankly Jesus needs to rough us up at times. He needs to enter and unsettle a few tables, and even scatter a few “sacred cows.”

It is hard to know exactly the origin of our current struggles. Some of us who are older remember the times of packed churches, schools with waiting lists and filled convents and seminaries. Some blame Vatican II, others think we would be worse off without it. Whatever the case the robust Church of 1950s and 60s collapsed quickly and seem ill-prepared for the cultural tsunami that hit in multiple waves. The Church did not have the loyalty of the faithful who largely departed to the ranks of the revolutionaries.

Today, a painful purification that is going on, and all the answers as to why and how much longer are not clear. But in my own life I can say that the persecution has sharpened by faith and forced me to be clearer about what I believe and why. I know many others that have the same experience.

But just like the day that Jesus threw over the tables, the purification is painful and very unsettling. Let him do his work. Stay faithful and do not lose heart. Some, indeed many, have departed. But as for you, stay faithful, stay in the conversation with Jesus and his Church.

IV. The Situation of the Church - Where is the Church to be found? Jesus was once asked by the Pharisees this same sort of question. The Scripture records: Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Lk 17:20-22). And in today’s Second Reading St Paul says, You are God’s building…..Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Cor 3:16)

Therefore, one need not go on a plane to find the Church. It is as near as our very self. As we shall see, that is not ALL the Church is, but remembering the Church does not start and end in some distant Land or reside merely among the clergy is an important summons to responsibility. Sometimes we let the concept of Church become abstract or institutional. But in a very real way you and I are the Church.

And how have you done? Have you proclaimed the faith to your children and grandchildren? Your spouse? Have you been a good influence on friends and co-workers? Have you done these things or is that just the job of the clergy?

But note too, St. Paul warns that our membership in Christ and his Body the Church is not an individualistic notion. Thus he says, But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:11). In other words, as members of Christ’s Body we must function under the authority of the Head the Body, Jesus. We are not to be among those who simply cast aside what he has taught.

This is important today, because many have sought to demand that the Church should reflect the views of its members. Some with great indignation will cite polls that X% of Catholics do not agree with this or that teaching. But such polls are irrelevant in determining what the Church should teach. The job of the Church is not to reflect the views of its members. The job of the Church is to reflect the views of its head and founder, Jesus Christ.

Consider that in a natural body if the members were not following the directives of the head of that body we would rightly assume that the body was sick with epilepsy or some neuromuscular disease. Thus with the Church, an individual or group within the Church cannot really say “I/we are the Church” unless as St. Paul says, they are building on the foundation of Christ, or unless they as members are following the directives of the head of the Body, Christ.

Four basic teachings on the Church. I pray you do not consider such things merely esoteric. So many problems today center on questions of Ecclesiology: what is the Church? What is her nature and purpose? Who has authority to teach and speak in Jesus name? How do we sort out the competing claims of some groups to be or speak for the Church or Christ? What are the different gifts and roles in the Church… and so forth? Here are just a few teachings to help us reflect more accurately on the Church.

I know that the Church is not buildings. But we do have very nice ones. Enjoy:

Video I

Video II

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