Pope's Intentions
Universal: That all who suffer loneliness may experience the closeness of God and the support of others.
For Evangelization: That young seminarians and religious may have wise and well-formed mentors.
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome - Feast
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermon Morin no.3, 4 ; PLS 2, 664
"He was speaking about the temple of his body"
Because Solomon was a prophet he built a temple of stone and wood… for the living God, who made heaven and earth and whose dwelling is in the skies… Why did God ask that a temple be built? Was he lacking somewhere to live? Listen to Stephen’s speech at the time of his passion: “Solomon,’ he said, “built a house but the most High does not live in man-made temples” (Acts 7,48). Why, then, did he build, or cause to be built, a temple? To prefigure Christ’s body. The first temple was only a shadow (Col 2,17): when light comes, shadows flee away. Are you now looking for the temple Solomon built? You will find a ruin. Why is this temple only a ruin? Because the reality it announced has been fulfilled. The true temple, the Lord’s body, also fell but has been raised up again, and raised up in such a way it will fall no more…
What about our own bodies? They are members of Christ. Listen to Saint Paul: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” (1Cor 6,15). When he says: “Your bodies are members of Christ”, what does this mean but that our bodies, joined to Christ our head (Col 1,18), together form a single temple, God’s temple. Together with Christ’s body our bodies are this temple… Let yourselves be built up in unity that you may not fall in ruins by remaining separate.