Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 11-09-03, Feast of the Dedication

Reading I
Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

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 II
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.

Feast: Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

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
builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. [11] For
no other foundation 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 destroy's God's temple, God will
destroy him. For God's temple 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 branches, 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 compared 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 foundation 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 heaven 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 redemption [...]. 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. Escriva, "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 together the community at Corinth and its individual members--Jesus
Christ, the essential 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 under 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 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 catechesis 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--anyone 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 building, leads to the conclusion that a Christian "needs to be
not only linked to Jesus 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: Jesus 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 [Pope] Leo XIII reminds us, by means of grace God
dwells in the just soul as in a temple, in a special and intimate
manner" ("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 presence 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 actions 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 present 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" ([Pope] 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 "destroys 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 indwelling] 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 Stranger, 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
inspirations" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 57).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

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 written, "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 observes 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 addition he had to pay a half shekel every year, if
he was twenty or over. The half shekel, 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. During
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 fulminated 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. Jesus 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 expression 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 temple of Jerusalem with his own body, and by so doing
refers to one of the most profound 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). Jesus' reply (v. 20), whose meaning
remains obscure until his resurrection, the Jewish 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; A 15:29) and later still
in their case against 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
witnesses 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 construct in 19-20 B.C. Later on the disciples grasped what he
really meant.

FEAST OF THE DAY

The Basilica dedicated to St. John the Baptist on Lateran hill is
Rome is the cathedral for the diocese of Rome. It is this church
which is the episcopal seat for the Bishop of Rome.

The Basilica of St John Lateran has a long history. The first church
on the spot was built in the 300's on land donated by the Laterani
family. This church was dedicated by Pope Sylvester I on November
9, 324. The original building, and the structures that followed it, has
suffered fire, earthquake and destruction by war in their long history.
Up until the fifteenth century and the Avignon Papacy, this is the
place where the popes were consecrated. During the Avignon
Papacy, the cathedral was reduced to ruins.

In 1646, Pope Innocent X commissioned the building that is still
standing today. This cathedral has housed five ecumenical councils,
and is the mother and head of all churches of Rome and the world.
This church was originally dedicated to the Savior and later
dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

What could be more out of keeping with our holy religion then impure
language? It outrages God. It scandalizes our neighbor. Can a
Christian really afford to occupy his mind with such horrible images?
-St. John Vianney

TODAY IN HISTORY

1976 UN General Assembly condemns apartheid in South Africa
1989 East Berlin opens its borders

TODAY'S TIDBIT

The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. Since the
pope is the pastor of the whole church, and his episcopal chair is St.
John Lateran, we celebrate this day as a feast of our parish church.
This feast reminds us that our Faith extends outside or our local
parishes and our local dioceses. We are reminded that it reaches to
all corners of the Earth.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for the pope on this feast of the dedication of his
cathedral.

The Word Among Us

Sunday, November 09, 2003

Meditation
Genesis 28:11-18

Dedication of St. John Lateran

The Basilica of the Lateran is the cathedral church—or central church—of the Diocese of Rome. As such, it is also the cathedral church of the pope, who is the Bishop of Rome. Over the centuries, John the Baptist has been its patron saint, and St. John the Evangelist has also been associated with the basilica. This is why it is often called “St. John Lateran.” Because of its role in the history of the church, celebrating the anniversary of this basilica’s dedication is seen as much more than just honoring one of many churches in Rome: It is celebrating Jesus, who declared that not even the gates of hell will not prevail against his church (Matthew 16:18).

Throughout the ages, God has always hallowed certain places and been present to them in a special way. At a place near Haran, Jacob experienced God’s presence in a dream in which he saw angels ascending and descending a ladder to heaven and heard the Lord declare his sacred name, Yahweh (Genesis 28:12-13). When Jacob awoke, he was awestruck, “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it. . . . This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (28:16-17). In response to the dream, Jacob set up a “pillar” as a memorial of worship and communion with God. He consecrated the place to the Lord by pouring oil over it and giving it a new name: Bethel, which means “house of God.”

Any place where God’s name is held sacred, and where his people live in obedience and love, carries a special blessing. This is true of every “domestic church,” every family, that is set apart for the Lord. Today, as we pray for the church and the Holy Father who leads it, let us also pray for family life. As we are faithful to prayer within our family, we will experience the Lord’s presence and love, and our home will also become a house of God.

“Father, we pray for your church and for Pope John Paul II. Watch over us and protect us. May your presence come upon all your people as we place ourselves, our families, and our homes under the reign of your Son, Jesus Christ, the head of the church.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, November 9, 2003 >>

Dedication of St. John Lateran

Ezekiel 43:1-2, 4-7
Ephesians 2:19-22

Psalm 84
Luke 19:1-10

View Readings

THE PARISH COMMUNITY

“You form a building which rises on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Capstone.” —Ephesians 2:20

The international outreach of the Pope and the Vatican has probably never been greater than the present. We have never had a missionary pope like Pope John Paul II. We have more dioceses and parishes than at any time in the 2,000-year history of the Church. Geographically, the Church has never been as “catholic” (universal) as today. Nevertheless, the Church is struggling, especially in Western Europe, Australia, and America.

One main reason for the breakdown of the Church in some parts of the world is that the basic unit of the Church is no longer functional. The universal Church is made up of dioceses, dioceses are comprised of parishes, but what makes up the parishes? In some parts of the world, parishes are made up of individuals and nuclear families. Historically, these are not the basic units of a parish. A parish is intended to be a community of small communities, a family of extended families (see Church in America, Pope John Paul II, 41).

This is what we celebrate in today’s feast. The Basilica of John Lateran was one of the first parish churches. It was built so that several communities could come together. On this feast day, let’s pray for the Church to be renewed by the Spirit, raising up small communities to be the basic units of the parish.

Prayer: Father, may I be a living stone (1 Pt 2:5) in a living community of Christians.

Promise: “Today salvation has come to this house.” —Lk 19:9

Praise: Alleluia! Jesus is Lord and Keystone! Alleluia!

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	What Kind of Places Are You Making
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Sunday, November 9, 2003

Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran

Jn 2:13-22

On a February morning in the year 1513, 25 cardinals gathered in Rome and elected a new pope, a 32-year old layman, a playboy, Giovanni de'Medici, Leo X. As fast as he could get himself ordained, consecrated and crowned, Leo gathered his relatives to celebrate and spoke his famous, cynical words, "The papacy is ours. Let us enjoy it!" And enjoy it he did, so much so that he was dead in eight years at the age of 40!

+ + +

The event we're celebrating, the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, occurred 1200 years before Leo's election, and unlike that later disastrous event, it was real cause for rejoicing for the whole church and not just one decadent family. For three centuries Christians had been outcasts, aliens on the fringes of society. And then suddenly, with the stroke of Constantine's pen they were legal and the emperor himself built their very first church, the Lateran Basilica. Finally, a place of their own! So the moved into their new home and celebrated: November 9, 324 AD.

+ + +

Whether we notice it or not, every day each of us is busy making places for people to be, though not usually with hammers and saws. The woman who lays out the breakfast table makes a place for her family. The family that sits at that table helps make that place too. What they say, how they look at one another, what they don't say, make it a good or a bad place for their little while together.

And so it goes all day, at the office, the school or church, or on the golf course. Wherever we go, we're constantly making places, if only for a moment; we're constantly changing the living space of those around us. Most of the time, we do it without even noticing. And that spells trouble, because too often what we're doing isn't adding to that place; it's taking away, taking something that doesn't belong to us. And you know what that's called? Stealing! Stealing the joy or quiet, the hopefulness or contentment, or whatever, that belongs to somebody else.

The grouch at the breakfast table is stealing joy from his own family. The sour pessimist is stealing other peoples' hopes. The gardener with the blower is stealing someone's peace and quiet. The driver who throws the beer cans out the window is stealing a tiny bit of the beauty of someone's neighborhood. The person who doesn't look for a chance to say "Attaboy, good job!" is stealing life from someone else's spirit. All this stealing by good people like us who don't notice what they're doing. We mustn't let this go on!

As we mark this 1673rd anniversary of our ancestors moving into their first church-home, God is calling us to open our eyes and see what kinds of places we're making for one another. Are we good builders or just robbers?

God has blessed us with so many gifts, everything from the capacity for great insights to a special knack for giving simple pats on the back - so many things that people need, so many things that we can use to make better moments and better places.

And so we pray: May this day and every day be fuller and richer because we were here. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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