Daily Mass Readings, 11-09-05, Feast, Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

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November 9, 2005
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Psalm: Wednesday 48

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.

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[Bishop of Rome] -- Pope Benedict XVI to be installed at St. John Lateran, the Pope's cathedral

This is the ceiling located inside the Basilica. It is the work of Flaminio Boulanger & Vico di Raffaele. In the center of the ceiling is the coat of arms for both Pius IV & Pius V.

 

Virtual Tour of Lateran Basilica>>Next

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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 issuing 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 rivers 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.”

---

Commentary:


47:1-12. The vision of the spring flowing from the southern end of the
temple and ending up in the Dead Sea revitalizing everything it meets
on its way, is one of the most striking images 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 beautiful; 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 recorded 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
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.

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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.

[Salvation]

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.

---

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.

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Wednesday, November 9, 2005
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Feast)

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel:

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17 John 2:13-22 Behold a great priest who in his days pleased the Lord, and was found righteous; and in the time of wrath he was taken in exchange for the world. -- Ecclus 44:16

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Catholic Culture

 

Collect: God our Father, from living stones, your chosen people, you built an eternal temple to your glory. Increase the spiritual gifts you have given to your Church, so that your faithful people may continue to grow into the new and eternal Jerusalem. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Activities: » Death and Burial » November and the Holy Souls » Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Anointing of the Sick) » Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November more » Prepare for Death » Preparing for Heaven » Religion in the Home for Elementary School: November » Religion in the Home for Preschool: November » Teaching About Death » Teaching Children About Sickness and Death less Prayers: » November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory » Little Litany of the Holy Souls » Prayer for Pope John Paul II » Prayer for Troops more » Prayer for a Happy Death » Daily Acceptance of Death less

November 09, 2005 Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Old Calendar: Dedication of the Archbasilica of Our Holy Savior; St. Theodore, martyr Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome. This is not St. Peter's, but it is the Pope's cathedral. Also called the Church of Holy Savior or the Church of St. John Baptist, it was the baptism church of ancient Rome. It was built in the time of Constantine and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324. This feast became a universal celebration in honor of the basilica called "the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world" (omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput) as a sign of love for and union with the See of Peter. Before the reform of the Roman Calendar in 1969, this was also the commemoration of St. Theodore, a Christian soldier and martyr of Asia Minor. His feastday is no longer on the Universal Roman Calendar, but has been transferred to particular calendars. Dedication of the Lateran Basilica The foundation of the Lateran basilica goes back to the time of Constantine, on the morrow of the last persecutions. The palace of the Laterani, on the Coelian Hill, belonged then to Constantine's wife Fausta. After his conversion the Emperor gave it to the Pope as his private residence and founded in it the church of the Lateran which became the mother and mistress of all the churches of Rome and the world. It was dedicated to Christ our Saviour by Pope St. Silvester on November 9, 324. In the twelfth century it was given as its second title St. John the Baptist whose name was also that of the ancient baptistery connected with the church; hence the present name of the basilica, St. John Lateran. The first basilica having been destroyed, it was rebuilt in the tenth century by Sergius III and consecrated by Benedict XIII in 1726. In the basilica and palace of the Lateran were held the Roman councils at which many were present at certain periods; five great ecumenical councils have also been held there. On the most solemn days of the liturgical year the station was at St. John Lateran. There sacred orders were conferred and the Easter baptisms. The residence of the Popes there and the whole rhythm of Christian life made it the very center of Christianity for a long time. Things to Do: Learn more about St. John Lateran; This basilica represents the place of baptism, so it would be a good time to renew your baptismal promises; It also represents heaven, so we can meditate on the joys of heaven and God's generosity in giving us sufficient graces to be saved; Since St. John Lateran is the Pope's church, say a prayer for our Holy Father. From the Catholic Culture Library: Mother Church of the World. St. Theodore St. Theodore was a Christian soldier who set on fire the temple of the mother-goddess Cybele at Amasea (303 A.D.). The prefect of the legion promised mercy if he repented his act and renounced the Christian faith. Theodore persevered bravely; accordingly he was cast into prison and his flesh ripped by iron hooks so that his ribs were exposed. In the midst of indescribable torture he sang joyfully, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will ever be in my mouth" (Ps. 33). Praying and singing the glories of Christ, he was burned alive on November 9. A panegyric by St. Gregory of Nyssa on his virtues is extant. Theodore's head has been venerated at Cajeta since the Middle Ages. In ancient times, particularly among the Greeks, this soldier-martyr was honored as patron of armies. During the seventh century a church was dedicated to him in Rome, and his picture appears upon the apse mosaic in the church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian. Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch. Symbols: Post and iron hooks; white horse; temple of Cybele in flames; crown of thorns; cross; Roman armour; sword. Things to Do: Well might we marvel at the heroic courage St. Theodore showed in the midst of pain. While suffering horribly he sang songs of praise! While we are so frightened by the smallest ache and become uncomfortable at the very mention of suffering! God does not ask such suffering from us as He did from Theodore, yet He asks that we accept some troubles patiently. If we have any discomfort today, let us offer it up without complaint; Also, remember our soldiers and say a prayer for them; Read what St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote about St. Theodore.

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For the Souls of the Faithful Departed:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

[Salvation]

During November:
Requiem aeternam dona ei (eis), Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei (eis). Requiescat (-ant) in pace Amen.
Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Many families add to the "Prayer Before Meals" the second half of the "Eternal Rest" prayer:
Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts,
Which we are about to receive,
from Thy bounty,
through Christ, our Lord, Amen.
And may the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace. Amen.

Other families recite the "Eternal Rest" prayer in between decades of the rosary.

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Dedication of St. John Lateran

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

Other Articles by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

Dedication of St. John Lateran

11/09/05

As a rebellious teenager, I thought the Catholic Church should stop wasting its money on expensive churches. We ought to sell them all and buy food for the poor, I argued.

Funny thing. Jesus, who cared much for the poor, did not have this attitude. As an adolescent He yearned to spend time in Herod’s sumptuous Temple (Lk 2). As an adult, He defended its integrity against the moneychangers (Jn 2). Francis of Assisi, who gave away all his possessions, begged for money to buy materials to restore ruined churches which he rebuilt with his own hands.

Why this high regard for church buildings? Ezekiel 47 gives us one important reason. Because the liturgical worship that goes on inside, most especially the Eucharist, is the “source and summit” of our entire Christian life.

The world is a dusty, tiring place that often beats us down. The Church building is a haven, a quiet refuge, a place to encounter God. Here we drink deeply of the life-giving waters of word and sacrament that revive our drooping spirits (Ps 23). The grace that flows from the altar bears us back into the world, changed, and able to change others, bringing healing and bearing fruit.

Paul, in I Corinthians 3, gives us another reason to honor Churches. George Fox, the founder of the Quakers, concluded from this passage that if we Christians are the Church, we should call our places of worship “steeple-houses.” To call buildings “churches” obscures the fact that we are the Church.

The Judeo-Christian Tradition sees it differently. The Church building is a mirror that, held up before us, reminds us of who we are. The world tells us that we are consumers, employees and voters, and flashes a constant stream of icons at us every day to remind us of this. The Church building is an icon that reminds us of our deepest identity. As we gather for Sunday worship, we who were scattered by diverse loyalties, professions, and lifestyles, are now united as the Body of Christ and dwelling place of the Spirit.

How does a person enter the Church? Through the cleansing waters of baptism. Maybe that’s why there are holy water fonts at the doors of most Catholic churches. Maybe those statues of saints are there to remind us that we are “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the family of God” (Eph 2:19).

So what about all the expensive treasures of architecture, painting, sculpture, and stained glass? Sell them all and use the proceeds to by food for the poor? What then would the poor have?

In Texas, we have a homestead law that seeks to guarantee that no matter what financial misfortunes might befall people, they will not lose their homes. The loss of one’s home is a loss of one’s dignity. Our churches, from the local chapel to St. Peter’s Basilica, belong not to the hierarchy, but to the whole family. They’ve been given to us by the hard work and contributions of our forebears to remind us of our dignity as sons and daughters of the living God.

The Lateran Basilica, whose dedication we celebrate every November, was donated to the Church by Constantine soon after he legalized Christianity in 313AD. Ever since, it has been, as the official cathedral of the pope, the mother church of all Christendom, the cathedral of the world.

It is there that the most powerful pope of the middle ages, Innocent III, had a dream of a magnificent church breaking apart only to be shored up by a poor man in a beggar's robe. Soon afterwards, a group of beggars from Assisi arrived, led by a man named Francis, asking for his approval for their lifestyle and work. Prepared by his dream, he recognized the hand of God, and encouraged a movement that renewed the Church.

As we meditate on this feast, let us allow zeal for His house to consume us as it did Jesus and Francis, that we may embrace the task of purification, renewal and rebuilding given us by the Council that met in another great Roman basilica some forty years ago.


Dr. D'Ambrosio studied under Avery Cardinal Dulles for his Ph.D. in historical theology and taught for many years at the University of Dallas. He now directs www.crossroadsinitiative.com, which offers Catholic resources for RCIA, adult faith formation, and teens, with a special emphasis on the Year of the Eucharist, the Theology of the Body, the early Church Fathers, and the sacrament of confirmation.

(This article originally appeared in Our Sunday Visitor and is used by permission of the author.)

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	What Kind of Places Are You Making
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Wednesday, November 9, 2005

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 they moved into their new home and celebrated: November 9, 324 A.D.

+ + +

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 1681st 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.

 

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, November 09, 2005 Meditation Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12 Today we celebrate the dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica, the oldest and one of the most important Christian basilica in Rome. In the fourth century a.d., Constantine, who was the first Christian Emperor, built a chapel on land that was given to his wife. Throughout the centuries, that chapel has been destroyed, rebuilt, expanded, and renovated numerous times. But it has always been recognized as the cathedral church of the bishop of Rome. As impressive as the Lateran Basilica is—both visually and historically—what is most compelling is how it expresses the purpose of the church. One of the most striking examples of this is the inscription found in the basilica’s baptistery: “This is the fountain of life, which cleanses the whole world, taking its course from the wounds of Christ.” What a powerful reminder that the church exists to carry on the work of Christ in the world! Two thousand years ago, Jesus’ bodily presence brought truth, grace, and healing to the world. But now what he did in and through his physical body, he is doing through his mystical body, the church—and not just through its formal structures and ordained ministers but through each and every one of us. We are Jesus’ hands and feet! It is through us that he communicates his love, healing, and truth. The prophet Ezekiel saw healing water flowing from the Temple and going out in all directions. In one sense, that’s us. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus wants to fill us to overflowing. In order to bring Christ to the world, however, we must plunge deeply into the fountain of life ourselves. Personal prayer, the gift of the sacraments, the wisdom of Scripture, the love of our brothers and sisters in Christ—all of these are their own founts of life for us. If Constantine, the most powerful man in the western world at that time, could be converted through the witness of Christians, imagine what our witness could do for our neighbors, friends, and co-workers. If we immerse ourselves in Christ, we really can change the world! “Holy Spirit, purify your church and fill all of us with your life and love, grace and truth. Come, Spirit, and help me reach out to the hungry and hurting around me.” Psalm 46:2-3,5-6,8-9; 1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17; John 2:13-22

[Ciexyz]

Faith-sharing bump.

[Ciexyz]

Here's hoping that someone who has never opened the Catholic Caucus Daily Mass Thread, will browse on in today!

[annalex]

Jn 2:13-22
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
13	And the pasch of the Jews was at hand: and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.	et prope erat pascha Iudaeorum et ascendit Hierosolyma Iesus
14	And he found in the temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting.	et invenit in templo vendentes boves et oves et columbas et nummularios sedentes
15	And when he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen: and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew.	et cum fecisset quasi flagellum de funiculis omnes eiecit de templo oves quoque et boves et nummulariorum effudit aes et mensas subvertit
16	And to them that sold doves he said: Take these things hence, and make not the house of my Father a house of traffic.	et his qui columbas vendebant dixit auferte ista hinc nolite facere domum Patris mei domum negotiationis
17	And his disciples remembered, that it was written: The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.	recordati vero sunt discipuli eius quia scriptum est zelus domus tuae comedit me
18	The Jews, therefore, answered, and said to him: What sign dost thou shew unto us, seeing thou dost these things?	responderunt ergo Iudaei et dixerunt ei quod signum ostendis nobis quia haec facis
19	Jesus answered and said to them: Destroy this temple; and in three days I will raise it up.	respondit Iesus et dixit eis solvite templum hoc et in tribus diebus excitabo illud
20	The Jews then said: Six and forty years was this temple in building; and wilt thou raise it up in three days?	dixerunt ergo Iudaei quadraginta et sex annis aedificatum est templum hoc et tu tribus diebus excitabis illud
21	But he spoke of the temple of his body.	ille autem dicebat de templo corporis sui
22	When therefore he was risen again from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this: and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had said.	cum ergo resurrexisset a mortuis recordati sunt discipuli eius quia hoc dicebat et crediderunt scripturae et sermoni quem dixit Iesus

[annalex]

Christ driving money changers from the Temple

fresco
Visoki Decani monastery
Serbia

[annalex]

I usually do not provide links to the source of the art, in order not to distract from the message in the piece of art as posted. However, the stone carvings, the frescoes and the icons of Decani is a treasure of Christian art one should not resist browsing.

Decani