The 32nd Sunday in OT A this year coincides with the Feast of the Dedication of John Lateran. It is described in the Catholic encyclopedia as "the oldest, and ranks first among the four great "patriarchal" basilicas of Rome." It was a gift of Constantine to Pope Miltiades (around 311 but not after) and was the site of a Roman Synod against the Donatists (313). It was the resident of the popes and the cathedral of Rome. At present it is the seat of the Bishop of Rome. On its wall one reads its particular mark of distinction: "Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater, et caput " The mother and head of all the churches in the city and the world..
1. "Zeal for your house consumes me" (Psalm 69;10) The phrase from the psalm that the disciples attach to the vision of Jesus cleansing the Temple comes is that of one who suffers innocently, falsely accused and waiting for his vindication. He suffers because he is commmitted to the cause of Yahweh. The passage then as applied to Jesus anticipates the reason for his, and his Body's suffering later on.
Before he died on the cross, Jesus told his disciples: "As the world hated me, so it will hate you." The Body of Christ will also undergo the persecution and suffering that its Head underwent. And this will happen wherever it shows the same zeal that Jesus had for His Father's house.
Reflect. Are you rejected, ridiculed, treated with contempt because of your Catholic faith? How do you see your suffering in relation to that of the Body of Christ?
2. The Temple that is Christ's Body is made up of living stones that cling to its cornerstone, "the stone rejected by the builders" (cf. 1 Peter 2:4-5,7). A Church building (what Filipinos call "simbahan") is a physical sign that where it is found, there the people of God gathers.
The Church -- the community of the faithful -- is God's family, the church building is the house where that family gathers. On this feast of the dedication of the Lateran, we remember a time of peace that allowed our forefathers to build a building that would serve as a reminder to all that here, the Temple built on Christ is to be found.
Reflect. How do you look at your own parish church building? What events of your life are linked to it? Would you say it is one of the special places in your life? Why?
3. It was sometime after the event of Jesus' cleansing of the Temple that the disciples understood the meaning of his words: "Destroy this temple and I will build it up in three days." They finally understood the words because of a life-changing event: the Resurrection of Christ. A deeper understanding of the words of the Lord can be gained when we look back to it through a glance that is faith-filled.
Reflect: Try to go through the following words and see whether you have a deeper understanding of these now than you had before
- Church (simbahan, Iglesya)
- Catholic (laganap, makikita sa lahat ng dako ng daigdig)
- Eucharist (pasasalamat, Sunday or daily mass)
- Body of Christ
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