THE GLORIOUS CHURCH OF GOD
Blessed Sunday to all. Today, 9 November the Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. We usually think of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as the Pope’s Cathedral, but today’s feast reminds us that, as Bishop of Rome, his true cathedral is St. John Lateran – the first Catholic basilica in Rome, dedicated on 9 November in the year A.D. 324 by Pope Sylvester. There are major basilicas in Rome such as St. Peter’s, St Mary Major, & St Paul Outside the Walls and minor basilicas around the world such as St Anne’s in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. but there is only one archbasilica, St. John Lateran, known as “Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World.” It is dedicated to Christ under the patronage both of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist and takes its name from the palace of the Laterano family upon which the ancient basilica was originally built.
The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica is a marvellous celebration of the unity of the Church & a reminder to us of our calling to be ‘living stones’ (cf 1 Peter 2:5) in the Body of Christ. And for the Church of the Holy Family, this is of special significance for this is the weekend when we celebrate our 102nd Anniversary of the foundation of the Holy Family Chapel (actual date 11 November 1923), the 1st Catholic Church in the East side of Singapore, & to live out our vocation as living stones & beacons of the Light of Christ to all in Katong.
Let’s savour with great delight our readings for today’s Feast. Today's 1st Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel [Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12] tells us about of the stream of life giving-water flowing from the temple, the hope, healing & health the water brings to all, the abundance of life, & the fecundity of the fruit that never fails from the trees that draw nourishment from this life-giving water.
I love what Psalm 36:8-9 says about the nourishment, refreshment, life & light we all receive from the Lord from his Church: "They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light."
Let’s apply the above to our life & experience of being Church. What is this living water described in Ezekiel 47? It is the Holy Spirit! Recall what Jesus said on the last day of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) in John Chapter 7 Verse 37-39: ‘On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.’
This gift of the Holy Spirit was imparted to us on the day of our Baptism, when we were born again in the waters of baptism, because of the death & glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We also received the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Having received the Holy Spirit, we can truly be what St Paul tells us in today’s 2nd Reading from 1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17 – God’s building, with our foundation being Jesus Christ Himself & a temple of the Holy Spirit.
As a Temple of the Holy Spirit, we are all living stones & aligned to Jesus, who is the Cornerstone (cf Ephesians 2:20). Each living stone is absolutely necessary for the productive & fruitful growth of the Body of Christ. If one weakens, the entire building is affected. What St Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 is thus worth paying attention to – “that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” We all need each other & MUST Be aligned with each other in unity, humility, love & peace.
Our Gospel from John 2:13-22 has this dramatic scene of Jesus ‘cleaning house’ – clearing the temple of vendors selling animals for temple sacrifices & money changers. The Jews got really upset with his actions at interrupting the gravy train in the temple at Passover, & Jesus declared, "Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19). What Temple was Jesus referring to? He was speaking of two Temples. Firstly, He foretold the destruction of the physical Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. However, Jesus’ emphasis here referred to His death and Resurrection, the one sign that should be sufficient for all believers of all times. It was only after His glorious Resurrection that the disciples discerned the profound meaning of Christ's words and deeds.
Here’s a few points for us to reflect on this week. Are we continuously being refreshed by the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments, personal prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, scripture reading & bonding time with family, friends & community? Are we like the fruit-bearing trees of Ezekiel producing great fruit regularly for the Lord? Are our “leaves” that receive the living water & the light of Jesus’ Word medicinal – that is, do we bring healing comfort, hope & peace to others? Or are we dehydrated, dried up & shrivelled & literally quite dead in the spiritual realm?
We should also ask these questions of our Parish Ministries & Christian Communities. Are we life-giving, loving, joyful, grateful, reaching out with compassion & care to others, proudly spreading the Good News of Salvation to all? Are we vibrant, missionary & evangelizing? Or are we a Maintenance-Mode Church, running like a social / country club?
Why don’t we look at these pointers as though we’re looking into a mirror. What do you see? Beautiful, attractive & glowing with the glory of God? Or something ugly, unappealing & less complimentary?
You know, it’s a little painful to write these words & I wish I weren’t prompted to be so ‘in-your-face’. Much easier to apply calming balm & drink soothing syrup, right? For when I do my own self-assessment & confront the brutal truth, I find myself miserably falling short, missing the mark & feeling uncomfortable in the reality. But, this awareness spurs me onwards to do better, with the Lord’s help! I hope it has the same effect on you, too.
So, to end, let’s go back to the main points of our reflection. Today's readings teach us that through the glorious Resurrection of the life-giving Temple of Christ, we become living stones that feed on the ever-flowing Divine graces that are bestowed upon us as a gift of God's love and mercy. This week, let us be thankful to the Lord God for His tremendous sacrifice as the Lamb of God, & breathing upon us His Spirit. By the grace of the Heavenly Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, in the Most Holy Name of Jesus, may we, the faithful, produce fruits for the growth of the Body of Christ & also personal spiritual growth. Amen! Alleluia!
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Contributor