20141109 IMITATING AND FINDING INSPIRATION FROM MOTHER CHURCH TO
BE LIFE-GIVING
First
reading
Ezekiel
47:1-2,8-9,12 ©
The
angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from
under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east.
The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar.
He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the
outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. He said, ‘This
water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it
makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures
teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water
goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the
river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that
never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month,
because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to
eat and the leaves medicinal.’
Psalm
Psalm
45:2-3,5-6,8-9 ©
The
waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High
dwells.
God
is for us a refuge and strength,
a helper close at hand, in time of distress,
so
we shall not fear though the earth should rock,
though the mountains fall into the depths of
the sea.
The
waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High
dwells.
The
waters of a river give joy to God’s city,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God
is within, it cannot be shaken;
God will help it at the dawning of the day.
The
waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High
dwells.
The
Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come,
consider the works of the Lord,
the redoubtable deeds he has done on the
earth.
The
waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High
dwells.
Second
reading
1
Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17 ©
You
are God’s building. By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and
laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone
doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any
other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ.
Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple
and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the
temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you
are that temple.
Gospel
Acclamation 2Ch7:16
Alleluia,
alleluia!
I
have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord,
for
my name to be there forever.
Alleluia!
Gospel John 2:13-22 ©
Just
before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he
found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers
sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them
all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’
coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this
out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his
disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour
me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what
you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I
will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build
this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was
speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture
and the words he had said.
IMITATING
AND FINDING INSPIRATION FROM MOTHER CHURCH TO BE LIFE-GIVING
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: EZ 47:1-2.8-9, 12; 1 COR 3:9-11, 16-17; JN 2:13-22
Why does the liturgy
celebrate the dedication of a building, albeit a Basilica? The Basilica of course is more than a
mere building. It is a special place where the Spirit of God lives.
The first reading speaks of the Temple as the place where the water flows “from
under the right side of the Temple”, the symbol of the Holy Spirit that
nurtures the Church, bringing life to wherever the water flows. As the
prophet said, “all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very
plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever
the river flows … because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit
will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.” The psalmist affirms this
when he says, “The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy
dwelling of the Most High!”
Beyond the fact that the
Church is the New Temple of God, St John Lateran Basilica, being the Cathedral
of the Holy Father, is regarded as the mother of all Churches. It is
appropriate that all particular churches in the world who are in union with the
One Holy Catholic Church founded by Christ, express their union with the
Holy Father, who is the Bishop of Rome and the Vicar of Christ of the Universal
Church, by celebrating this feast of the dedication of St John Lateran.
By doing so, we not only celebrate our unity but also demonstrate our love for
mother Church and we look to her for direction in matters of morals and
doctrines.
What is the primary role of
a mother if not to give life to her children and to nurture that life? A
mother gives birth to a child and then continues to nurture this life by love
and education. The Church too is called to give birth to the children of
God and to nurture the life of the faithful. The Church is therefore both
mother and children making up the Body of Christ. This is what St Paul
tells us in the second reading. “You are God’s building. By the grace God
gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone
else is doing the building.” And again he reiterates that the Church is
more than a building, “Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that
the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of
God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are
that temple.”
How does she do it?
Principally, through the sacraments and the proclamation of the Word of God;
through baptism, she gives rebirth to those who were given physical life;
through the Eucharist, she incorporates us into Christ and His body, the
Church, and through Confirmation we are bestowed the gifts of the Holy Spirit
to live a life of holiness and witnessing in the world. Through the
priestly, prophetic and kingly role of the ministerial priesthood, the common
priesthood of the people of God are led to the Lord through worship, knowledge
of the Word proclaimed in scripture and tradition and united under the bishop
and his priests acting in persona Christi capitis, that is, in the person of
Christ the head of the Church.
Obviously, the efficacy
of the sacraments and the ministerial priesthood is brought about by the grace
that comes from the Holy Spirit, without which the sacraments are mere
rituals, the Church a mere human institution, and the teaching mere human
philosophy. In this way, the Church, as mother, strengthens the members
who, by living the life of Christ, are infused with the grace of the Holy
Spirit and become the Temple of the Living God in the world.
Consequently, as we
celebrate this feast of St John Lateran, we must not forget that the Church
does not exist for herself but for the sake of the world. Being
Church is to be a sacrament of unity and love in the world. We are not
called to form ourselves into an exclusive group but for mission in the world,
according to the culture and situations we live in. As the Temple of the
Living God, as the Temple of the Holy Spirit, our task as members of the royal
priesthood sharing in Christ’s prophetic and kingly office, is to make His
presence felt and known, directly or indirectly through our words and
deeds. Like the water in the Temple of Jerusalem which flows out from the
Temple “east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it
makes its waters wholesome”, we who are filled with the Holy Spirit, too, must
bring the love and the light of Christ to the world, so that all cultures,
societies and human values are Christified and purified by the gospel.
How can we be truly His
Church and His Body in the world unless we begin by purifying ourselves? This was why Jesus came. In the
gospel, we see Him purifying the Temple by driving out the merchants.
“Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle
and sheep as well, scattered the money-changers’ coins, knocked their tables
over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop
turning my Father’s house into a market’.” St John commented further,
“Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: ‘Zeal for your house
will devour me.’”
If we wish to acquire the
same zeal for the House of God and for the conversion of the world, let us
not forget to purify our own house, especially of sin, and cut off the dead
branches even as we go out to witness Christ in the world. We
must grow in holiness and grace. The light of Christ cannot shine through
us when we allow sin, especially that of self-centeredness expressed in greed,
power and ambition to take control of our lives. Indeed, Jesus warned us,
“If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the
temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.” Let us not forget that
we have been consecrated to God at baptism. The failure to realize this
will cause our own perdition. It is therefore important that we be
faithful to the sacraments, especially of reconciliation and the Eucharist, as
well as a fervent prayer life founded on the Word of God.
Through such means as
these provided by our mother Church, we will renew our zeal for the house of
God. As Blessed Mother
Teresa of Calcutta says, “A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart
burning with love. I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who
is sending a love letter to the world.” And even when we face opposition
from our foes, within and without, as we seek to spread the Good News or in
trying to live a holy life, we need not fear, for like Jesus, we know that God
is with us. Like the psalmist, we can pray with confidence for “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. God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at
the break of dawn. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of
Jacob.”
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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