WE ARE HIS SANCTUARIES
(John 2:13-22)
Today is the feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica built on the Lateran Hill by Emperor Constantine in the year 320. It is the Cathedral of the Pope who the Bishop of Rome. It was dedicated to the trio: The Saviour, St John the Baptist and to St John the Evangelist. This Basilica is considered the Mother of all Churches
On this feast day, we celebrate not just the Church as an edifice but our bodies as a befitting dwelling place of the Lord. A temple is a holy dwelling place of God. It is the sanctum sanctorum; the Holy of Holies. We are His Sanctuaries. At this celebration, we are invited to: "Behold among men the dwelling place of God, they shall be his people and He shall be their Lord and God."
The Gospel of today talks about the temple of Jerusalem, the earthly house of God. Jesus is very interested with
what happens in the temple. It is His father's house. Hence, he went into the
Jerusalem Temple. There, he found disgusting activities going on: Buying and
selling, and money changing. Their actions immediately attracted Jesus'
reaction. He scattered their tables and flogged them out, reminding them of the
sacredness of his Father's House.
Do we still accord the temple of
God the respect and dignity it deserves? Do we still observe the decorum we are
supposed to observe in the house of prayer? The temple that is our body also
deserves more respect. How do we treat our bodies? Do we still know that our
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Do we buy and sell with our bodies? Let us not destroy the House of God, be it the
Church as a structure or our bodies as the perfect Temple of God.
Let us pray
May God bless and protect us with the graces that flow from his Church. May He give us the zeal to love and respect His house, our bodies and those of others, so that we may be admitted into the Heavenly dwelling He has prepared for us, through Christ our Lord. Amen
God bless your Monday
Happy feast day.
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
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