Weekly Reflection

Jesus, the New Temple

Today’s Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica allows us to remember the journey of the people and God’s constant and faithful care. At the same time, we are reminded today that each one of us is a “house of God” in the Risen Jesus, because the Holy Spirit dwells in each one of us (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16).

This awareness alone leads us to praise the Lord on the one hand, and on the other, it leads us to say, at times excessively, “O Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof” (Mt. 8:8), forgetting that He is already in us and that He welcomes us and loves us not as we would like to be, but as we are, here, now. All the present distractions are what make the Lord’s face blurry. When we learn to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith, of our friendship with Him (cf. Heb 12:1-4), our faces will shine with light that flows from a “unified” heart. The serenity required is momentary, but it is needs to develop over a life time of continuous entering within ourselves and heading straight for the “King’s room” (cf. The Interior Castle, Saint Teresa of Avila).

The name of this Papal Basilica is the Basilica of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran. Christians consider the Basilica to be the mother church of all churches in the world. - Vatican News.