Readings:
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22
Introduction
This Sunday we celebrate the Dedication of the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, the “mother of all churches.” I lived one block from Rome’s Cathedral and know it well. I’ve visited the original housing beneath it — once belonging to the Laterano family, who fell into disfavor with the Roman Emperor and were slaughtered. Their home became army barracks before Constantine gave the property to the Church in the early fourth century, making it the Church of the Holy Savior and eventually adding Saints John the Evangelist and John the Baptist to its title.
I’ve been underneath its floor, confronted by the sinful cruelty of those enamored with political power, and climbed above the ceiling to see remnants of the original cathedral walls decorated by people seeking to worship God and share Christ’s Good News. What impresses me most is the human history this basilica encapsulates. From past to present, tourists and pilgrims of hope continue passing through its Holy Door.
Today’s readings invite us to reflect on three themes: the holiness of the Temple, the building up of God’s people, and the living water flowing from the sanctuary.
Exposition of the Readings
- The Cleansing of the Temple (John 2:13-22)
When Jesus entered the Jerusalem temple, He found merchants and money changers turning sacred space into a marketplace. With a whip of cords He drove them out, declaring, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples recalled the Psalm, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” This dramatic act reminds us that God’s temple must serve and enlighten Jesus’s flock, not fleece it.
- The Church as Spiritual Temple (1 Cor 3:9-11, 16-17)
St. Paul tells us that together we are “the temple of God, and God’s Spirit dwells in you.” The foundation is Christ, and no other foundation may be laid. The true temple is not a building of stone like San Giovanni but the community of believers built upon Christ, the living stone.
- Psalm 46 – God Our Refuge
The Psalmist proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Even when “the earth changes” and “mountains shake,” the city of God remains unmoved because the Lord dwells in its midst. This hymn mirrors the Lateran’s own history of earthquakes, fires, and invasions—yet it stands firm as the spiritual capital of the world.
- Ezekiel 47 – The River of Life
Ezekiel’s vision of water issuing from the temple’s threshold, growing from ankle-deep to a mighty river bringing life to all it touches, illustrates the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying power flowing from Christ’s presence. The water nourishes trees that never wither, symbolizing the ever-green fruit of the Church in the holiness of saints who served the poor and oppressed.
The Lateran as Temple Archetype
Pope John Paul II described the Lateran as “the dwelling place of God among us” and “mother of all churches.” Its baptistery, founded by Constantine, still stands where the first Christians entered the water of new life. Its wooden high altar reminds us that the liturgy is the living continuation of the temple’s sacrifice. Even after earthquakes and the great fire of 1878, the basilica was rebuilt, echoing Psalm 46’s promise that God’s city “shall not be moved.”
Application: Living the Temple Daily
Guard the Sanctity of Our Personal Temples – Just as Jesus expelled the merchants, we must examine what “marketplaces” have crept into our hearts: gossip, materialism, complacency. Paul’s warning that “if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person” challenges us to keep our lives pure spaces for the Holy Spirit. This happens together—when individual bricks unite, a temple can be built.
Build on Christ’s Foundation – Every act of charity, justice, prayer, or study is a stone laid on the solid rock of Christ. Like the water in Ezekiel that grows deeper and wider, our small deeds, rooted in love, become a river of grace nourishing the whole community.
Find Refuge in Faith Community – When the world trembles, the Church offers stable refuge. Participating fully in the liturgy—whether at the Lateran or our local parish—places us within the protective “river of life” that sustains us amid personal storms.
Conclusion
The Dedication of San Giovanni in Laterano invites us to see the basilica not merely as historic monument but as living embodiment of the Church’s identity as God’s holy temple, a people set apart. Through the Gospel’s zeal, Paul’s teaching on the spiritual house, the Psalmist’s confidence in God’s refuge, and Ezekiel’s vision of life-giving water, we are called to purify our hearts, build together on Christ, and let the Spirit’s river flow through us to all around us.
May the Lord, who dwells in the midst of His people, fill our lives with the steadfast strength that sustains the Lateran through the ages. Let us go forth, zealous for the house of God, united as one holy temple, and become channels of living water that brings life to all.
Gilberto Cavazos-González, OFM
Professor of Christian Spirituality
John Duns Scotus Chair of Franciscan Spirituality