Temples that are temporal and eternal

The liturgy today celebrates the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. This building for the gathering of Christians dates back to the 4th century after Emperor Constantine permitted Christians to celebrate their religion in the Empire. The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary highlight the “life giving “ nature of the faithful community when it gathers in the “temples” of stone and wood. The “Living Temples” of the indwelling spirit are celebrated by Paul as the source of our intimacy with the Divine. The “temple” cleansed by Jesus in John’s gospel is prophetic of the power of intimacy with Jesus, through the Spirit, to cleanse our “temples” or earthen vessels.