The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate how our encounter with God in our sacred spaces spreads truth, beauty and goodness in our daily interactions with people. Father Roberto Donato was our guide through the Lateran Basilica in Rome and the nearby coffee shop during our visit in May 2015. We gathered at the same shop with Roberto’s caregivers during our visit in October 2021.
The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel describes water flowing from the Temple.
* [47:1–12] The life and refreshment produced wherever the Temple stream flows evoke the order and abundance of paradise (cf. Gn 1:20–22; 2:10–14; Ps 46:5) and represent the coming transformation Ezekiel envisions for the exiles and their land. Water signifies great blessings and evidence of the Lord’s presence (cf. Jl 2:14). (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 47, n.d.)
Psalm 46 praises God’s defence of His City and People.
* [Psalm 46] A song of confidence in God’s protection of Zion with close parallels to Ps 48. The dominant note in Ps 46 is sounded by the refrain, The LORD of hosts is with us (Ps 46:8, 12). The first strophe (Ps 46:2–4) sings of the security of God’s presence even in utter chaos; the second (Ps 46:5–8), of divine protection of the city from its enemies; the third (Ps 46:9–11), of God’s imposition of imperial peace. (Psalms, PSALM 46, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians declares God’s temple in His people.
* [3:17] Holy: i.e., “belonging to God.” The cultic sanctity of the community is a fundamental theological reality to which Paul frequently alludes (cf. 1 Cor 1:2, 30; 6:11; 7:14). (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus Cleanses the Temple.
* [2:14–22] The other gospels place the cleansing of the temple in the last days of Jesus’ life (Matthew, on the day Jesus entered Jerusalem; Mark, on the next day). The order of events in the gospel narratives is often determined by theological motives rather than by chronological data.
* [2:14] Oxen, sheep, and doves: intended for sacrifice. The doves were the offerings of the poor (Lv 5:7). Money-changers: for a temple tax paid by every male Jew more than nineteen years of age, with a half-shekel coin (Ex 30:11–16), in Syrian currency. See note on Mt 17:24.
* [2:17] Ps 69:10, changed to future tense to apply to Jesus.
* [2:19] This saying about the destruction of the temple occurs in various forms (Mt 24:2; 27:40; Mk 13:2; 15:29; Lk 21:6; cf. Acts 6:14). Mt 26:61 has: “I can destroy the temple of God…”; see note there. In Mk 14:58, there is a metaphorical contrast with a new temple: “I will destroy this temple made with hands and within three days I will build another not made with hands.” Here it is symbolic of Jesus’ resurrection and the resulting community (see Jn 2:21 and Rev 21:2). In three days: an Old Testament expression for a short, indefinite period of time; cf. Hos 6:2. (John, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
George Butterfield comments that the Lateran Basilica in Rome is the oldest church building in Europe, having been established in the reign of Constantine. It is an Archbasilica, for it is considered the most important basilica in Rome. It is named St. John Lateran after St. John the Apostle and St. John the Baptist. Lateran comes from the family that originally owned the property – the Laterani family. It is the mother church of Catholics. By celebrating it today, we remember our roots and that we are part of a large family. It is appropriate to remember our mother.
Jesus’ body is the Temple of God and, although the authorities destroyed it, he raised it up on the third day. That Temple will never fail, never stumble, and will never die again. Jesus is risen. That is the water that gladdens the City of God, the Temple of God, the Church. And we have God’s promise as stated in the Gospel Acclamation: “I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord, that my name may be there forever.” (Butterfield & Francis, 2022)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus cleanses the temple - his Father's house,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"But why did Christ use such violence? He was about to heal on the sabbath day and to do many things that appeared to them transgressions of the law. However, so that he might not appear to be acting as a rival to God and an opponent of his Father, he takes occasion to correct any such suspicion of theirs... He did not merely 'cast them out' but also 'overturned the tables' and 'poured out the money,' so that they could see how someone who threw himself into such danger for the good order of the house could never despise his master. If he had acted out of hypocrisy, he would have only advised them, but to place himself in such danger was very daring. It was no small thing to offer himself to the anger of so many market people or to excite against himself a most brutal mob of petty dealers by his reproaches and the disruption he caused. This was not, in other words, the action of a pretender but of one choosing to suffer everything for the order of the house. For the same reason, to show his agreement with the Father, he did not say 'the holy house' but 'my Father's house.' See how he even calls him 'Father,' and they are not angry with him. They thought he spoke in a more general way, but when he went on and spoke more plainly of his equality, this is when they become angry." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 23.2) (Schwager, 2019)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 2:13-22 comments that the basilica will one day decay—as will all of our churches. That’s because a church building is not our eternal home. But inside each church is a tabernacle, where Jesus dwells. He is our eternal home. He is the One who brings God and his people together as one—something we are reminded of every time we enter a church. Every church, in fact, shows us that our eternal home is with God, in Christ.
So the next time you’re longing for something that will last, get to church! Turn your attention toward the tabernacle, where Christ dwells under the humble appearance of bread and wine. Take a moment to be still and trust that the Lord will never leave you. Let his presence nourish you and make you secure in knowing that you have a home with Christ that is “built to last”—forever.
“Lord, I praise you for your steadfast faithfulness. May I learn to trust you in every situation. You are the rock on which I stand!” (Meditation on John 2:13-22, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the prophecy of Ezekiel in exile in Babylon on the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. The letter to the Corinthians emphasizes the Church is not a building but it is the action of the Spirit in people. Exchange of money and purchase of sacrificial animals was necessary for Temple worship but Jesus cleanses the practices that have gone overboard. Friar Jude shares the placement of the cleansing at the beginning of John’s Gospel to underline that all of Jesus' ministry is connected to tearing down and building up in the name of God.
Brian McLaren writes about the sense of “with-ness” that arises when people of different faiths join in service, justice, and solidarity.
Another friend . . . went to a Muslim-majority country specifically to convert Muslims to Christianity. After some time there, he got a sick feeling: he felt he was serving neither God nor the best interests of the people around him, but was instead serving the colonizing agenda of the religious clan that sent him. So he changed the direction of his work. He started mobilizing Christians and Muslims to work side by side in helping the poor. “Something happens,” he told me, “when we work together for the poor. We all change. I know that both the Christians and the Muslims feel they are encountering God in one another, and together we are encountering God as we join God in serving the poor.” He discovered that witness led him to with-ness. . . .
Talking together is important—but that interfaith dialogue becomes much deeper in the context of multi-faith collaboration. Words are good, but actions are better—especially actions that bring us together solving problems that affect everybody. . . . [What] so many other people are doing is a lot like what Jesus did: bringing together unlikely people to serve and heal together, to liberate the oppressed and their oppressors together, and to model, in their collaboration, the kind of harmony and human-kindness the world so desperately needs. [2] (McLaren, n.d.)
We are drawn by the Spirit to worship God in the “thin places” of our experience or tradition and to live in the light of those sacred encounters.
References
Butterfield, G., & Francis, P. (2022, November 9). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/110922.html
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 47. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/47?1
John, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/2?13
McLaren, B. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/our-shared-values-2022-11-09/
Meditation on John 2:13-22. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/11/09/529545/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/3?9
Psalms, PSALM 46. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/46?2
Schwager, D. (2019, April 11). Zeal for the Father's House. YouTube. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=nov9a
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