Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Maryknoll Seminarian Joe Odundo in Chicago reflects on God’s temple.

One of my favorite African theologians, John Mbiti, said in his book, African Religion and Philosophy, “Africans are notoriously religious.” This is neither an exaggeration nor a coincidence. Regardless of the religion people convert to, wherever Africans are, they carry their religiosity with them.

 This phrase comes to mind as I consider and reflect on today’s feast, its history, the culture, traditions and theological symphony: God’s life radiates outward from the place of divine presence.

Why do we celebrate the dedication of a church today? Why does this feast override the sequence of Sundays in Ordinary Time? Why is it so important? Perhaps some historical background will help.

The site of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome was occupied in ancient times by the palace of the Lateran family. It came into the hands of Emperor Constantine through his wife, Fausta, who gave it to the Church no later than 311.

After a council was held there in 313, it became known as the “mother and head of all the churches of the city (Rome) and the world,” as well as the official residence of the pope, bishop of Rome, and the cathedral for the diocese of Rome. As such, the basilica has functioned as a sign of unity for all Christians since the 4th century and has the potential to serve in this way for all Catholic Christians in our times.

In the gospel reading, Jesus is angered because the temple, the center of worship and God’s dwelling place, is treated like a marketplace. In the second reading, Paul reminds us that we, as individuals and as a body, are God’s temple, not just as a center of worship, but as a place of God’s dwelling.

We run the risk of allowing ourselves as temples to be treated like a marketplace. Usually, a lot of busyness, like traffic, goes through us, temples: job, family, social interactions. Nobody is exempt from inner traffic.

If we use the internet, information traffic becomes a flood. We risk losing Paul’s perspective and allowing the noise of our lives to drown out God’s voice. As a result, when God calls, all lines are busy.

Flowing through today’s readings is a single current: God builds a living temple overflowing with life. Ezekiel shows the source (water gushes from beneath the temple). Paul reveals the structure (the community of believers). John unveils the cornerstone (Jesus replaces the physical temple with his own body). God’s presence moves from place to person to people.

The Church inherits the mission of the temple, called to carry divine life into the world’s deserts. In a spiritually parched age, believers are to be like a river: bringing healing to bitterness, unity to division, and renewal to exhaustion.

As we continue to reflect on the unique and dynamic nature of the church, let us keep in mind that the Christian temple is not a museum. It is a living ecosystem in motion, flooding places of death with baptismal grace. We do not merely visit the presence of God; we carry it. Because Christ has become the new temple and his Spirit dwells in us, new life is meant to flow outward from the Church until every sea of death becomes fresh.

Photo of the mosaic in the Lateran Basilica in Rome on Oct. 29, 2018, by Deb Nystrom from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and available in the public domain via Wikimedia commons.