In our Gospel this week, Jesus enters the Temple in Jerusalem and drives out the money changers, declaring, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” This dramatic scene is more than a moment of anger; it is a prophetic act. Jesus reveals a deep truth about God’s presence — that true worship is not about buildings or rituals alone, but about hearts turned toward the Father in spirit and truth.
The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica celebrates this same mystery. The Lateran Basilica in Rome, the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome, is called “the mother and head of all churches.” Yet today’s feast is not merely about a building of stone and marble; it celebrates the living Church — the People of God, the Body of Christ — dedicated to being a dwelling place for God in the world.
In cleansing the Temple, Jesus pointed beyond the physical structure to himself as the new and living Temple: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” His death and resurrection fulfilled this promise. In him, the presence of God now dwells fully among us. Through baptism, we become part of this new temple — living stones built upon Christ, the cornerstone. The Lateran Basilica, therefore, stands as a sign of unity for all Christians, reminding us that we are called to be the visible presence of God’s holiness in our communities and in our world.
This feast invites us to examine the temples of our own hearts. Are they places of prayer, compassion, and justice, or have they become cluttered with distraction and self-interest? Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple challenges us to allow him to purify what is within us, so that we may be true dwellings of his Spirit.
As we honour the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, we give thanks for the Church — the holy dwelling of God among his people. May we, like that sacred building, be renewed as signs of God’s living presence and instruments of his peace and love in the world.
Fr Stephen Berecz
