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| St. John Lateran Basilica, Photographer and Date was not cited |
On this feast it is my
tradition to offer you the reflections of others within the universal Church.
Today’s reading commentary comes from Brendan Byrne SJ. The homily is by the Most Reverend
Daniel H. Mueggenborg, Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle.
Reading 1: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
The angel brought me
back to the entrance of the
temple,
and I saw water flowing out
from beneath the threshold of
the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple
was toward the east;
the water flowed down from
the southern side of the temple,
south of the altar.
He led me outside by the
north gate,
and around to the outer gate
facing the east,
where I saw water trickling
from the southern side.
He said to me,
“This water flows into the
eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the
salt waters, which it makes fresh.
Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature
that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant
fish,
for wherever this water comes
the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the
river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade,
nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear
fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by
the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for
food, and their leaves for medicine.”
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Commentary on Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
“The scriptural offerings
begin with a first reading taken from a (somewhat truncated) excerpt from
Ezekiel’s vision of the renewed Temple in Jerusalem (47:1-2, 8-9, 12). Because
the presence of the Lord has returned to the Temple (following the return of
Israel itself from exile), the waters flowing from the Temple have become
life-giving in the spectacular way described – even the Dead Sea is seen as
being made to teem with fish when the waters enter it. The vision has entered
Christian imagination as a powerful symbol of the life (grace) that flows to
human beings through God’s presence in the Temple of the Church.”[sic]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
R. (5) The waters of the river gladden the city of
God
God is our refuge and our
strength,
an ever-present help in
distress.
Therefore, we fear not,
though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the
depths of the sea.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High!
There is a stream whose
runlets gladden the city of God
the holy dwelling of the Most
High.
God is in its midst; it shall
not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break
of dawn.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High!
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of
Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the
LORD,
the astounding things he has
wrought on earth.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High!
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Commentary on Ps 46:2-3, 5-6,
8-9*
Psalm 46 is a hymn of praise. In this passage we see the analogy
presented in the reading from Ezekiel referenced (Ezekiel
47:1-2, 8-9, 12) as the Lord is praised for supporting
the people with his strength and creation.
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Reading II: 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
Brothers and sisters:
You are God’s building.
According to the grace of God
given to me,
like a wise master builder I
laid a foundation,
and another is building upon
it.
But each one must be careful
how he builds upon it,
for no one can lay a
foundation other than the one that is there,
namely, Jesus Christ.
Do you not know that you are
the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God
dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God’s
temple,
God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God
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Commentary on 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17
“In the second
reading, 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17, St Paul moves from speaking of the
Christian community at Corinth in terms of a ‘plantation’ to that of a
‘building’, and finally a ‘holy building’ or temple, in which God’s Spirit
dwells. Christian ministers, such as he and his co-workers, are the builders
who are bringing this holy building to completion. The essential foundation
that Paul has laid is Christ. As is necessary for the success of any building
operation, all subsequent builders must ensure that their work is rightly
aligned upon the foundation. The image of the community as a holy building or
temple was something early Christianity derived from Judaism. It communicates
the sense that even when absent from a physical place of worship the gathered
community is already itself a holy building (temple) in which the Lord is
present. The physical building is the outward, local, visible expression of the
Christian conviction that it is God’s delight to dwell among human beings – a
presence made vastly more accessible through the Incarnation of the Son,
extended to all times and places through the sacramental life of the Church.”
CCC: 1
Cor 3:9 307, 755, 756; 1 Cor
3:11 756; 1 Cor 3:16-17 797
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Gospel: John 2:13-22
Since the Passover of the
Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem
He found in the temple area
those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers
seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the
temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the
money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves
he said,
“Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father’s
house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the
words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will
consume me.
At this the Jews answered and
said to him,
“What sign can you show us
for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to
them,
“Destroy this temple and in
three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said,
“This temple has been under
construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in
three days?”
But he was speaking about the
temple of his Body.
Therefore, when he was raised
from the dead,
his disciples remembered that
he had said this,
and they came to believe the
Scripture
and the word Jesus had
spoken.
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Commentary on Jn 2:13-22
“The Gospel, John
2:13-22, adds a christological crown to this rich scriptural offering. In
John’s account, Jesus’ ‘cleansing’ of the Temple in Jerusalem is very radical.
By driving out the animals and money changers he is really overthrowing the
whole system of Temple Temple in Jerusalem
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Homily[4]
by Bishop. Daniel H. Mueggenborg
It is a personal privilege for me to
celebrate today’s feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran. As many of you
know, I have a great love for and interest in the Christian monuments in Rome.
The basilica of St. John Lateran is a distinctive treasure of theology,
spirituality, and ecclesiology. As you approach the basilica, you see an
inscription across the front that says this: “The sacrosanct Lateran Church,
mother and head of all the churches of the City and of the world.” In a real
sense, the St. John Lateran is a mother who has been teaching us, as Catholics,
what it means to be Church for more nearly 1,700 years. As residents of Rome,
this is our Cathedral and I think it is worth listening to a few lessons that I
think this basilica, our Mother, has to offer us today even as she first taught
them to the Church of Rome 1,700 years ago.
The first lesson is what she says to us
by her sheer size. You know, when Constantine legalized Christianity in
312/313, he made it possible for Christians to worship publicly for the first
time. But temples in the ancient world were very small – event the temple in
Jerusalem had a very small sanctuary. That’s because people in the ancient
world did not participate in worship. Instead, only the priest would enter the
sanctuary to offer sacrifice. The people stood outside while the priest
worshipped for them. So you can imagine Constantine’s surprise when he said to
Pope Silvester, “how big of a temple do you want” and Pope Silvester replied,
“How big can you build it?! The idea that people would actually participate in
worship was revolutionary. St. John Lateran was the first place built for
public Christian worship in the City of Rome and as such it set the standard
for all others. It taught them, and it teaches us, that the Mass is never
something we watch like spectators but always something in which we
participate. No one can do our prayer for us. Do you see why Jesus drove the
money changers out of the temple? He didn’t want a temple in which others offer
purchased sacrifices; he wanted a new temple in which the presence of God
dwells and those assembled are members of his body raised up. So when we come
here for our liturgies, do we watch the priest pray or are we transformed with
the priest as he leads us in prayer? If the first words out of our mouths
following a liturgy are observations of criticism rather than expressions of
thanksgiving, then we are more observers than participants. But if we are
participants, then every reading of scripture will speak to our heart and every
Eucharist will be a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
The second lesson of St. John Lateran
is in the Baptistry – it is the lesson of the red columns and beautifully
carved pilasters. These were taken from other imperial monuments in Rome and
used to build the baptistery. They could have used new materials when they
built the baptistery – they didn’t have to use things from other buildings.
They did so for a purpose, to teach a truth of faith. And I think the truth is
this: In baptism, that which was secular becomes sacred; that which was
profane, is now profoundly incorporated into the body of Christ. Those old
pieces of marble and red porphyry used to adorn the monuments of the pagan
emperors. They are symbols of all the forces of sin and death that tried to
destroy Christianity – but through the grace of Baptism, they become a
beautiful part of the Church. That is the power of baptism – It changes all
people and makes them new in Christ. The Church always has been a community of
sinners seeking God’s grace. The baptistery of St. John Lateran reminds us that
no sin is greater than God’s mercy, and that the waters of Baptism and the
grace of Reconciliation continue to take what is secular and make it sacred. How
easy it would have been for the early Church to become elitist thinking that
people had to earn their right to be Christian or somehow prove themselves holy
before they would be accepted. St. John Lateran shatters that arrogant
illusion. If the porphyry pillars that once served the personal needs of
murderous pagan emperors could become the welcoming public entrance of a
Christian Church, then there’s hope for us, too, and for all God’s people. St.
John Lateran teaches us that the Church is where we trust and celebrate God’s
all-powerful, unbounded, transforming mercy.
Lastly, the gilded bronze pillars near
the altar of repose for the Blessed Sacrament. These pillars were given by
Constantine to the Basilica of St. John Lateran for reason – because they tell
a story. You see, in 44 BC, Augustus was named the heir of Julius Caesar. It
was not an easy transition – he had to conquer Mark Antony. And when he did, in
the year 30 BC he set sail to also conquer the famed and feared Egyptian navy
of Cleopatra. And when it was over, he confiscated all the Egyptian ships of
Cleopatra’s fleet and removed their prows – that’s the bronze decoration piece
that was used on the bow. Augustus melted those bronze pieces and molded them
into 4 pillars which he had placed in the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline
Hill. They were a symbol to everyone that a new day had dawned and that a new
era had begun. A new chapter in world history had opened – the Roman Empire had
been formed. Those pillars were powerful. And Constantine gave them to the
Basilica of St. John Lateran to make the same statement … but now for the
Church – a new day has dawned, a new era has begun, a new chapter in world
history is now opened – Christianity is no longer only a private, personal
experience of faith; it is now a public witness that courageously forms society
and transforms cultures and no longer hides in fear of persecution or
rejection. Those pillars are a statement to us today that we are to be
courageously prophetic, and publicly vocal in our witness of faith. That the
new chapter of Christianity is still open and the Church has a necessary voice
in world affairs. We need to remember that – today more than ever – lest we
become silent and the bronze columns of St. John Lateran become nothing but
interesting artifacts from the past.
So visit St. John Lateran. And when you
see her size, remember it is so we too can be participants in worship and not
just watch it. When you see the columns and marbles of ancient Rome reused,
remember it is so we too can be transformed by grace and the profane in our
lives can be made profound by Christ. When you see the pillars of bronze around
the tabernacle, it is so you will be priests and prophets of the Christian era
in a secular world.
Today, we do not just celebrate the
dedication of a church – we celebrate the dedication of that church which
continues to teach us how to be Church.
In other years:
[1]
The photograph is of St. John Lateran Basilica,
Photographer and Date was not cited.
[3]
The
readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
* Brendan Byrne SJ did
not write a commentary on the Psalm, this commentary is my own.
[4]
Most Rev. Daniel H. Mueggenborg, Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle, formerly served
as the Vice Rector for Administration, Director of Admissions and Formation
Advisor at the Pontifical North American College in Rome (at the time this
homily was written). He is from the
Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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