Friday, November 09, 2007

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome


Additional Information about the Lateran Basilica[1]

Readings for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Commentary:

On this feast it is my tradition to offer you the reflections of others within the universal Church. Today’s reading commentary comes from
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa. The reflection comes from the Diocese of Wichita’s Daily Reflections.

Reading 1 Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

In today’s First Reading, the prophet describes a river of fresh water that flows from the Temple. The river flows from the east side of the temple through the Kidron Valley and into the Dead Sea. This flowing river will bring life to the Dead Sea and it will be a place where fish abound and tress will grow. This unrealistic vision is a testament to the life-giving power of God who lives in the Temple. The vision also brings to mind the rivers that watered the Garden of Eden in Gen 2:10-14. The prophet brings hope in the renewed life that God will bring his people.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 (This commentary is my own)
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!

Psalm 46 is a song of praise. In these strophes we see the same imagery of the stream used in the first reading from Ezekiel. The life giving water is a gift from God, our strength in the face of opposition. The singer confidently proclaims the greatness of God whose hand created all the earth.

Reading II 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17

In the Second Reading, Paul admonishes the community at Corinth for working against the plan of God. They pin one minister against the other, and Paul believes that this sabotages the work he and the others have done. Jesus Christ must be the one foundation upon which everything else is built, including the Temple which here actually means the collective identity of Christians. God lives in this “temple” (Christian community or Church) which is not built by human hands. In the OT, God is reluctant to allow his people to build a temple because this could lead to the belief that God is more present in one place than in another. For Paul, destroying God’s temple is synonymous with destroying the unity of the community. The more the people forget that God lives among them in their community, the greater their desire to build a temple.

According to Scripture, Solomon on a site selected and purchased by David built the Temple at Jerusalem. This place, a rocky eminence north of Ophel, has been continuously occupied ever since. Today the Mosque of Omar and the so-called Dome of the Rock occupy this site. This first Temple, also known as Solomon’s Temple, took approximately 70 years to build and suffered all the vicissitudes of the nation of Israel itself, eventually being reduced to rubble. The second Temple’s construction began after the Jews returned from their exile in Babylon in 538 BC but proceeded at a snails pace. This Temple was also subject to pilferage. In 20BC, Herod the Great began the complete rebuilding of the Temple. This reconstruction continued until shortly before the Jewish revolt ca. 62AD. Eventually this second Temple was also destroyed when the Roman Army in 70AD under the command of Titus sacked Jerusalem. This was a crushing disaster for Israel. Today what remains of this once great structure is known as the Wailing Wall. (see Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 15.11.1 §380) The physical purification of the Temple found in today’s Gospel Reading might remind us of the type of symbolic deeds performed by the prophets of the OT. Jesus’ actions, although not a miracle, is still a sign that the soon to be destroyed Temple was in need of purification and that its function would be replaced by Jesus himself.

Gospel Jn 2:13-22

In contrast to the Synoptic Gospels, in today's reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus travels to Jerusalem for Passover at the beginning of his ministry. These multiple visits to Jerusalem found in John’s Gospel are probably more correct historically. However, the actual event of the Temple purification probably took place toward the end of Jesus’ life as found in the Synoptics and probably served as the final straw which lead to his condemnation and eventual crucifixion by the Jews. For John, the antagonism by the “Jews” echo’s the later antagonism between Jews and Christians. John also drives home his point by using a literary style that progresses from ambiguity to misunderstanding and finally to comprehension.

Reflection:

Emperor Constantine confiscated the property of the Laterani family and gave it to the Church. On that property was erected the Cathedral of Rome and of the world. Pope Sylvester I dedicated this Cathedral basilica on this date in 324 A.D. The name of the Cathedral is really “Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior.” On the porch of the basilica (Cathedral) is an inscription: “The sacred Lateran basilica which is the mother and head of all the Churches throughout the entire world. The popes lived next door to this basilica for a thousand years (until they moved to Avignon.)

Adjacent to the Cathedral is a very large baptistry building. This baptistry is larger than most Churches. The baptistry was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. All baptisms in ancient Rome took place here. Thus even the Cathedral came to be known as “St. John Lateran,” that is “the Cathedral adjacent to the baptistry of St. John the Baptist which is on the old Laterani property.” Thus the misnomer!

Every important event in European history took place here for a thousand years. From here, missionaries were sent out to convert Britain and the Slavs and the Normans and the Irish and the Germans. But Churches are more than historical monuments. They are the places of contact between God and his people. Through the celebration of the sacraments Jesus Christ lives and moves among us. We meet him most perfectly in buildings called Churches.

Today, then, we honor the presence of Jesus Christ in his Church. The first reading describes water flowing from the temple at Jerusalem. From a trickle, it becomes a torrent. It gives life. This is a symbol of baptism, and calls to mind the place of the basilica as the site of baptism in ancient Rome. The second reading tells us that we, ourselves, are really God’s building. We are living stones built on the foundation of Christ himself. The gospel describes Jesus’ cleansing of the temple. His house must always be a house of prayer. Let us make sure that this is true of our Church buildings — and of ourselves as God’s temple.

(At 8:24 PM last night, Dave Hankin’s body followed his soul into everlasting life. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.)

Pax

[1] The photograph used today of St. John Lateran Basilica has been placed in the public domain.
[2] After Links to Readings Expire

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