Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22

The heart of the temple

You are God's building, says today's second reading, because Jesus Christ is your foundation. However, when we build our daily life upon this foundation without the bricks and tools that are from God, our faith cracks, weakens, and even collapses.

You are God's temple, because the Holy Spirit dwells in you. In the Old Testament days, the temple was made of stone and mortar, and people visited it on pilgrimages. God's Spirit dwelled in the heart of this structure, a room called the holy of holies into which no human could enter except the high priest once a year on the Day of Atonement when a blood offering was made for the sins of the people.

Jesus became the High Priest and transformed the Day of Atonement into Good Friday (he speaks of this in today's Gospel reading) and because the Holy Spirit dwelled perfectly and completely in the human temple of his body, we who are now the Body of Christ on earth are also temples of the Holy Spirit. But the door to the holy of holies within our hearts is not always open. When we close our hearts to others, we deny them the opportunity to experience the Holy Spirit working through us.

In the first reading, we see that much good comes from God's temple. Since we are temples of the Holy Spirit, goodness flows out into the world from God through us. Water in Ezekiel's vision represents the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life. Look at what happens when the Holy Spirit flows outward from our hearts: Instead tasting like salty water that kills those who try to drink it, we do good deeds that bring nourishment and life to others.

To be life-giving, we must first nourish our own hearts by soaking up the refreshing waters of the Holy Spirit. Desiring to be holy and wanting to do good is not enough. It's easy to fall back into the old reactions and limitations of our sinful human nature. We're weak and we quickly succumb to the temptations of worldly, unholy ways of dealing with stress and difficulties and relationships. Holiness requires great effort — more effort than we can muster by ourselves

We soak up the life of the Spirit whenever we purify our hearts by receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, and by repenting of our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and then by additionally taking time to pray and to listen for his quiet voice within. God's Spirit refreshes us when we read and reflect on scripture, discuss our problems with faith-filled companions, or take action in the ministry of Christ.

As human temples built on Christ, we rely upon and give to others what the Holy Spirit gives to us. By imitating Jesus in ministering to the people around us, we build our lives with bricks and mortar that will last forever.