Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

 Dedication of the Lateran Basilica November 09, 2025

Ezekiel 47: 1-2, 8-9; Corinthians 3: 9-11; John 2: 13-22

(Image courtesy: Google)

A small-town church was built many years ago. At its dedication, the community poured out their hopes, dreams, and memories into that building. Over time, its roof leaked, the paint began to peel, and many folks stopped entering. One Sunday an older woman quietly came and stood before the altar, tears in her eyes, not because the building had grandeur, but because she saw in that worn stone and broken pews something far greater: a spiritual home. She whispered, “It doesn’t matter that the walls crumble; what matters is that God dwells here and in us.” And that simple witness changed the hearts of others. The church wasn’t just a building, it was a living reality, a community of God’s presence.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran on 9 November, a feast with universal significance. The readings chosen, speak deeply to who we are, where we belong, and how God desires to dwell among us.

In the first reading from Ezekiel the prophet sees water flowing from the temple. That water becomes life for every creature, healing for trees, and nourishment for fruit. Let us imagine from the heart of the sanctuary flows a river of grace, changing even the salt sea into fresh water. That image reminds us that wherever the temple God’s dwelling place, is present, life bursts forth in places of barrenness, hope rises amidst despair.

Then in the second reading from St Paul we hear: “You are God’s building… you are God’s temple, and the Spirit of God dwells in you.” The foundation: only Christ. The building: us. The dwelling: the Holy Spirit. We are each living stones, collectively the temple of God.

In the Gospel Jesus enters the temple in Jerusalem and drives out those who commercialize God’s house: “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” 

Then he says, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” referring to his body. The old temple passes; the new temple is Christ himself, and by extension, his body, the Church.

Why This Feast Matters to Us? We might ask: why celebrate the dedication of a building in Rome? Because the Lateran Basilica is more than bricks and mortar. It is called “Mother and Head of all the Churches of Rome and of the World.” 

It is a sign of unity, of the gathering of humanity in God’s presence, of the divine home among us. But even more deeply: the feast invites us to realize that our true home is not only a church building, it is Christ himself, and the community of believers in whom he dwells. The readings beckon us to awaken to the truth that we are the temple, the river of life flows, and grace streams through us.

You carry the temple within you. Paul’s words are radical: we are not participants in God’s building; we are God’s building. We hold the Holy Spirit. That means each of our lives matters. Our choices, our habits, our inner landscape become the sacred place of God’s presence. If we treat ourselves, others, the world with respect, if we cultivate holiness, we honour the temple.

When we gather, God’s house is among us. The building of church or chapel is a symbol. When we come together in faith, we bring life, we bring the river of God’s grace. We see growth, healing, fruit. The first reading image of fruit trees whose leaves “shall not fade” and whose fruit will feed and heal (Ez 47:12) points to that. 

So when we meet for worship, when the Word is spoken, when the bread is broken, we become that sanctuary for one another.

In the Gospel, Jesus cleanses the outer temple. But the deeper message: God wants a dwelling place free from exploitation, hypocrisy, distractions. If the external temple can be profaned, so can our inner temple. How often do we allow business, distractions, greed, lonliness to turn our hearts into marketplaces rather than places of prayer? The feast calls us to cleanse, in our lives, in our church, in our relationships.

Build on the one foundation: Christ. Paul warns: no other foundation than Christ. We build each day, our service, our love, our faithfulness. If our building blocks are self-interest, division, or superficiality, the fire will test them. But if we build with love, truth and faith, our lives will stand. 

The water flowing in Ezekiel: it doesn’t stay still; it moves outward, brings life wherever it goes. That is our call: don’t hoard God’s grace in ourselves. Let it run to the margins, to those neglected, to the hurting, to the lonely. Our community is called to become that river of life.

If you feel insignificant, remember: you are God’s building. Your life is sacred, not because you earned it, but because he dwells in you.

If you struggle with church or community, feeling excluded, hurt or marginalised, today’s feast reminds you: the Church’s home is you, and you belong. The sanctuary is for the whole of us.

If your everyday is busy, full of commerce, tasks, relationships that drain you, ask: is the temple inside me becoming a marketplace? Cleanse it. Invite God to renew your heart.

If you long to make a difference, small or large, be that river. Where you are planted, be a fruit-tree whose leaves heal, whose fruit feeds.

And in our common life: let us respect sacred places, our churches, our gatherings, but even more respect the people gathered, for in them God lives.

Today, as we mark the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, we give thanks not only for a magnificent church building, but for the mystery and wonder that the Church is you and me. We are the dwelling place of God, together we form his temple, his home on earth. The grandeur of stone and architecture points us to the greater reality: that God chose to dwell among us, and to dwell in us.

Let us, then, in gratitude and humility, renew our commitment. May we build on Christ the foundation. May our hearts and our community be holy. May the river of God’s grace flow through us to heal, to renew, to bring life. And may we always remember: we are home for one another, because God is home in us.

Happy Sunday