Daily Catholic Lectio
Mon, 9 Nov 2026
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Jn 2:13-22
We Are the Temple! We Have a Temple!
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica.
The Basilica of Saint John Lateran is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome and contains the official episcopal seat of the Pope. It is also known as the Basilica of the Most Holy Saviour or the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist. In the early Roman Church, many Christians received Baptism there. Built under Emperor Constantine, it was dedicated in the year 324 by Pope Sylvester. It is honoured as the mother church of all the churches of the world.
Today’s readings offer us two important ways of understanding the word “temple.”
In the first reading (cf. Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12), the temple appears as a sign of new life. During the Babylonian exile, the glory of the Lord had departed from the Temple of Jerusalem. When the people returned, the Lord once again came to dwell among them. Ezekiel sees water flowing from the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. Wherever this water flows, it brings renewal, healing, and life. The temple, therefore, is not merely a building. It is the place from which God’s life flows out towards the world.
In the Gospel (cf. Jn 2:13-22), Jesus takes our understanding of the temple one step further. The temple is no longer understood only as the presence of God in a particular place. It becomes the presence of God in a person. During the cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus speaks about destroying the temple and raising it again in three days. His listeners think that He is speaking about the building, but the Gospel tells us that He is speaking about the temple of His body.
This changes everything. God’s presence is no longer limited to stones, walls, pillars, or sacred spaces. In Jesus, God dwells among us in a human person.
What does this feast teach us today?
First, God lives among us.
A church building is a visible sign that God is with His people. A traditional saying tells us not to live in a place without a temple. The deeper meaning is this: a community needs a centre, a presence, a point of reference. For us, that centre is God.
The church in our parish reminds us that our life does not revolve only around ourselves, our work, our worries, or our plans. God is present in our midst. He is the true centre of our community.
Second, the temple lifts our thoughts upward.
When we enter a great church and look at its towers, arches, pillars, and high ceilings, not only our eyes but also our thoughts are lifted upward. Sacred architecture teaches us something silently: do not remain trapped only in what is low, immediate, and temporary. Lift your heart towards what is higher.
A church building invites us to raise our minds from the visible to the invisible, from the temporary to the eternal, from ourselves to God.
Third, the temple is like an umbilical cord connecting us with God.
The church is a place of relationship. Through it, the grace of God reaches us in a visible and sacramental way. Here we are baptised. Here we hear the Word of God. Here we receive the Eucharist. Here we celebrate marriage, reconciliation, and the important moments of our life. And when our earthly life comes to an end, the Church continues to accompany us in prayer.
From Baptism to death, the church remains part of our spiritual story.
But today’s Gospel reminds us of something even deeper: we ourselves are temples.
If the body of Christ is the temple, and if we belong to Christ, then our lives too must become places where God can dwell. A beautiful church building is important. But even more important is the living temple of the human heart.
What happens if the church building is beautiful but our hearts are filled with hatred? What happens if the altar is clean but our relationships are broken? What happens if the sanctuary is full of light but our lives remain closed to mercy?
The true dedication of a church must lead to the dedication of ourselves.
Therefore, on this feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, let us remember not only that great basilica in Rome. Let us also remember the dedication of our own parish church, our diocesan church, and above all, the dedication of our own lives.
We have a temple. And we are the temple.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A Yesni Prays Initiative
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