Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, Wednesday, 9 November, 2022

 Gospel Jn 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.

Reflection:

The temple of Jesus' body was a sign he was giving to them. He knew the day would come when it would be destroyed. But "I will raise it up" Jesus says. It is a sign of the trinitarian God continuously at work. It is also a reminder that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, sacred and to be kept sacred. Each time we commit sin, we are responsible for 'destroying' the temple in a little way. Jesus calls us  to be ever alert and to come back to his healing, through repentance and purification , through the Sacraments. 

Activity: 

Visit the Bl. Sacrament Chapel and spend time there remembering that Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament - Real Presence