The Mystery of the Church
November 9, 2024 - Saturday, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
John 2:13–22
There are four Jewish festivals mentioned in John’s Gospel: the Sabbath day—a weekly holy day that falls on our Saturday (John 5:10); the Passover, celebrated in spring—close to our Easter; the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2), which falls in autumn; and the Feast of the “Rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem,” known as the Feast of Lights, celebrated in winter, close to our Christmas.
The Gospel mentions three Passover feasts, and twice Jesus was in Jerusalem on those occasions. At the first Passover, recorded in today’s Gospel, Jesus cleansed the temple. During the second Passover, Jesus remained in Galilee, where He multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish to feed five thousand men and gave a long discourse on the meaning of that miracle. Finally, the third Passover was the Passover of His death and resurrection.
When we combine all these festivals, we see the message of the Gospel: Jesus is the living temple of God that replaces the temple made of stones. Jesus is the living bread that replaces the manna of the Old Testament. Jesus is the source of living water, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the light of the world that enlightens our darkness. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Finally, Jesus is the resurrection and the life that knows no end.
“‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days’?” Jesus’ body—the living temple of God—was destroyed on Good Friday, and in three days, on Easter morning, He raised it up. This event changed the course of human history forever. The feast of the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, where the Bishop of Rome presides, known as St. John Lateran, reminds us of this pivotal moment.
For nearly 300 years, Christians—often risking their lives—proclaimed the Gospel across the Roman Empire. Finally, in the year 313 AD, they were granted the freedom to worship Christ, the Lord. The Roman Emperor Constantine, who granted this freedom, also built a magnificent church on one of Rome’s hills. Over the course of history, this church was dedicated to Christ the Savior of the world, John the Baptist, His famous precursor, and John the Evangelist, who left us the Gospel about God’s love for the world: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” (John 3:16). Many Christians consider this church the mother church of all churches in the world.
This feast reminds us of the power of the Gospel proclaimed by Christ’s disciples. Like a tiny seed, it falls into the soil of empires and nations, peoples and cultures, and slowly transforms them from within. It grows into the large tree of the Church, comprising a multitude of peoples from different tribes and nations. This feast also points us toward the heavenly Jerusalem, the beautiful bride of Christ, built by the power of God’s grace.