KEEPING GOD’S TEMPLE SACRED

V/​ I will turn to you O God, 

R/​ to God who gives joy to my youth

V/​ Give me the Wisdom that sits by your throne; 

R/ that I may be counted among your children

Lord, in your all-providential plan, you have led me to this moment to rediscover me in your Word and Wisdom. Aid me to make this time of meditation and prayer enriching, transforming, and liberating for my well-being and others. Amen!

BE PURE AS CHRIST

By Fr Jerome Ituah, OCD

Feast of the Lateran Basilica

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 46; 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22

9th November 2025

St. John Lateran Basilica is the mother of all churches and the seat of the bishop of Rome, the Pope. The Lateran reminds us of the dwelling place of God, the Temple. The temple in the Jewish tradition was a microcosm of heaven on earth, the dwelling place of God among His people. Therefore, the Lateran, like the temple in Jerusalem, symbolises the sacredness of the church as the dwelling place of God. It is, thus, the mother of all Catholic churches, just as Jerusalem was the site of sacred worship.

Ezekiel 47 continues a series of visions concerning the temple and the future restoration of Israel, which began in chapter 40. In this vision, the divine being leading Ezekiel takes him to the entrance of the temple, where he sees water issuing from the temple threshold from the south of the altar. This water flows into the sea, becomes fresh, and gives life to every living creature in the sea and to the trees on the banks, whose leaves never wither, nor do their fruits fail; rather, they bear fresh fruit monthly because the water flows from the sanctuary. The fruit provides nourishment, and the leaves bring healing. Ezekiel, an exilic prophet, preached during the Babylonian exile to a people in despair whose temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed. This vision offers hope of divine restoration and healing to individuals in despair, showing how the new temple would transcend the physical structure to become a source of divine succour. Hence, the water from the temple is a source of life, refreshment, healing, and blessing.

In the Gospel, Jesus is upset that the people have turned the temple into a marketplace. While the animals and exchange of money were necessary for making sacrifices in the temple, the people’s focus had shifted from true worship to commerce, thus desecrating the temple with their actions. Jesus drives them out of the temple, asking them to cease turning His Father’s house into a house of trade. The Jews ask Him for a sign to take such action. Jesus then shifts their focus from the physical structure of the temple to the spiritual temple, which He has come to inaugurate. He says, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ Jesus is the temple where true worship is offered. In the book of Revelation, the author tells us that in the heavenly city, there was no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (Rev 21:22). In other words, God’s temple is where God and Jesus Christ dwell.

St. Paul captures the reality of God’s temple in the second reading. Paul built the spiritual life of his community in Corinth, emphasising that no one can lay a foundation other than that which is Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ lives in the Christian, he becomes the temple of God since Jesus is the true temple. As God’s temple, Paul highlights that the Holy Spirit resides in us to maintain the sacredness of that temple.

St. Teresa of Avila encapsulates this reality through the imagery of a castle, portraying the soul as the dwelling place of God. She likens the soul to a magnificent palace or castle, where His Majesty resides at the centre. For Teresa, this castle comprises many rooms, each symbolising stages of growth in prayer. At that centre, the soul experiences an intimate union with God. From this centre, akin to the sanctuary in the temple, flow fountains of water that purify and sanctify the individual, making them a more suitable dwelling for the Lord. This spiritual edifice, the castle of the soul, has its foundation in prayer and virtues. The soul is the temple of God, and its sacredness must be upheld and nurtured through prayer and virtues. Therefore, we should remain mindful that God dwells within us, for the soul is indeed the temple of God.