Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 / 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22
Today’s gospel passage is one of the most misunderstood stories in the Bible. Jesus goes to Jerusalem and forces the merchants to leave the temple area. He overturns the moneychangers’ table and drives the livestock into the street. Clearly Jesus is angry because the merchants are operating within God’s house – right? Not so fast. These salespeople were providing a valuable service for the Jewish people. It was against the law to offer coins with the image of the Roman Emperior’s face. So the moneychangers were necessary. It was the same with the merchants. They were selling animals that were required for the temple sacrifice. This was nothing new. Jesus grew up seeing these people in the temple area and he knew full well what their purpose was. So why did Jesus react the way he did? We need to delve a little deeper into the story.
Jesus goes on to justify his actions to the people. “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews could not have understood Christ’s response that day. They didn’t know that Jesus was about to become the sacrificial lamb – to die for their sins. They didn’t know that their world was about to change. The Gospel writer was able to look back on the events of that day and show us a different perspective. From John’s perspective, Jesus was saying that this form of worship was outdated. It had become obsolete. He himself was to become the sacrifice for all of us. He was not preaching repentance; he was preaching change – radical change – that with his death and resurrection, the world would be forever transformed. And the people of God, not just the Jews, but ALL of us would reap the benefits of this transformation.
What kind of changes was Jesus proposing for each of us? Does our world need to change? Does our church need to change? Before we can answer those questions, we must first answer a more basic question – Do our hearts need to change?
We must first transform ourselves. Paul tells us that we are the temple of the Lord. From the waters of baptism, we are marked as followers of Christ. Ezekiel paints a glorious picture for us in today’s first reading. He speaks of the temple on the hill with water trickling from beneath its doors. The grace that we receive from our baptism cannot be contained. Goodness springs forth from the temple and flows into the valley, refreshing and nurturing all those that we encounter.
But does baptism really work that way? Are we better persons because we have been baptized, or must we take a more active role? I want to be a good Christian. But sometimes I lack the motivation. Then one day about six years ago, I found inspiration in the words of a very unlikely source – my cousin Bobby.
My cousin was not what I would call a religious man. He went to church on Sunday and raised his children in the Catholic faith. But I never heard him speak of God or religion outside of church. He enjoyed camping and loved to play cards. He was not the person that I would have gone to with a deeply religious question. A few years ago, the two of us were riding together in a truck. Bobby had worked for the railroad, and was talking about his days on the train. I asked him what he thought about when he was alone on the train for hours at a time. His answer surprised me. “I wondered if I have been a good enough Catholic. I wondered if my words had influenced anyone to join the church.” Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I never would have expected him to say something like that.
Bobby’s words on that day inspired me. He made me want more. He changed my heart. He ignited a flame in me that continues to burn today. It probably was not his intention. He passed away before I got the chance to thank him. He never knew the effect that his words had on me. But it was those words, more than any other, that put me on the path to this ambo and this vocation.
There is a deeper spiritual relationship out there for each of us. Knowing where to find it can at times be difficult. Sometimes, when we do the same things again and again, they become routine. For adults, the mass and in particular, the Eucharist can become commonplace. We come to church. We listen to the priest. We sometimes sing along with the choir. We stand. We kneel. We line up and receive the Eucharist and we return to our hum drum lives. We forget the mystery and the power. We lose the wonder. We overlook the significance.
Today, let’s try and recapture that moment; to come to communion with the same wonder and awe that we had on that special day. If we truly reflect on what we are receiving, how can we not be motivated? By accepting the body and blood of Christ, we are transforming ourselves into the tabernacle. We become the temple of the Lord. God dwells within each of us. We change our hearts.
That is where we begin. Once we have changed, we begin to change others as well. As Ezekiel said, the seawater is made fresh. We change the world with our faith. We change the world with our works. We change the world with our love.
Deacon Darryl J. Diemer
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
November 9, 2008
