Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

1st READING
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

P SA L M
Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
R: The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!

2nd READING
1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord, that my name may be there forever.

John 2:13-22

WHO REIGNS IN YOUR HEART?

When I was younger, I felt a different kind of awe whenever I entered a church. There was this silence, the common attentiveness to an unseen spiritual presence, the deep sense for the holy. The images I remember before the Mass were of people sitting still, praying their personal devotions, meditating on the Mass readings. God, and the things of God, had our full attention. Times have changed.

Today is the feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. It is actually the “Head and Mother” of all churches in the world and the church of the Pope as bishop of Rome.

In the Gospel, Jesus overturned the money changers’ tables and merchandises, angry that they had turned the temple into a marketplace. Money and commerce have become the new god. If Jesus visits our churches today, He will not be turning tables; He will be breaking tablets. Go to any church today and attend Mass, and the very first words you will hear before the start of the celebration will be something like this: “To preserve the solemnity of our celebration, please turn off your cell phones or switch them to silent mode.” Believe me, even while the entrance procession is already moving, I still see people sending “one last message” or maybe finishing one last level of their favorite game on their gadgets. This just validates the saying: “Modern believers still struggle with the worship of idols. Ours just have screens.”

Come to think of it, God has to beg for our attention now. In a church where I regularly celebrate Mass, they installed a frequency jammer that blocked Internet and phone signals inside the church. Some people bitterly complained, claiming they have to be reachable for emergency. These people think Planet Earth will end if they become unreachable even for just an hour.

Though we celebrate today the feast of a basilica, what we really need to evaluate is the basilica of our hearts: who rules, who is worshipped, and what is enshrined in them. Look into yours. Fr. Joel O. Jason