The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome – Cycle C
Reflecting on Jn. 2: 13-32
This is interesting. Last week, the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time was preempted by the beautiful Commemoration of All Souls. But this week, the Thirty-Second Sunday is preempted by a building? Ah, but it’s not just any building. Since the fourth century, the Church has reserved November 9th—even if it falls on a Sunday near the end of Ordinary Time—for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.
I always thought there must have been a saint named John Lateran. Wrong. There’s a basilica built on the Lateran hill in Rome, named for Saint John. Taking some time to glance at today’s readings helps to make sense of why this church is considered so sacred. The scriptures are overflowing — like the life-giving river that flows from the Temple to the sea in Ezekiel’s vision today — with imagery of buildings. The Temple, in particular, is the most sacred of all buildings.
And yet, Jesus says that HE is the Temple. His listeners took him literally, of course, and didn’t understand until after the Resurrection that when he said, “Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up,” he was talking about his own death and resurrection.
And here’s the thing. It’s not just Jesus who is the new Temple. St. Paul says, “The Temple of God, which you are, is holy.” This is why the remembrance of the dedication of this basilica is so precious that we interrupt Ordinary Time to commemorate it. This basilica is the “mother Church,” not just for the pope but for the whole world, and we are its living stones.
We are the foundation. Stand strong.
When in your week do you stand strong for your faith?
Kathy McGovern ©2025