Sunday, November 9, 2025
The Lateran Basilica, or the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in the Lateran area of Rome, is the oldest of Rome’s four great papal basilicas. The others being St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s, and St. Mary Major’s. The Catholic Encyclopedia refers to the Lateran Basilica as “mother and head of all the churches of the city and of the world.” The Readings chosen by the Church for this Feast Day are rich in symbolism. First, we read a prophetic vision from the prophet Ezekiel, in which water flows out of the temple to every corner of the world, bringing life wherever it passes. Here, the temple is not merely a church or a building but a holy and living place. The water stream becomes a river and “empties into the polluted waters of the sea to freshen them.” — Ezekiel 47:8b. Wherever the river flows, it abounds with fish and living creatures. Trees on its banks grow every kind of fruit, and their leaves never wither. “Their fruit is used for food, and their leaves for healing.” — Ezekiel 47:12b. This image of water flowing into the polluted sea symbolizes Baptism, representing healing and the renewal of our souls. As a result, we become living water that can quench and heal the world.
The New Testament Reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians declares that we, the believers, are “God’s co-workers” — 1 Corinthians 3:9, and asks: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” —1 Corinthians 3:16. St. Paul asserts that Jesus Christ is the only foundation of the Church, and God will destroy anyone who destroys it. The Church is where the faithful gather to encounter the Holy Spirit, to receive the Eucharist, and to be formed into the Body of Christ.
Finally, in the Gospel Reading, St. John records Jesus driving out animal sellers and money changers from the Temple. People traveled from afar, and perhaps there was a need for this commercial ecosystem of sacrificial animal sellers and money changers, but the cleansing of the Temple was not a rejection of valuable services, but rather Jesus protecting the holiness and sanctity of the house of God. The sellers’ greed exploited the sacred space by turning the outer court of the temple into a marketplace. Jesus cleansed the Temple as He cleanses and purifies us from our transgressions. He then foretells that the Temple will be rebuilt in three days, a prophecy fulfilled in the resurrection and the establishment of the Church as the new Temple (John 2:19-22).
St. Paul reminds us that we are God’s temple, with His Spirit residing within us. Each time we partake of the Eucharist, we receive Christ’s body and blood, becoming a living sanctuary, a holy dwelling. Though we are frail and sinful, God still chooses to inhabit us, constantly yearning to be united with us.
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.