November 9, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Titus 2:1-8, 11-14 and Luke 17:7-10
All three readings today speak of rich images but what stands out is the image of a temple. In ordinary parlance, this temple could be any building or place of worship but in our readings this temple is more than a structure. It is Christ Himself.
How beautiful it is that we are reminded that the temple, now more commonly referred to as a church, is Christ from whom all graces flow. This sends us a very strong message never to be apart from the Church because the water that flows from it as described in the first reading is the source of life.
More beautiful reminder is that of the second reading. That having received the grace of God we become His temple. The Holy Spirit lives in us. What can be more beautiful than that?
But how have we been treating our bodies? What have we done with the foundation that Christ has built in us?
The Gospel narrates how we have treated our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit. We have desecrated ourselves because of our worldliness, our vices and caprices. We have made ourselves so attached to the things of this world reducing ourselves into commodities of pleasure. When our bodily concerns take over our spiritual needs, we shake the foundation of our lives. No wonder, our lives become miserable despite all the glitters and conveniences.
May today’s readings send us a strong message to keep our identity as God’s temples and as such may we also become channels of His grace and mercy, not instruments of this world’s evil business.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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