Be a living stream of Christ’s love
Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17; Jn 2:13-22
This Sunday we celebrate a feast day that is so significant that it supplants the usual Mass for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. The feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica has caused more than a little confusion over the years. I vividly remember seeking in vain to discover just who “St. John Lateran” was.
In fact, we are celebrating the dedication of the basilica located on the Lateran Hill in Rome, named in honor St. John the Evangelist. It serves as the cathedral church for the Diocese of Rome, and thus as the seat of the bishop of Rome (the pope), which gives it pride of place among the world’s Catholic cathedrals.
It seems fitting that the central cathedral of global Catholicism should be recognized so prominently. But why dedicate a liturgical feast day to a building, even if it is a truly important building? To answer that question, we need to employ a little aquatic ecology.
In our first reading, the prophet Ezekiel recounts a startling vision. Water is flowing out from the Jerusalem temple and eventually forms a river emptying into the saltwater sea, making it fresh and alive. “Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes … fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail” (Ez 47:9, 12).
Ezekiel is effectively describing an estuary — those remarkable ecosystems produced by the flow of a freshwater river into a saltwater sea (For example, the Nile or Mississippi River deltas). These are truly unique regions because any life-forms must be capable of thriving in either freshwater or brine, ready to adapt to an ever-changing environment since the saline levels rise and fall during times of drought or flooding.
Why should an estuary provide the metaphor for Ezekiel to describe the temple, or for the Catholic Church to help us reflect on the importance of the pope’s cathedral? Simply put, such buildings represent the flowing of God’s presence into the world.
For the ancient Israelites, the temple was literally the place where heaven and earth met. The presence of the Lord was palpably felt there.
While Catholics wouldn’t say that the body of Christ is confined within the walls of a church, these buildings are nevertheless sacred spaces wherein the bread and wine are consecrated and become the real presence of Jesus’ body and blood in the world. They are also the spaces wherein the people of God are consecrated and from which they are sent out into the world, “carrying” that presence with them and helping those they meet to recognize and receive the presence of the Holy Spirit that is already in their midst.
Thus, every time you or I walk out of a church — and the Lateran Basilica, which we remember today represents Catholic churches worldwide — we are truly entering into spiritual estuary waters. The transforming power of Christ’s body and blood, his Sacred Heart and his Holy Spirit all have the capacity to bring healing to a broken and suffering world; bringing fresh hope to despairing people.
That all sounds very nice, but what does it look like? How do you or I actively participate in this process of renewal? We should ask ourselves: “Where do I feel most alive in my faith? What aspect of my faith generates the most hope?”
Our answer to these questions represents our own bit of “spiritual freshwater.” For example, do you feel profound gratitude for something or someone that you count as a blessing in your life? Then bring that grateful spirit to someone you may know who is always complaining about the inadequacy of what they have or who is consumed by an attitude of entitlement.
Never underestimate the impact of your personal witness. Or do you have an observant and compassionate heart? Then direct that compassion toward someone who is feeling isolated in their suffering.
When we exit our churches this weekend, we are called to be a living stream of the love of Christ, sweetening the homes and neighborhoods we encounter, and helping new life to flourish.