2025/11/09 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
- Elise Giles, Sr. Manager of Evangelization & Growth
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. It was originally built by Emperor Constantine and consecrated in 324 A.D. Though it has been damaged and rebuilt several times due to fires and earthquakes, it remains one of the oldest churches in the world and is the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome.
I had the chance to visit the Lateran Basilica in Rome this past summer with my mom. I remember being struck not only by the scale and beauty of the building, but by the crowds it drew—pilgrims from every corner of the world, drawn together by faith. Standing there, I realized that this basilica is more than a monument; it is a living sign of the unity of the Church, the “mother of all churches,” where generations of believers have gathered to worship the same Lord.
This feast day is timely as we reopen our doors this weekend after a few weeks of renovation! Our church buildings are a beautiful element of our faith and it’s our job as the Church to take care of them so people can continue to grow into deeper relationship with God through worship, sacraments and shared Christian life in community. The readings this week remind us that not only does God dwell within our beautiful and holy sanctuaries, but He chooses to dwell in us.
Saint Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians that “you are God’s building… you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you.” It is a striking image that each baptized person and the Church as a whole, are the very place where God chooses to dwell.
In the Gospel, Jesus enters the temple and drives out the money changers, declaring, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His passion for the purity of God’s dwelling challenges us to look inward. If we are temples of the Holy Spirit, what needs to be driven out from within us? What habits, distractions, or compromises have turned our hearts into marketplaces of self-interest rather than sanctuaries of divine love? Jesus’ cleansing of the temple is not an act of anger but of restoration. He desires that God’s dwelling place, both in Jerusalem and within each of us, be holy and whole.
As we celebrate this feast and remember that sacred buildings like the Lateran Basilica and our own Saint Clement draw crowds to marvel and pray, but our own lives as Christians should also draw others to encounter the living God. May Christ continue His cleansing and renewing work within us, so that our lives can be beautiful testimonies of faith, hope and love.