Sharing life: What are you most and least grateful for this week?

Facilitator reads focus statement: Each diocese has a cathedral. The cathedral church in Rome is St. John Lateran and not the more famous church, St. Peter’s. When the Emperor Constantine officially recognized Christianity, he made generous gifts to the church, one of which was a palace and grounds formerly belonging to the Laterani family. In 324, he added a large church on the grounds. Later a baptistery was added and dedicated to St. John the Baptist. In subsequent years the entire edifice became known as St. John of the Lateran. It is our oldest church. Despite many fires, earthquakes and wars, it has survived; thereby, becoming a symbol of the endurance of Christianity itself. The observance of this feast connects our local church with the Church of Rome, which is the center of unity. The dedication of any church recalls the heavenly Jerusalem that all church buildings symbolize. The November liturgical readings lead us in that direction.

If you have not read the commentary prior to the meeting, consider reading it either before or after you read each reading.

FIRST READING: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

In this reading, a heavenly guide gives the prophet a vision of a life-giving stream flowing around the temple gate. The guide explains that waters of this river that spring from the throne of God will make the salt waters of the Dead Sea fresh and barren places fertile with trees whose fruit is good for food and whose loaves drive sickness away. The life giving water, of course, symbolizes baptism, which cleanses us from sin, fills us with the life of Christ and is our entrance into the church.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 46

This psalm speaks of God as our ever-present strength.

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17

In this reading, Paul uses the metaphor of a building to speak about the church and our role in it. Jesus alone is the foundation stone of the church and each of us is a stone in that building. Then Paul reminds us that each of us is a temple of God and that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Hence, we must always treat our bodies with utmost respect.

GOSPEL: John 2:13-27

Jesus is in Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. He becomes very angry when he sees all the business transactions in the Temple area. Many scholars believe that what got Jesus mad was not so much that business was being conducted but rather the unjust way in which it was being conducted. Poor pilgrims were being taken advantage of by unscrupulous businessmen. Also, Jesus could see that the focus seems to be more on "making a quick buck" than on true worship of God. A place where solemn worship of God should be occurring was being used as a market place and worse still as an unscrupulous marketplace.

In the cleansing of the Temple incident, Jesus was showing in a dramatic way that a whole way of approaching God in worship was coming to an end. Jesus was going to replace the Temple ritual with its emphasis on animal sacrifice with his sacrifice on the cross. Jesus would henceforth become the focus of peoples worship. Commenting on this passage, Fr. Tim Wolfe writes:

Symbolically, Jesus’ action had an immeasurable effect in clarifying the struggle of a community moving away from the structure of temple and synagogue cultic demands. Instead, as a people of faith and love, they had to discover that God, through his Spirit, now lives in each one of them. Each believer has now become a living temple.

FAITH SHARING QUESTIONS

1. What verse, idea or image spoke to you most in the readings? Why?

2. In your opinion, what constitutes true worship of God and what constitutes false worship of God?

3. What is most special about the parish community you belong to? What builds it up? What tears it down?

4. In the second reading, Paul refers to us as temple of God. If Jesus came upon the Temple that is us, what might give HIS CAUSE for rejoicing and sadness?

RESONDING TO GOD’S WORD

Name one way you can act on today’s scriptures. Suggestion: Choose one of the weak aspects of your Spiritual structure (e.g. fidelity to prayer, charity, commitment to justice) and resolve to build IT again with stronger materials. Spend this week fortifying your temple. Also, pray a rosary for the church in each of the seven continents.

CONCLUDE WITH PRAYERS OF PETITION AND INTERCESSION

Pray for our universal church, for the purification of our church and especially pray for your own parish and its ministries. ©

Catechism Connection: See Fr. Tobin's Articles on the Catechism: Article Nine, Four Marks of the Church: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.