WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD

XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Dedication of the Lateran Basilica - 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17

On 9th November, we celebrate the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, which is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. In the liturgical calendar, this celebration is a feast and takes precedence over the Sunday celebration, thus manifesting the important role of this basilica in the history of the Church. After legalising Christianity in 313, Constantine gave the Laterani family palace to the Bishop of Rome. The palace would become the pope’s residence. And the basilica was built there, being consecrated in 324 by Pope Sylvester I.  It was dedicated to Christ the Saviour and later also to St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist. Being the cathedral of Rome, it is considered the mother of all churches.

Today’s celebration invites us to reflect upon the role of the Church/Temple in our Christian life and in the life of the Christian community. The temple is both the house of God and the house of the community who are His people. It facilitates a personal encounter with God. There, it is easier to become aware of God’s mystery. In there, God’s word is proclaimed and His mysteries are celebrated. At one voice, gathered together as a people, we sing God’s praise. However, we should not forget that the temple exists for our sake and our convenience. We must always be on the alert so that we don’t abuse the temple of the Lord. Moved by the zeal of the house of God, Jesus took a drastic action, expelling the money changers and those who were selling animals for the sacrifices. The temple is built by human hands and can be corrupted, like anything else touched by them. When touched by corruption, the temple loses its purpose, and it will end up being destroyed.  

Jesus presents himself as being the true temple of God that will not be touched by decay. By killing him on the cross, they will try to destroy him once and for all, but he will rise on the third day. It is from Jesus, the true temple of God, that the living water will come, bringing life and salvation to all. It is in Jesus that the prophecy of Ezekiel will be fulfilled.

In the second reading, Paul tells the Corinthians that we are God’s temple, a sacred temple that must be treated with respect. If we destroy this temple, we will be answerable to God, and God will bring us down. Paul tells the Corinthians that, in their case, by announcing Jesus Christ, he was the architect. And the foundation is Jesus Christ. “For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ.” (1 Co 3:9-11, 16-17).

MY SOUL CLINGS TO YOU

ALL SOULS DAY - Luke 7:11-17

This year, All Souls Day falls on a Sunday. Confronted with death, we look forward to resurrection. Death will not have the last word, and life will come out victorious. Whenever death comes our way, we must remember that we are called to life, and life will reach its plenitude in Jesus Christ, who is “the resurrection and the life”. (Jn 11:25)

Reading the gospels, we discover that, time and again, Jesus is touched by other people’s suffering. While entering the town of Nain, Jesus saw the funeral of a young man being carried for burial. He was the only son of a widow who remained helpless and defenceless. Faced with the suffering of that mother, Jesus felt compassion and addressed her with reassuring words: “Do not cry.” Then, he ordered the young man to get up, “and Jesus gave him to his mother.” This act of mercy to that mother is also a promise of resurrection and life to all of us.

On All Souls Day, aware of the deep bond that unites us to all of our dead, we remember them and pray for them. We entrust them to God’s mercy, that He may welcome them in His Kingdom. In the first reading, taken from 2 Maccabees, we learn from Judas, who sent the money from a collection "to Jerusalem to have a sacrifice for sin offered” for those who had died (2 Maccabees 12:42-45). Before death, faced with our own fragility and mortality, we recognise our sinfulness and put ourselves in God’s hands. We know that our lives go beyond death, and we ask the Lord to receive us with welcoming arms. Thus, we pray for our dead and offer for them Jesus’ sacrifice, a sacrifice for the redeeming of sins and reconciliation.

And we end with the words of Paul to the Philippians: 

For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe. (Philippians 3:20-21).

May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

THE HUMBLE MAN’S PRAYER PIERCES THE CLOUDS.

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 18:9-14

Through the parables, Jesus challenges his audience, forcing them to examine themselves and their relationship with God and others. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is puzzling in its simplicity. We get the impression that the Pharisee’s figure is a caricature of the Pharisees’ attitude of self-righteousness. He is full of pride, boasting about himself before God. His prayer is an act of self-praise. God must recognise his compliance with the law and reward him for his holiness. He sets himself aside, having nothing to do with all others, who are sinners and deserve to be punished. Standing for all to see his uprightness, he shows a high level of contempt for the common people, especially for the tax collector, who should not have entered the Temple. The way he presents himself provokes disgust in all those who hear his words. Our worthiness must be recognised by others, not proclaimed by ourselves. 

After painting the image of the Pharisee, Jesus outlines the figure of the tax collector with a few strokes. He is a sinner, and he confesses his sinfulness. Being sinful, he humbles himself, looking down and beating his chest. And he asks for forgiveness. His prayer is pleasing to God, while the Pharisee’s prayer is rejected

We must realise that we have nothing to boast about before God. In fact, we should recognise our shortcomings, failures and sins. If the doors of paradise are opened for us, it will be because of God’s mercy, not because we deserve it. Like the tax collector, we must approach God with humility, well aware of our poverty. No matter how much we try, we always fall short of God’s goal for each one of us.

The first reading, taken from Ecclesiasticus, reminds us that God is fair in his judgement, never taking into account our status, wealth or power. “He shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poor man,   he listens to the plea of the injured party.”

The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds,

  until it arrives he is inconsolable,

nor will he de)sist until the Most High takes notice of him,

  acquits the virtuous and delivers judgement.

(Sirach 35:12-14, 16-19

PRAY CONTINUALLY AND NEVER LOSE HEART

XXIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 18:1-8

This Sunday’s gospel is about prayer: “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. “

Learning with Jesus, Paul would tell the Christians of Thessalonica, “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thes 5:17). 

Jesus speaks about two attitudes in prayer: Pray continually and with confidence. The first reading illustrates the first attitude. Moses prays, interceding for his people and asking God to make their victory possible. Many people, nowadays, say that prayer is powerful. That statement may be misleading since prayer is not a tool to be used to satisfy our desires. God is not at our service; we must be at his service, ready to do His will. In that readiness, we pray with constancy and perseverance and, then, with confidence. God will make us justice and redeem us. In the parable, the widow represents the poor of Yahweh, that is, the ones who put their trust in the Lord as their defender and protector. In God, we find our refuge and salvation. We pray to the Lord with the trust and confidence of the psalmist:

The Lord will guard you from evil,

  he will guard your soul.

The Lord will guard your going and coming

  both now and for ever. - Ps 121

The judge of the parable stands for the powerful who drown in selfishness, caring only about themselves and trampling upon the poor, the orphan and the widow. In the end, feeling pestered by the widow, he decided to hear the widow’s case and do justice. Her persistence and insistence paid off. Then, Jesus makes it clear that, unlike the Judge, God is always ready to do justice to His people: “I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily.”

A significant problem that hinders our prayer and relationship with God is a lack of faith. We have a deep-rooted mistrust of God. And this passage of the gospel of Luke ends with Jesus’ complaint: “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?”

In the second reading, taken from the second letter to Timothy, Paul reminds his disciple of the importance of the Holy Scriptures in his personal life, which have shaped him since his childhood. Then, Paul makes explicit the purpose of the Scriptures: from them, we “can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 3:15). They lead us to Christ so that in Him we find salvation. With them, we get “fully equipped and ready for any good work”.

We should never put aside the Scriptures and ignore the role they play in our journey of faith and in building the community, always centred in Jesus Christ. Finally, the piece of advice given to Timothy can be applied to us as well: “Proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience – but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching.” (2 Tim 4:2)

As we celebrate the Sunday Mission, Paul reminds us that we are called to proclaim the gospel as he did. From the gospel springs up a stream of hope that leads us to the living waters of life and salvation. May the Lord fill us with His Spirit for us to proclaim His Good News fearlessly at all times and in all places.

JESUS, TAKE PITY ON US

XXVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 17:11-19

Both the first reading and the gospel speak of lepers and their healing. Naaman, a foreign dignitary, was healed by the prophet Elisha. After his healing, Naaman returned to the prophet with gifts in thanksgiving. Elisha refused to accept the gifts. He did not want to gain profit from the miracle he had performed. The praise and the thanksgiving should go to the Lord God alone. And Naaman proclaimed in recognition that “there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.” (2 Kings 5:14-17). In the gospel, ten lepers went to Jesus and, appealing to Jesus’ compassion, asked to be healed. Jesus was always ready to act and relieve people of their suffering. So, he ordered them to go and present themselves to the priests for their healing to be recognised and be accepted back in their communities. They were healed and in full health. Noticing their full recovery, one of them went back to Jesus, “praising God at the top of his voice” and prostrating himself in adoration before Jesus. “The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.”

From these two passages, we learn that God has a universal purpose, showing favour to all those who are ready to receive his gifts and allow themselves to be touched by Him. There is no exclusivity or discrimination in God’s plans. The two foreigners – Naaman and the Samaritan – recognised God’s grace and professed their faith in the God who had compassion on them. By contrast, the people of Israel of Naaman’s time and the Jews of Jesus’ time showed unwillingness to recognise God’s favour and make a public profession of faith.

In the gospel, we can learn another important truth: being favoured with a miracle is not enough to be saved. We must proclaim our faith and be thankful for God’s kindness and mercy. Ten lepers had been cured of their disease, but only one came back to Jesus, and only this one heard the words of salvation: “Your faith has saved you.”

Let us give thanks to the Lord and prostrate ourselves before Jesus so that we may hear his words: “Your faith has saved you.”

WE ARE MERELY SERVANTS

XXVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4

Time and again, in the Scriptures, we see people crying out to God because they feel as if God has forgotten and abandoned them. That’s a common experience that we all go through. There are moments of hardship and suffering that bring a terrible feeling of loneliness, which may lead us to despair. And we question God, waiting for answers that don’t arrive. In spite of that, we go on looking for answers.

Abraham complained to God about being childless, questioning God about the usefulness of the promise if he did not have a son to inherit that promise. He also had the audacity to plead for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. That audacity was not born of arrogance but of full trust in God as a merciful God.

Then, with Jacob, we find someone who dared to wrestle with God in the darkness of the night. It is the wrestling of life, trying to overcome powers and beings that put us into question. Early in the morning, it dawned on him that he was wrestling with God. Jacob represents humanity that goes through moments of darkness, wrestling with unknown powers, until it dawns on us that we are wrestling with God, from whom we demand a blessing that makes life possible and meaningful.

The whole book of Job is about the suffering of the innocent who doesn’t understand the reasons behind his suffering and questions God about it. Job foreshadows Christ, the suffering servant, who addresses God with a question that so many others would ask: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Habakkuk presents the same attitude, presenting this question before God: “How long, O Lord, am I to cry for help while you will not listen; to cry ‘Oppression!’ in your ear and you will not save?” Like the psalm (Ps 22), prayed by Jesus on the cross, Habakkuk ends full of hope. God will fulfil his promise, and he has not forgotten us. He wrote our names in the palms of his hands (Is 49:16).

In scriptures of Islam and in its traditions, we find a completely different attitude. We cannot question God, and we must accept whatever Allah brings our way. Before Allah, one cannot ask questions or complain. The only possible attitude is compliance. And Allah is a whimsical god who can change his mind at any moment. In Allah, we find a raw power that must be affirmed at any moment.

It is true that Jesus came as a servant who is ready to do the Father’s will. Before God, we must humble ourselves and recognise our weaknesses and shortcomings. As servants, like Jesus, who came to serve, we must do faithfully what is asked of us. “When you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.’” (Lk 17:10).

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH

XXVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31

According to Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, we must strive for holiness. We should aim to be “saintly and religious”, trying to excel in faith and love. And that implies a continuous struggle. “Fight the good fight of the faith” are Paul’s words. We may think that Paul’s advice to Timothy is in contradiction with what he wrote to the Romans about justification by faith: “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Ro 1:17). “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Ro 3:28). There are many who go beyond Paul, asserting that we are saved by faith alone. However, in the same letter to the Romans, Paul advises them “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Faith implies commitment expressed in a way of life; it implies discipleship, that’s following Christ’s footsteps. Faith implies the acceptance of Jesus Christ and his way of life. He is the Way, meaning that we must “be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Ro 12:1-2). We are involved in a spiritual warfare that we must win: “Win for yourself the eternal life.” In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul teaches that we must be protected by wearing the whole armour of God, and, in that armour, faith is the shield (Ep 6:11-18). Surely, we were called. God took the initiative, but we must answer that call and then remain faithful and committed.

In the daily struggle of our faith, we must make difficult choices: we have to choose serving God and never become the slaves of money. When money becomes our god, the god we worship and make the centre of our life, we become slaves, and our hearts will be hard like stones, incapable of compassion and feeling for the others. We become like the rich man of the parable who remained untouched by the suffering and misery of the poor Lazarus who sat at the gate of his house.

The echo of Amos’ words still reverberates today: Woe to those who live in luxury. They spend their lives consuming what others have produced.

“Lying on ivory beds

and sprawling on their divans,

they dine on lambs from the flock,

and stall-fattened veal;

they bawl to the sound of the harp,

they invent new instruments of music like David,

they drink wine by the bowlful,

and use the finest oil for anointing themselves.” (Amos 6:1, 4-7).

With the psalmist, let us sing to the Lord:

It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,

  who raises up those who are bowed down.

It is the Lord who loves the just,

  the Lord, who protects the stranger. (Psalms 146).