Today the liturgy commemorates the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, which is the Cathedral of Rome and which tradition defines as “mother of all Churches of the city and of the world”. The term “mother”, refers not as much to the sacred building of the Basilica, as to the work of the Holy Spirit who is made manifest in this building, bearing fruit through the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, and in all communities which abide in unity with the Church over which he presides.
Each time we celebrate the dedication of a church, an essential truth is recalled: the physical temple made of brick and mortar is a sign of the living Church serving in history, that is to say, of that “spiritual temple”, as the Apostle Peter says, in which Christ himself is the “living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious” (1 Pt 2:4). In the Gospel from today’s liturgy, Jesus, speaking about the temple, reveals a shocking truth: that the Temple of God is not only a building made of brick and mortar, but is His Body, made of living stone.
Through the power of Baptism, every Christian takes part in “God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9), indeed they become the Church of God. The spiritual structure, the Church community of mankind sanctified by the Blood of Christ and by Spirit of the Risen Lord, asks each one of us to be consistent with the gift of the faith and to undertake a journey of Christian witness.
In light of the writings on the Divine Will, we can interpret this episode in an even deeper way.
The temple is the soul that wants to live in the Divine Will
Jesus does not purify only the Temple of Jerusalem; He wants to purify our inner temple, our soul, so that it may become a true dwelling place for His Divine Will.
In the Divine Will, the soul is called to be “Heaven on earth,” a place where Jesus can act freely.
But for this to happen, He must remove what has become a “market”:useless attachments, self-centered thoughts, worries that weigh on the heart.
Jesus wants to restore order within us so that we may rediscover peace and freedom.
The zeal mentioned in the Gospel is the same burning love Jesus expresses in the revelations to Luisa Piccarreta: His longing to reign once again in creatures through His Divine Will, as in Heaven.
When we live in the Divine Will, we allow His divine zeal to transform every act: our thoughts, our words, and every gesture of the day become pure, divine acts that carry the fragrance of Heaven.
Jesus speaks of the temple of His Body, announcing the Resurrection.
In the Divine Will, Resurrection is not only a future event; it is a continuous movement, a rising of our human will into God’s Will.
Every time we say sincerely:
“Jesus, I want what You want,”
our humanity unites to His, and our acts rise into divine light.
The Dedication of the Lateran reminds us that the Church is not only a building but a living body.
In the Divine Will, this unity becomes even deeper:
Jesus makes us living stones of His Will; He builds within us a pure tabernacle; He transforms our soul into a little Jerusalem where He reigns.
Fiat!