As we commemorate the Dedication of John Lateran, the seat of Pope Leo IV as bishop of Rome, we reflect on the temple as the symbol of God’s presence. In Ezekiel, his vision of God’s temple brings life, like a river that springs from the temple, nourishing the sea, animals, plants, and all life.

In John, Jesus made a prophetic act of cleansing the temple from commercial activities to highlight reverence for God, while at the same time pointing to his own body as the living Temple. Human dignity must be respected, not commodified by oppression, exploitation, or corruption.

Paul exhorted Corinthians to view the community of believers as the body of Christ and thus the living temple of the Spirit. Each is a building block of the other as we work for the common good, for social transformation, and for God’s reign.

By Fr. Edwin Mercado