Basilica

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Tuesday, 5 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Matthew 14 : 22-36

At that time, immediately, Jesus obliged His disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowd away. And having sent the people away, He went up the mountain by Himself, to pray. At nightfall, He was there alone.

Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves, for the wind was against it. At daybreak, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. When they saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But at once, Jesus said to them, “Courage! Do not be afraid. It is Me!”

Peter answered, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Jesus said to him, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water to go to Jesus. But seeing the strong wind, he was afraid, and began to sink; and he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Jesus immediately stretched out His hand and took hold of him, saying, “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?” As they got into the boat, the wind dropped. Then those in the boat bowed down before Jesus, saying, “Truly, You are the Son of God!”

They came ashore at Gennesaret. The local people recognised Jesus and spread the news throughout the region. So they brought to Him all the sick people, begging Him to let them touch just the hem of His cloak. All who touched it became perfectly well.

Alternative reading

Matthew 15 : 1-2, 10-14

At that time, some Pharisees, and teachers of the Law, who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around Jesus. And they said to Him, “Why do Your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders? For they, they do not wash their hands before eating.”

Jesus then called the people to Him, and said to them, “Listen and understand : What enters into the mouth does not make a person unclean. What defiles a person is what comes out of his mouth.”

After a while the disciples gathered around Jesus and said, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended by what You said?” Jesus answered, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be uprooted. Pay no attention to them! They are blind, leading the blind. When a blind person leads another, the two will fall into a pit.”

Alternative reading (Mass of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!”

Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

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Tuesday, 5 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Psalm 50 : 3-4, 5-6a, 6bc-7, 12-13

Have mercy on me, o God, in Your love. In Your great compassion blot out my sin. Wash me thoroughly of my guilt; cleanse me of evil.

For I acknowledge my wrongdoings and have my sins ever in mind. Against You alone, have I sinned.

What is evil in Your sight, I have done. You are right when You pass sentence; and blameless in Your judgement. For I have been guilt-ridden from birth; a sinner from my mother’s womb.

Create in me, o God, a pure heart; give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Alternative Psalm (Mass of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Judith 13 : 18-19

My daughter, may the Most High God bless you more than all women on earth. And blessed be the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, Who has led you to behead the leader of our enemies.

Never will people forget the confidence you have shown; they will always remember the power of God.

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Tuesday, 5 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Numbers 12 : 1-13

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married and they said, “Has YHVH only spoken through Moses? Has He not also spoken through us?” And YHVH heard.

Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than any man on the face of the earth. Yet suddenly YHVH said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, all three of you, to the Tent of Meeting.” The three of them came out.

YHVH came down in the pillar of cloud and, standing at the door of the Tent, called Aaron and Miriam. They both went out and He said, “Listen carefully to what I say, ‘If there is a prophet among you, I reveal Myself to him in a vision and I speak to him in a dream. It is not so for My servant, Moses, My trusted steward in all My household.'”

“‘To Him I speak face to face, openly, and not in riddles, and he sees the presence of YHVH. Why then did you not fear to speak against My servant, against Moses?'” YHVH became angry with them and He departed. The cloud moved away from above the Tent and Miriam was there white as snow with leprosy. Aaron turned towards Miriam and he saw that she was leprous.

And he said to Moses, “My lord, I beg you, do not charge us with this sin that we have foolishly committed. Let her not be like the stillborn whose flesh is half-eaten when it comes from its mother’s womb.”

Then Moses cried to YHVH, “Heal her, o God, I beg of You.”

Alternative reading (Mass of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Revelations 21 : 1-5a

Then, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and no longer was there any sea. I saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God, out of heaven, adorned as a bride prepared for her husband.

A loud voice came from the throne, “Here is the dwelling of God among mortals : He will pitch His tent among them, and they will be His people; He will be God-with-them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the world that was, has passed away.”

The One seated on the throne said, “See, I make all things new.”

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Fisherman’s Ring and Papal Pallium of Pope Leo XIV

These are the official pictures of the Fisherman’s Ring and Papal Pallium that will be given to Pope Leo XIV at the Papal Inauguration Mass on Sunday, 18 May 2025 at St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City.

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Monday, 18 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church marks the occasion of the Dedication of the two great churches of Christendom, following after just over a week ago the celebration of the Dedication of the Lateran Archbasilica, the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in Lateran, the Cathedral of the Vicar of Christ in Rome, the Mother Church of the whole world. Today, the two other great churches, namely the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican and the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls are remembered in their dedication and consecration to become hallowed and worthy places of Divine worship and the sacred offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to be the dwelling place of God Himself amongst us.

The Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls together with the Lateran Archbasilica and the Basilica of St. Mary Major are altogether known as the Four Major Papal Basilicas, which were all built and then consecrated to God in the city of Rome, where the Apostolic See and the Throne of St. Peter, the first Pope and Vicar of Christ as Bishop of Rome was established. And these two great Basilicas which Dedication we remember today are celebrated together because of the importance of both St. Peter and St. Paul both to the Church in Rome as well as to the whole entire Universal Church. St. Peter as mentioned was the first Pope and the Vicar of Christ as the leader and Prince of the Apostles, while St. Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, the great missionary and evangeliser who dedicated his life to proclaim the Good News of God to everyone.

And these two great Basilicas are truly strongly intertwined with the story of these two Apostles as they were related to the history of their last mission and work in Rome, then the capital of the great and mighty Roman Empire, proclaiming the Word of God and His Good News to the still mostly pagan people of Rome and its surrounding regions. The Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican, in the region that is now the Sovereign State of the Vatican City stood atop the ancient area which was just outside the city of Rome during the time of the early Church, where a great Circus existed, for the purpose of races and games by the Romans, and where many of the faithful were persecuted and made to suffer martyrdom there, including that of St. Peter himself, who was martyred by the intense persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Nero about three decades plus after the death of Christ.

St. Paul was also martyred during that same period of intense persecution of Christians by the Romans, when many of those faithful were framed by the Roman Emperor Nero according to historical tradition, for the Great Fire of Rome that destroyed much of the city of Rome. The truth according to many historians is that probably the Emperor himself was the one responsible for the great fire, but the eccentric Emperor found it very convenient to put the blame on the Christians of Rome which were seen as foreign by the Romans due to their beliefs, and were also hated by the Jewish diaspora who disagreed with the Christian teachings. Therefore, it is easy for them to be targetted by the persecutions and the oppressions from the Roman state, especially as the Christians also refused to offer sacrifices to the pagan Roman idols and to the deified Roman Emperors.

In any case, the persecution ended with many Christians being martyred as mentioned, and like St. Peter, who was crucified upside-down in the ground that was to become the Vatican Necropolis and the Basilica of St. Peter, St. Paul himself was beheaded. The site that is to become the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls was the place where the Apostle lived during his stay in Rome which was recorded at the last part of the Acts of the Apostles, which we heard in our first reading passage today. Both of those holy places therefore served as important reminder of these two great saints of God, the ones whom God had entrusted with the mission and guidance of the Universal Church, either through the faithful leadership of St. Peter as the Chief of all the Apostles and Vicar of Christ, as well as the vigorous evangelising missionary efforts of St. Paul.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all also listened in our Gospel passage today in commemoration of the Dedication of the two Basilicas, we heard of the story of the time when the Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples who were in the middle of the lake, attacked and troubled greatly by the storm which were happening all around them, with the great waves and wind threatening to sink the boat that they were all in. The Lord appeared to them at that darkest of moments as a source of Hope to all of them. They were all terrified thinking that He was a ghost, but the Lord told them all not to be afraid and to trust in Him. St. Peter was the first to say to the Lord that if He was truly their Lord and Master, then he would be able to walk on the water towards Him, which he then did, after the Lord invited him to do so. We heard how St. Peter stumbled and doubted seeing all the great waves and storm, and began to sink, only to be rescued by the Lord, Who then proceeded to calm the storm.

This is a reminder for all of us that the Apostles themselves were once humble men and women like us, and just like us, they were also sinners, with their doubts and imperfections, and they also face the same struggles as we do. St. Peter himself according to Apostolic tradition faced difficulties and struggles throughout his life and ministry, on top of his doubts as recorded in the Scriptures where he denied knowing the Lord during the time of His Passion. Then at the time of his suffering and martyrdom in Rome, it was told that St. Peter faltered somewhat having seen all the persecutions and martyrdom happening all around him, and he fled the city of Rome, only to encounter a vision of the Lord Jesus Himself bearing His Cross to Rome.

When St. Peter asked the Lord where He was going, the Lord told him that He was going to Rome to be crucified again. Humbled by shame at his indecisiveness and lack of faith, St. Peter went back to Rome and gave himself to be martyred, and asked to be crucified upside down as he felt unworthy to die in the exact same manner as his Lord and Master. Then, St. Paul himself as all of us know well, was a great enemy and persecutor of early Christians as an overzealous and fanatical young Pharisee, striking at many of the believers of the Lord and arresting many of them on behalf of the chief priests and the members of the Sanhedrin. But the Lord had a different plan for this young man, whom He encountered and called on the way to Damascus, which eventually led to the conversion of the young Saul, who henceforth as St. Paul devoted himself wholly to the service of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we rejoice greatly on the occasion of the celebration of this anniversary of the Dedication of the two Basilicas, dedicated to the two great servants of God, St. Peter and St. Paul, whose lives we have just discussed about, let us all therefore be reminded of their great courage and faith, and also how they have turned their lives for the better by following the Lord and committing themselves to Him. They both serve as great reminders for all of us that we ourselves have also been called to be great servants and disciples of the Lord, to proclaim Him in our world today and to do what the Lord has entrusted us all to do in our own respective capacities and opportunities we have been given.

Let us all therefore strive to be ever more faithful to the Lord in all things, being ever more filled with God’s love and grace and to be truly worthy of Him, dedicating ourselves ever more to His cause. May the Lord continue to help us and strengthen each one of us, that He will always grant us His power and blessings in all the efforts and endeavours we carry out in life, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 18 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls)

Luke 18 : 35-43

At that time, when Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road, begging. As he heard the crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening, and they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was going by.

Then he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The people in front of him scolded him. “Be quiet!” they said, but he cried out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped, and ordered the blind man to be brought to Him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the man said, “Lord, that I may see!” Jesus said, “Receive your sight, your faith has saved you.”

At once the blind man was able to see, and he followed Jesus, giving praise to God. And all the people who were there also praised God.

Alternative reading (from Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls)

Matthew 14 : 22-33

At that time, immediately, Jesus obliged His disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowd away. And having sent the people away, He went up the mountain by Himself, to pray. At nightfall, He was there alone. Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves, for the wind was against it.

At daybreak, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. When they saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But at once, Jesus said to them, “Courage! Do not be afraid. It is Me!” Peter answered, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

Jesus said to him, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water to go to Jesus. But seeing the strong wind, he was afraid, and began to sink; and he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately stretched out His hand and took hold of him, saying, “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?”

As they got into the boat, the wind dropped. Then those in the boat bowed down before Jesus, saying, “Truly, You are the Son of God!”

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Monday, 18 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls)

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the one who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the law of the Lord and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.

Alternative reading (from Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls)

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.

With melody of the lyre and with music of the harp. With trumpet blast and sound of the horn, rejoice before the King, YHVH!

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Monday, 18 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls)

Revelations 1 : 1-4 and Revelations 2 : 1-5a

The Revelation of Jesus Christ. God gave it to Him to let His servants know what is soon to take place. He sent His Angel to make it known to His servant, John, who reports everything he saw, for this is the word of God and the declaration of Jesus Christ.

Happy is the one who reads aloud these prophetic words, and happy those who hear them and treasure everything written here, for the time is near. From John to the seven Churches of Asia : receive grace and peace from Him Who is, Who was and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits of God which are before His throne.

Write this to the Angel of the Church in Ephesus, “Thus says the One Who holds the seven stars in His right hand and Who walks among the seven golden lampstands : ‘I know your works, your difficulties and your patient suffering. I know you cannot tolerate evildoers but have tested those who call themselves Apostles and have proved them to be liars. You have persevered and have suffered for My Name without losing heart.”

“Nevertheless, I have this complaint against you : you have lost your first love. Remember from where you have fallen and repent.”

Alternative reading (from Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls)

Acts 28 : 11-16, 30-31

After three months, we boarded a ship that had spent the winter at the island. It belonged to an Alexandrian company, and carried the figurehead of Castor and Pollux as insignia. We sailed for Syracuse, staying there for three days; and, after circling the coast, we arrived at Rhegium.

On the following day, a south wind began to blow, and, at the end of two days, we arrived at Puteoli, where we found some of our brothers, who invited us to stay with them for a week. And that was how we came to Rome. There, the brothers and sisters had been informed of our arrival, and came out to meet us as far as the Appian Forum and the Three Taverns.

When Paul saw them, he gave thanks to God and took courage. Upon our arrival in Rome, the captain turned the prisoners over to the military governor, but permitted Paul to lodge in a private house, with the soldier who guarded him.

Paul stayed for two whole years, in a house he, himself, rented, where he received, without any hindrance, all those who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God, and taught the truth about Jesus Christ, the Lord, quite openly and without any hindrance.

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Saturday, 9 November 2024 : Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Universal Church celebrates the great Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, also known as the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the great Church of God dedicated to the Lord, the Most Holy Saviour Himself, and then to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in the area known as the Lateran in Rome. This great Church of God, the House and Temple of God’s Holy Presence is unique and special, the greatest among all the churches in all of Christendom and the whole world. And why is that so? That is because the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran is the place where the Cathedra of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome is located at, the place that is therefore the Cathedral of the Pope, the Mother Church of the Diocese of Rome.

Many people throughout the world often have this misconception that the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican, another great church building and indeed the largest and greatest in size in all of Christendom is the Cathedral of the Pope. This misconception is further reinforced by the prominence which the Basilica of St. Peter played in most of the important and large scale Papal occasions and events, being situated within the Vatican City over which the Pope is the Sovereign, and being built atop the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle, who was the first Pope and Vicar of Christ. However, Archbasilica of St. John Lateran has precedence over that of Basilica of St. Peter, which is undoubtedly the second most important of all the churches after the Lateran Basilica itself, because first of all, it was the very first church to be publicly built in Rome after the centuries of persecutions of Christians by the Roman state.

It was built at the site known as the Lateran Palace, which was a prominent site in the centre of the city of Rome during the Roman Empire era, being also part of the fortress belonging to the Imperial Guards. Then, after Emperor Constantine the Great triumphed against the forces of his enemies, and as he attributed his victory and triumph to the Christian God, he donated that land and place to the Church, and with the tacit support and funding from the Emperor and the state, therefore a great church of God was built in that site, the very first of the Basilicas of Rome, older than even the Basilica of St. Peter. And it was in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, dedicated on this date to the Lord, the Most Holy Saviour, the ninth day of November, exactly seventeen centuries ago, in the Year of Our Lord 324.

This great Church of God is truly a place of great history and a place truly worthy and honourable to worship God, having been set aside and consecrated to God, dedicated to Him forever to be the place worthy of the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Divine Worship. And as the seat of the Pope, the place of his Cathedra, as the Mother Church of all Christendom and the whole world, thus, all of us rejoice together in the anniversary of this great church’s dedication, and we give thanks to God for all the great graces that He has bestowed upon us through this most wonderful House of God, and the many wonderful things and the many souls that had been saved thanks to the use of this great House of God in the propagation of the Christian truth and faith.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard the details of the great heavenly vision received by Ezekiel in which he saw the glory of God and His majesty, and the great Heavenly Temple where God’s Holy Presence is enthroned in. This passage, which is always used for the Dedication of churches, highlighted the importance of the place to be made as the place of the worship of God, the dwelling place of the Lord Himself, because the Lord Himself will dwell in those houses, and be present in our midst, and from the Heavenly Temple in Ezekiel’s vision, great flood of life-giving water poured forth, reminding us of the presence of God in our midst and in our lives as the life-giving eternal Spring of Life, through Whom all of us shall be brought into the assurance of eternal life and salvation.

From our alternative first reading passage, that is also the second reading for this celebration as a Solemnity, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, we then heard the exhortation of the Apostle to the faithful people of God, and to all of us that we must take good care of our own body, our hearts, minds and souls, our whole being, because each and every one of us whom God had called and chosen, and become members and parts of His Church, we are all part of the Body of Christ, and the Temples of His Holy Presence, the Temples of the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Lord our God, the Master of the whole Universe Himself is dwelling within us, and consequently we must make sure that we are truly worthy of Him, for we are all the Living Church, the living stones of the Temple of God, and much as we have consecrated great churches, like that of the Lateran Basilica, we too have been consecrated to God.

Then, in our Gospel passage from the Gospel according to St. John, we heard about the moment when the Lord Jesus came to the Temple of Jerusalem not long before the time of the Passover when He Himself would finally embark on His last mission, His Passion, suffering and death. But at that time and moment, He cast out all the merchants and money changers peddling their business at the courtyard of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. Those people were doing things that were necessary in order to allow people from the various parts of the Jewish diaspora to exchange their money and goods to worship and offer sacrifices at the Temple of God, which could only be done with lawful money issued by the local Jewish authorities. However, what was wicked is the fact that many of those merchants and money changers overcharged the pilgrims and profited greatly from their works.

That was why the Lord Jesus became angered and cast out those wicked people, cleansing the Temple of God from a place of business and wicked deeds, purifying the place to be truly what it was meant to be, as a place where the people of God may come to encounter the Lord, His Presence in their midst. And when He was confronted by the chief priests and the elders, the Lord also foretold the coming of His Passion and death, referring to the Temple that would be destroyed, that is none other than His own Body, to be broken and shared for each and every one of us, and then to be restored and resurrected in glory on the third day, to prove to everyone that He is truly the Saviour, the Holy One of God, God Himself coming to dwell amongst us.

For the Lord is truly so great and holy, that places used for His sacred worship and dwelling place, where the Holy Eucharist, our Lord Himself present in the Body and Blood, in His whole Being and Divinity, must indeed be blessed, hallowed and made worthy of His Holy Presence. In the past, only the finest materials were used to craft the Ark of the Covenant, upon which the Law of God was placed, the bread of the manna and the staff of Aaron, and God’s Presence would descend upon the Ark itself on occasions, and no one could touch the Ark, because it was so hallowed, and anyone who touched it ended up being struck down and dead. In the same way, God prepared Mary, His mother with the special grace and sparing her from the taint of original sin, and remaining in the state of fullness of grace that she may bear Him within her.

In the same manner therefore, all of us must strive to live a truly holy and worthy life, one that is truly acceptable by the Lord and honourable in all things, distancing ourselves away from sin and from all the things that can lead us astray away from the Lord and His salvation. Each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, we are all the ones whom God had called and chosen, and as His people, His dwelling place and Temple, all of us are reminded to keep ourselves holy and consecrated to Him at all times, just as we had done at the time of our baptism. Like the Lord Jesus, Who cast out all those wicked merchants and money changers, who profited unjustly from their business and efforts, causing sufferings to the pilgrims, we too should cast out from our hearts and minds, from our Temple, the wickedness of evils and sins around us.

And for those who know the details and the events unfolding during the Consecration and Dedication of a church, they can clearly see the parallel between what happened in the dedication of a church and in our Christian baptism, as we all receive the holy water, the light of Christ, the clothing with the white garment and incensation just as the same is done to the church to be made worthy for Divine worship. We have been marked at baptism, and truly clothed with the glory of God, descending upon us from Heaven, God Himself dwelling in us, His Holy Spirit being sent and bestowed on us, much as He has come to dwell in the churches, in the places of Divine worship. And we must also not forget that we have all received the Lord Himself, in His Most Precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist, Him truly being present in us and within us all.have also received the Lord Himself in the flesh, through the Eucharist, much like the Holy Eucharist being stored in the Tabernacle. We are the Tabernacles of the Lord’s Holy Presence, and we should always therefore keep ourselves holy.

We must not allow ourselves to be snared any further by sin, or defiled by all the wickedness of the world. The Lord had made it clear that we ourselves are also to be hallowed and be made holy and worthy of His Presence, and if we allow our wickedness and evils to defile this Holy Temple of God, then we will have to account for it before the Lord. That is why, we are reminded that we should always be exemplary and committed in the living of our faith and lives as Christians so that we will always be full of God’s grace and love, and that we will always be fully attuned to Him and His will, obeying Him in all things and at all circumstances in our lives. We should also do our best to continue to glorify God by our lives, in each and every one of our actions.

Let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord from now on, to dedicate and consecrate ourselves anew to Him, renewing the commitment we have made at our baptism, to be truly dedicated and worthy of God at all times, and to be holy and honourable as the great houses and churches of God, particularly the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran which dedication we commemorate today. Let us always remind ourselves and one another that we are God’s Holy Temple, the Houses of His Holy Presence. May the Lord continue to help, strengthen and guide each and every one of us so that we may always remain firm and strong in our constant devotion and commitment to God, to be ever faithful and good in everything we do in our lives, for the greater glory of God. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 November 2024 : Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 2 : 13-22

At that time, as the Passover of the Jews was at hand, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the Temple court He found merchants selling oxen, sheep and doves, and money-changers seated at their tables.

Making a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the Temple court, together with the oxen and sheep. He knocked over the tables of the money-changers, scattering the coins, and ordered the people selling doves, “Take all this away, and stop making a marketplace of My Father’s house!” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture : Zeal for Your house devours me like fire.

The Jews then questioned Jesus, “Where are the miraculous signs which give You the right to do this?” And Jesus said, “Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then replied, “The building of this Temple has already taken forty-six years, and will You raise it up in three days?”

Actually, Jesus was referring to the Temple of His Body. Only when He had risen from the dead did His disciples remember these words; then they believed both the Scripture and the words Jesus had spoken.