By virtue of Baptism we are part of God's edifice
Dear
Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
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. And
we all know that in life it is not easy to maintain consistency between faith
and testimony; but we must carry on and be coherent in our daily life. “This is
a Christian!”, not so much in what he says, but in what he does, and the way in
which he behaves. This coherence, which gives us life, is a grace of the Holy
Spirit which we must ask for. The Church, at the beginning of her life and of
her mission in the world, was but a community constituted to confess faith in
Jesus Christ the Son of God and Redeemer of Man, a faith which operates through
love. They go together! In today’s world too, the Church is called to be the
community in the world which, rooted in Christ through Baptism, humbly and
courageously professes faith in Him, witnessing to it in love.
The
institutional elements, the structures and the pastoral entities must also be
directed toward this goal, this essential goal of bearing witness to the faith
in love. Love is the very expression of faith and also, faith is the
explanation and the foundation of love. Today’s celebration invites us to
meditate on the communion of all Churches, that is, of this Christian
community. By analogy she spurs us to commit ourselves in order that humanity
may overcome the confines of enmity and indifference, to build bridges of
understanding and dialogue, to make of the entire world one family of people
reconciled among themselves, in fraternal solidarity. The Church herself is a
sign and preview of this new humanity, as she lives and, through her witness,
spreads the Gospel, the message of hope and reconciliation for all mankind.
Let
us invoke the intercession of the Most Holy Mary, that she may help us to
become like her, the “House of God”, the living temple of his love.
©
Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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