Jeremiah predicted accurately in 587 BC the first destruction of the Temple.

Jesus made a whip out of cords and drove merchants and money changers with their stalls out of the Temple.

For him, it had become “a den of robbers” and unworthy of God.

Some scholars suggest that Jesus' action is a prophetic sign of the Temple's imminent destruction.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

The man brought me

Back to the entrance of the temple and I saw water coming out from the threshold of the temple and flowing eastward. The temple faced the east and the water flowed from the south side of the temple, from the south side of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside, to the outer gate facing the east; and there I saw the stream coming from the south side.

 

He said to me, "This water goes to the east, down to the Arabah, and when it flows into the sea of foul-smelling water, the water will become wholesome. Wherever the river flows, swarms of creatures will live in it; fish will be plentiful; and the seawater will become fresh. Wherever it flows, life will abound. 

 

Near the river on both banks, there will be all kinds of fruit trees, with foliage that will not wither; and fruit that will never fail; each month they will bear a fresh crop, because the water comes from the temple. The fruit will be good to eat and the leaves will be used for healing.

 

Ps 46:2-3,5-6, 8-9  The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17

We are fellow-workers with God, but you are God's field and building. I, as a good architect, according to the capacity given to me, I laid the foundation, and another is to build upon it. Each one must be careful how to build upon it. No one can lay a foundation other than the one which is already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

 

Do you not know that you are God's temple, and that God's Spirit abides within you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him. God's temple is holy, and you are this temple.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

John 2:13-22

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 moneychangers, 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.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"The Church is the body of Christ." 

I used to find it strange that the whole Church celebrates the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. Why would the entire world need to celebrate a church in the city of Rome? The Lateran Basilica is the cathedral church of Rome, meaning that it – not Saint Peter's Basilica – is the Pope's cathedral. So, by celebrating this feast, we are reminded of the Church's unity under the Pope, the Bishop of Rome.

 

Today's readings remind us that the Church is much more than a building. The Church is the Body of Christ, called to be his presence in the world. We are founded on Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, and called to holiness. Though each member of the Church has his or her own vocation, each of us is called to live according to God's will, living as missionary disciples who share the Good News so that all may dwell in the kingdom of God.