🙏 Opening Prayer
O God, who in countless ways and through numerous signs fulfill your divine purpose, grant that your Church, the living temple of your presence, may so be sanctified by your grace that we may be worthy to dwell in you and you in us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
📖 Readings
First Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 — “Then he brought me… behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple … wherever the river goes, everything will live.” Catholic Gallery+2Catholic Daily Readings+2
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 — “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Catholic Daily Readings+1
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17 — “You are God’s building… for the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple.” Catholic Gallery+1
Gospel: John 2:13-22 — Jesus clears the temple, and says: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” Catholic Gallery+1
📌 Explanation of the Readings
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In Ezekiel, the vision of water flowing from the temple (Ezek 47) symbolises God’s life‐giving presence: wherever it flows, life flourishes (“everything will live”). This echoes the Church’s identity as the place where divine life is shared.
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The Psalm emphasises God as refuge and strength — reinforcing that the temple (and the Church) is not simply a building but God’s safe dwelling among his people.
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In 1 Corinthians, Paul calls the community “God’s building” and “the temple of God”, warning that if someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. Thus believers are invited to recognise their identity as holy and sacred.
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In John’s Gospel, Jesus cleanses the temple and indicates that his body is the true temple, foreshadowing the new covenant. The focus is on the presence of Christ and the transformation of worship.
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Together, these readings invite us to understand that we, as the Church (and as individuals incorporated into Christ), are the living temple of God. The feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (the cathedral of Rome, symbolic of the Church’s foundation) underlines this theme of the house of God built on Christ.
🎯 Application for Catholics and Catechumens
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Reflect: Ask yourself — do I live as a “temple of God”? Do I allow God’s life-giving “water” (grace, the Holy Spirit) to flow through me so that others may live?
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As catechumens: Recognise your journey into the Church is not just joining an institution, but becoming part of God’s temple — a dwelling of the Holy Spirit. This reading affirms that your baptism, your initiation, builds you into the holy place where God dwells.
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As Catholics: Consider your responsibility to honour the temple of God — not only the building, but your body and the community of believers. How might you clear away what obscures Christ’s presence (e.g., sin, neglect of prayer, lack of community)?
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Practically: Choose one action this week to allow God’s presence to flow more freely — maybe through service, hospitality, prayer for someone, or reconciliation with someone you’ve distanced.
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For community: Remember that the Church is not our private club — it is God’s temple built for life, community, healing. Let you and I help make it a living place of welcome, grace, and transformation.
🙌 Closing Prayer
Lord our God, keep us safe in your abiding love. By the grace of the Eucharist we have known the power of your saving presence, and we pray that, faithful to the call to be your living temple, we may radiate Christ’s life and love to the world. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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