Feast of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

“You are God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it.… Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

Yes, God’s true building is us . . . the Body of Christ. Each time another Christian is born, that person becomes a new stone fitted into God’s building.  It is the unique temple of God on earth. It is the one place where true worship takes place. Jesus, the great high priest, continues to worship the Father in this holy temple.

In speaking of the new temple of God, God’s building on earth, Saint Paul gave warnings: “But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ.” Over the ages, “imitation” churches have tried to mimic the true Church of God, strayed from the truth of Christ, and laid new foundations formed from their own ideas.

Saint Peter Julian Eymard taught that Jesus in the Eucharist is the true center, life-source, and foundation of the Christian soul and the Church. His instructions on making the heart a dwelling place for God match the idea of the believer as a temple of the Holy Spirit, maintained through prayer, communion, and adoration at the foot of the tabernacle.

A building block has no rights of its own; it is subject to the plan of the builder.  So we too are sacred building blocks, subject to the master plan of the Creator. Do you treat yourselves and fellow members of Christ’s body with the reverence that is their due?

Let Us Pray:

Loving God, we thank You because we are not left alone to build our own way.
You call us Your field, and You are God’s building. Send Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us. Make our hearts a clean and holy temple. Help us to build with acts of love, truth, and grace, so that our lives may stand strong in Your light. Amen.