11/8/2013 – Friday of 31st week in Ordinary Time – Romans 15:14-21

      It amazes me how Paul’s letters were written so long ago to the communities of the Early Church, yet there message remains so relevant to us today.  And the Church has changed so much in our own lifetime, hasn’t it?  Father Dan Gallagher, the chaplain at St Dominic Hospital in Jackson, was telling me what life was like as a young priest in our diocese.  He arrived from Ireland more than 50 years ago, and started serving at St Mary parish in Yazoo City. When he arrived in Yazoo City, there were two parishes, and a total of 4 priests and more than 25 nuns who staffed the two schools there that ran from kindergarten to 12^th grade.  When I arrived in Yazoo City, I was the only priest, and I served in a total of 3 different parishes and in two prisons.  How different the reality of the Church is today.  Paul tells the members of the early Christian communities in his letter to the Romans to fill themselves with goodness and knowledge, to admonish one another and to help each other of their journey to holiness.  This is not complicated advice, but it is very practical, common-sense oriented advice.  Even though the world has changed so and the reality facing us as the Catholic Church has changed so much in recent years, we are still to help edify each other on our pilgrimage journey, we are to find ways to nurture each other and to fill ourselves with goodness and knowledge.  May we strive toward this ideal.

11/9/2012 – Dedication of St. John Lateran – Friday – Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; John 2:13-22

         The different feast days & celebrations in our Church calendar tell us so much about our Church & about our history. Today, we celebrate the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome, the Pope's cathedral & the baptism church of ancient Rome. It is also called the Church of Holy Savior & the Church of St. John Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.  It was built as a palace by the Laterani family, passed into the hands of the Emperor Constantine through his wife, & was consecrated a cathedral by Pope Sylvester in 324. This feast became a universal celebration in honor of the basilica called "the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world" as a sign of love for and union with the Holy seat of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

         In each of today’s readings, some aspect of our place of worship is mentioned.  And I wonder how often do we take our places of worship for granted.

         In the first reading from the Book of Ezekiel, the prophet describes his vision of a new temple; with the symbol of life-giving water flowing from the temple. Israel had been through much strife, having chosen to leave God's path many times. While he is in exile, Ezekiel responds to the call of the Lord to become His holy prophet.  Ezekiel relays his visions to his people as he becomes the Lord’s instrument to call the people back again. Ezekiel makes many sacrifices to follow this calling:  At one point, the Lord asks him to lie on his side one day for every year that the Israelites were disobedient to God.  But, in today’s reading, Ezekiel talks about the glory of the rebuilt temple when the Jews will be back in Jerusalem as they return from exile.

         Our buildings of worship are important places in our lives of faith, holy places that speak to us & our society as symbols of our faith.  Yet, we must always remember that we are holy temples ourselves, temples where the Holy Spirit lives, temples that bring us to life in Christ.  We are the living stones that form the body of Christ, just as stones from the earth form together to create our houses of worship. 

         Let us go forth from our Eucharistic celebration today remembering our call to be temples of the Holy Spirit whenever we see our houses of worship.  As both Ezekiel and Jesus suffered for God's holy people, as they suffered to build up the Church & to bring us back to God, may we look at our own sufferings as being united with the sufferings of Jesus.  May the Lord help us to see his will for us today, to help us to be living stones of the body of Christ.