Gospel Commentary for Sunday, November 9, 2025

Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran

Dear brothers and sisters, peace and all good.

For the second Sunday in a row, the Lectio continua of the Gospel of Luke is interrupted—this time to commemorate the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Today’s feast might have come as a bit of a surprise. We might have thought it was just another Sunday near the end of the liturgical year. But suddenly, we are told that we are remembering a dedication. We can gladly accept that, because we also celebrate the Lord who, in today’s Gospel, is presented to us as the true temple.

Let’s say a few words about these two realities. In Rome, there once stood the Lateran Palace, which belonged to an imperial family. But in the 4th century, when Christianity moved from being a persecuted religion to one that was approved, supported, and eventually official, that palace became the residence of the popes.

The Basilica is magnificent. It is the first great Christian basilica in Rome and the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome—thus, the mother and head of all the churches in the world. It was built by Emperor Constantine, who donated the land to Pope Miltiades. Originally dedicated to the Most Holy Savior, the names of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist were later added.

Within its walls, five ecumenical councils have taken place. Keep in mind that St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where the Pope currently resides, has only existed since the 17th century. Only the last two ecumenical councils were held there. St. John Lateran, therefore, is much older. The name “Lateran” is also linked to the treaty of February 11, 1929, which established the civil status of the Holy See—an agreement signed between Mussolini and Pope Pius XI.

As you can see, those are just a few historical notes about the Pope’s basilica par excellence, long before the construction of St. Peter’s.

But what matters most to us is knowing that, beyond these majestic temples of Rome, there is one true Temple: the very person of Jesus, where the glory of God has dwelt in its fullness. In Jesus, God has revealed the splendor of His glory. The great Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed—no stone left upon another. It happened to the first temple and again to the second.

In contrast, Jesus is eternal, and through Him we always have access to God—in every moment and in every age. He is also the foundation upon which the Church of God, made up of all of us, is built. Only when we are rooted in Him can we withstand the passage of time that destroys all grand human constructions. Today’s celebration is a universal sign of unity with the Roman Pontiff and an invitation to reflect on the temple that each believer is in the Holy Spirit.

In the first reading, the temple is the place of God’s presence among His people. That’s why it appears at the center of Ezekiel’s vision. The water flowing from the temple symbolizes that all blessings received by Israel come from God. Water is the source of life—it’s scarce in Israel, and without it, life cannot exist. It is often associated with God’s presence. Therefore, the water that flows from the temple has the power to make the desert of Judah fruitful and even to purify the salty waters of the Dead Sea, where life could not exist. In the temple, we can find that same renewing strength; there, all the negative feelings we may carry can be healed.

The temple was once the dwelling place of God, but Paul tells us today that God now dwells within the community of believers. Just as, in the time of the Old Covenant, God resided in the temple, now the Spirit of God lives in the believers—the new temple of God. This understanding highlights the extraordinary dignity of every believer, who is now the true holy place, the space where God’s presence lives in the world. Consequently, every person must be treated with reverence and respect.

We already know that the true temple of God is the human being. Yet it’s also true that we need visible signs of His presence—tangible reminders that help us remember that He is still alive among us. We know that love exists in itself, but the rings exchanged by spouses make that love visible and binding. We know that peace is the fruit of justice, yet we still perform gestures that help us pursue it. In that same way, the temple helps us celebrate, experience, and feel the love God has for us. It’s a sacred space we approach not only to find God, but to dedicate part of our day—or even our lives—entirely to Him.

We are living temples of God. And precisely because we are His temples, we must build and renew ourselves each day. When we go to a church made of stone, we are reminded of the life and spiritual richness of a community that believes in Jesus and needs to gather to find strength, listen to the Word, and put it into practice. Every church, in countless places around the world, stands as a sign proclaiming the presence of a community that hopes, strives to live, and follows the teachings of Jesus the Master. “We can only build a better world if we first build ourselves.”

The beauty of a Catholic temple lies above all in the community that gathers and celebrates within it. The greatest investment we can make is to live out what we hear within those sacred walls—to be consistent with what we profess and what truly matters in our lives. The Dedication of the Mother of all Churches—St. John Lateran—invites us each day to offer our hearts and our lives to God, so that we may become living, effective, and true temples of His presence.

Your brother in faith,