Florida Catholic | Sunday Word

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

A community of faith doesn’t need a building

November 9, 2008 :: Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17; Jn 2:13-22

SISTER SALLIE LATKOVICH | SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC

I have had the great privilege of accompanying several groups of pilgrims to the Holy Land. One of those groups had the unique experience of celebrating the Eucharist in the blazing sun of the Judean desert. There was no building, no furniture, no altar, but people of faith gathered together and in deep union with the word and the Eucharist. Even today, members of that group will occasionally get in touch and remember that very holy event. No building …

In the feast we are given to celebrate today, the Scriptures themselves help us to understand that it is NOT the building or basilica that is of primary importance, but the community of faith that gathers to worship there. It is the people who are the church, and the building is simply where the church gathers to pray and worship.

The first reading from Ezekiel dates to the time of the post-exile, and reflects on revitalized worship in the restored Temple. The image of water as the source of life is clear in this apocalyptic vision. Everyone knows that water is indeed the source of life, and we who are baptized into Christ Jesus can attach the meaning of baptism as well. Thus, the community depends on fresh, flowing water for physical life, and certainly for life in God.

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is very direct: “You are God’s building … you are the temple of God.” We are given cause to reflect on our identity as such. It is about the community of faith.

Let me recommend two books by author Robert D. Putnam. The first is called “Bowling Alone.” Once we bowled in leagues, but no longer. We have become increasingly disconnected from one another. Putnam speaks of the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on us, and also exalts the power of these bonds in creating a society that is happy, healthy and safe.

His second book on the same topic is titled “Better Together.” This is a book of stories about people who are building communities to solve specific problems. Both of these books have wonderful parallels to the church community that we celebrate in today’s liturgy.

Finally, John’s Gospel tells the familiar story of the cleansing of the Temple. Jesus is a fiery prophet who is angered over the “marketplace” mentality that is certainly an affront to community rather than a builder of it.

The Lateran Basilica remains the cathedral church of Rome – that is, the central place where the community of the faithful gathers for worship and prayer. On this Sunday, let us reflect on our own communities of faith. What are we called to do to build the community?

Sister Sallie Latkovich, Sisters of St. Joseph, is an assistant professor at the Blessed Edmund Rice School of Pastoral Ministry in the Diocese of Venice, a part of Barry University of Miami.

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