SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SOLEMNITY OF THE DEDICATION OF OUR NEW CHURCH
10 FEBRUARY 2023
King
Solomon had built the temple in Jerusalem as the central location of the Lord’s
presence dwelling in the midst of his people.
Centuries later, the Prophet Ezekiel announced that the Lord was no
longer present in that temple because of the sins of his people. They had ignored his repeated warnings and
had wandered away from the Covenant. They
had abandoned the care they should have given to the poor. In offering sacrifices to gods which did not
exist, they were guilty of idolatry. When
the Babylonians destroyed the temple and took his people into exile, Ezekiel blamed
this catastrophe on their sinful behavior.
Now, from
exile in Babylon, Ezekiel is given a vision of a new temple to be rebuilt when
his people are released from their captivity.
Joining them in their journey from the east, the Lord will enter the
newly built temple with glory and power.
From the inner court of that temple, Ezekiel hears a voice: “Son of man,
this is where my throne shall be, this is where I will set the soles of my
feet; here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever.”
We see this
prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ. When
he enters the second temple that was being magnificently restored by Herod the
Great, he says that this temple will not endure. Through the mystery of the Incarnation, which
we celebrated at Christmas, he is the new temple, God dwelling among us in
human flesh. After his death and
resurrection, which we will celebrate at Easter, there will be no need of a
physical temple on Mount Zion. Saint
Matthew makes that clear when he reports that the curtain in the temple is torn
in two when Jesus dies on the cross. He will be present to his disciples until
the end of time.
Saint Peter
recognizes this truth about Jesus in today’s Gospel. He confesses him as the Christ, the Son of
the living God. In response to Peter’s
profession of faith, Jesus establishes his Church on the rock of Peter’s faith. He promises that the gates of the netherworld
will not prevail against it. We see the
image of Peter holding the keys of the kingdom behind the ambo.
Today, we celebrate
the sixth anniversary of the dedication of our church building. We express our gratitude for this magnificent
structure. It was built through the
generosity of so many who sacrificed to allow its construction through material
stones. In this sacred space, the Lord
is truly present when we celebrate the Sacraments, and uniquely present in the
celebration of the Eucharist. At all
times, the Lord Jesus is truly present in the Tabernacle. Through the
intercession of Saint Pius X our patron, one of the successors of Saint Peter,
we gather here to celebrate baptisms, funeral liturgies, and the many ways the
Lord is truly present in our lives.
The first
Letter of Saint Peter reminds us that we who gather in this building are living
stones being formed into a beautiful structure by the Lord. That is why this coming Season of Lent is so
important to us. Like the people of
Ezekiel’s time, we diminish the Lord’s work of building us as living stones
into a beautiful structure when we fail to live our baptismal promises and when
we wander away from the New Covenant.
Lent invites us to acknowledge what the people of Ezekiel’s time refused
to admit. We are sinners in need of
conversion. Through prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving in these forty days, we open ourselves more completely to the Lord’s
mercy and allow him to continue to form us into who we are. We are the Body of Christ, living stones,
privileged to gather and worship in this beautiful temple built by sacrificial
love. We allow the Lord to continue to
form us and give his mercy when we fail.
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