{"id":7017,"date":"2014-11-14T18:35:32","date_gmt":"2014-11-14T18:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/?p=7017"},"modified":"2014-11-14T18:35:32","modified_gmt":"2014-11-14T18:35:32","slug":"dedication-of-the-lateran-basilica-remembrance-sunday-09-11-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/?p=7017","title":{"rendered":"Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Remembrance Sunday) (09.11.14)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Remembrance Sunday) (09.11.14)
\n<\/strong>We might wonder why, throughout history, the Temple of God \u2013 the \u201cHoly of Holies\u201d and churches of worship down through the ages have always been held in such high regard by Christians.Today\u2019s Gospel recounts how Jesus reacted so strongly when He witnessed how \u201cHis Father\u2019s House\u201d was being violated and abused. St. John deemed the incident worth recording to emphasise the lesson we need to learn from it.<\/p>\n

\n

We might think that it is a bit \u201cover the top\u201d because they are only buildings after all.
\nIf so, we are missing the point.<\/p>\n

Churches are places set apart for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament reserved there in the tabernacle \u2013 havens of peaceful silence for those who wish to come in and stay a while in the presence of the Lord, whether to offer prayers of petition or thanksgiving or perhaps to just be quiet and open to what God might want to speak to us through the inspiration the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

Even if we are too busy about many things to make a visit as we hurriedly pass by, these holy Temples in themselves are a constant reminder of their purpose, and all that goes on in them \u2013 where we believers are firstly baptised into the fold, and from thence nourished by word and sacrament for the rest of our lives, thus making us <\/strong>God\u2019s temples – \u00a0as we hear in the second reading (Cor. 3: 9-11,16-17) \u2013 a sobering thought indeed!<\/p>\n

Yes, we belong to the same Church as the community of believers at Corinth.
\nLike them, we are invited to see\u00a0 ourselves as God\u2019s building\u00a0 – not a building of bricks and mortar, but one of flesh and blood , a community of faith and charity.\u00a0 This is the challenge.<\/p>\n

We do not remain dedicated just by existing.
\nOur dedication can become disenchanted with the Church.\u00a0 We could then feel we no longer want to belong.
\nWe could then stop taking responsibility for seeing ourselves as the Church, as God\u2019s building, and walk away.
\nThis temptation can come to us all at various times on our uphill climb to our heavenly home.\u00a0Therefore, it is important to renew our dedication.\u00a0There are times when we need the faith and love of the community to support us in our weakness and failure.\u00a0There are also times when we ourselves can help others grow because something of the divine shows through in us.\u00a0I find Cardinal Newman\u2019s prayer inspiring and worth pondering at this juncture:-
\n\u201cDear God,\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Help me to spread your beauty everywhere I go today.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Flood my soul with your Spirit and Light.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fill my whole being so utterly, that all my life may only be a radiance of You.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shine through me and be so much a part of me, that every soul I meet today may see Your Presence in me.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let them look at me and find no longer me but You.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stay with me, and then I will begin to shine as You shine, so as to be a light for others.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let me preach You without preaching \u2013<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0teach You without teaching \u2013 <\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 not by words but by example \u2013<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 by the catching influence of who I am and what I do<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and by the obvious fullness of the love my heart holds for You.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Our ambition must be to defend and live by the precepts and principles of the Church\u2019s teaching, whether it get a bad or a good press \u2013 none of us is perfect – \u00a0remembering it is made up of sinners who keep trying to be good, and we are part of that community of believers!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Remembrance Sunday) (09.11.14) We might wonder why, throughout history, the Temple of God \u2013 the \u201cHoly of Holies\u201d and churches of worship down through the ages have always been held in such high regard by … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archdiocese-of-liverpool"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7017"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7018,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7017\/revisions\/7018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}