DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE GOD’S TEMPLE? (Homily for Monday of the 32nd Week in ordinary Time, Year B.)

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica.
Bible Study:  Ezekiel 47, 1 to 12. 1st Corinthians 3, 9 to 17. And John 2, 13 to 22.


As we celebrate the memorial of the dedication of one of the greatest churches in Rome today, the Lateran Basilica, our attention is drawn to the meaning and significance of the temple as a place of worship where God dwells and the fact that our very bodies are temples of God.

The words of St. Paul to us this morning are quite instructive: “You are God's field, God's building… Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.” As children of God, we carry God inside of us and this is why the way and manner we choose to live matters a lot. We must be conscious at all times of our identity as temples of God and remind Satan of who we are whenever we are faced with temptation.

In our mode of dressing, we should remember that certain dresses are not befitting to us no matter the type of occasion we are attending because these dresses were carefully designed by people who do not regard the body as a temple of God. The philosophy behind modern fashion especially female fashion is a portrayal of the human body as an object for sexual gratification and so, even if you do not see yourself as such, by wearing such dresses, which emphasize nakedness, you are promoting a culture of sin. Have you ever seen a temple without a roof and without walls? Have you ever seen a temple without doors and windows? What would you make of such? There is a way to be completely covered and still be attractive. Do not dishonour the temple that is your body.

Do we recognise the presence of God in the church? Ezekiel relates his vision where he describes a certain fountain flowing constantly from the midst of the Sanctuary. Wherever this water flows into, it brings life, health and rejuvenation. Trees planted along its bank remain ever green, their fruits never fade because they are watered by the flow of water from the Sanctuary. This is a perfect description of what becomes of us when we constantly drink from the water of the Sanctuary by our daily attendance of mass and other church services. Each time, we go to church (not just any church, one that has been dedicated and has the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament), we tap from a flow of God’s divine and supernatural blessing. We must go with faith expecting to drink from the water which is beyond what the physical eyes can see.

Jesus in today’s Gospel passage angrily drove out from the temple, those who are were desecrating the place by selling oxen, sheep, doves and changing money. And when asked what sign he would give to show he had the authority to cleanse the temple, he responded: “Destroy this temple and in three days, I will raise it up.” Jesus was speaking of the temple of his own body. When we apply this analogy to our own lives as temples of God, we can see each time we allow sin to reign in us and we begin to love money more than God, we are desecrating our bodily temples.

Today, we are called to do a cleansing our minds and hearts. We are called to make a whip of cords and search through our lives for any sinful inclination or vice that pollutes the temple of our bodies. Being temples of God should never be seen as a burden. We should consider ourselves even privileged to be God-carriers because he who has God has everything! Nothing in life deserves our valiant pursuit, nothing is worth dying for, we have God in us, we should be satisfied and happy. We shouldn’t be aloof to God as his hosts, we should constantly engage him by being prayerful, talking to him and listening to him knowing that he is always with us, we should never be afraid of what any evil person can do to us.

As temples of God that we are, we should be a in love relationship with God who is within us and our love for God should be so strong that we dare not offend him by desecrating our bodies through sinful acts such as looking at indecent materials with our eyes, telling lies with our mouth or immoral acts with our flesh. We actually betray God and cause him heart break each time we do these things because God always remains with us and he sees all that we do, he hears our thoughts and knows our plans.

Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, teach me to honour you in my body as your temple that I may completely overcome all sin and temptation. Amen.


Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy new week.

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