My brothers and sisters in Christ, we gather today, November 9, 2025, to celebrate a feast that might seem distant: the Dedication of the La...
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we gather today, November 9, 2025, to celebrate a feast that might seem distant: the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.
Why do we, here in the Philippines, amidst the familiar ache of our daily struggles and the very immediate threat of Typhoon Uwan, celebrate a building so far away?
The inscription on the Lateran Basilica proudly declares it to be the "Mother and Head of all the Churches of the City and the World" (Mater et Caput omnium Ecclesiarum Urbis et Orbis). In celebrating its dedication, we are affirming our unity with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, and our profound connection to the universal Church—our Mother. This feast reminds us that our small community is never isolated; we are part of the one, indestructible, life-giving body of Christ.
Let us turn now to the sacred readings to uncover the deep meaning of this connection, especially for us today. The Main Message is this: The true and everlasting dwelling place of God is no longer a building made of stone, but the resurrected Body of Christ, which is His Church, and each individual Christian who is the temple of the Holy Spirit, from which flows the grace and life of God.
Mga kapatid, dear friends, look outside today. The heavy rain, the fierce wind of Typhoon Uwan, reminds us how fragile our homes, our lives, and our earthly security truly are. Yet, as we face these calamities, and as we confront the persistent social injustices—the violence, the poverty, the issues that break the very fabric of our communities—the Feast of the Lateran Basilica calls us to a profound truth that transcends the storm.
We celebrate a building in Rome, but our readings compel us to celebrate the Body of Christ—the Church, the people of God. Let us embrace the three C-words that give meaning to our faith, even and especially now.
COMMUNION. Ezekiel and the Psalmist speak of a life-giving river flowing from God’s dwelling. That river is the grace of the Holy Spirit, and its source is the Church, united in Communion with Christ.My brothers and sisters, we are united with the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, but more critically, we are united with each other. This is our true refuge. The Church is not the roof that protects you from the typhoon; the Church is the circle of hands that lifts you from the floodwaters and helps you rebuild your home.
Do not ask, "Where is God in this disaster?" Ask instead, "Am I being God’s love to the person next to me?" The integrity of our faith is not measured by the height of our steeples, but by the depth of our communion in times of crisis.
CONSTRUCTION. St. Paul reminds us: “You are God’s building... Let no one build on any foundation other than the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Our entire life is an act of Construction. We are living stones, constantly being built into a holy temple.
When the typhoon destroys a wall, we rebuild it. But when the foundations of our society are shaken by corruption, by violence, by the sheer weight of poverty, where do we place our hope? Our ultimate foundation is not in any political platform or economic plan, but in Christ crucified and risen.
If your life’s construction is built on comfort, convenience, or fleeting wealth, it will be washed away with the next flash flood. Build on Christ! That means embracing the difficult truth: to be a living stone for God is to be a foundation of justice, truth, and genuine charity for your neighbor, not just a casual Sunday parishioner.
CLEANSING. In the Gospel, Jesus’ zealously cleanses the Temple. He wasn't just throwing out merchants; He was tearing down the hypocrisy that placed profit over piety.
Today, as the physical structures around us are battered and broken, let us allow the Spirit to perform a radical cleansing within the Temple of our heart. Let us throw out the "money-changers" of our own lives: the greed, the fear, the cynicism, the despair that sells out the soul. The storm is our moment of truth.
We pray for our country, for protection from the storm, but are we willing to let God's zeal cleanse our hearts of the sins that truly destroy our nation? God will not simply shield us from the water; He challenges us to become a pure, cleansed channel for His life-giving river, that the grace flowing from the Mother Church in Rome might truly flow through us, here in the Philippines, healing our land.
My friends, the Lateran Basilica is a symbol—a powerful, beautiful, ancient symbol. But you are the reality. You are the living stone. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Go forth from this place, not as victims of the storm, but as members of an unbreakable Communion, engaged in radical Construction, and agents of spiritual Cleansing. Let the river of God's grace flow from you to nourish a wounded nation and a world desperately in need of living water. Amen.
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