The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, November 9, 2005
The Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. We read from Holy Scripture references to the Church of Christ, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and most pointedly, to ourselves. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We are His temple, His church, the place He chooses to inhabit.

It is an awesome reality that the God of all creation wants to be that near to us and =is= that near to us. He is closer than where our own human heart beats. It is not that God is aloof or remote, but rather that we to often fail to see Him, to respond to Him. God is always present. The question is: are we present to God?

Recognizing our pitiful response to so loving a God, let us pray on this feast for the grace to recognize that God desires no other dwelling place than a heart that is loving and contrite: your heart, and my heart. May He grant us the grace to perfect our lives so that the angels might say of us: "How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, mighty God." (Psalm 84)

- Donna Raye Nelson, OCDS (1998)