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Gospel Reading for November 09, 2025 – John 2: 13-22
MARKETPLACE
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.
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The Lateran Basilica in Rome is considered the “Mother Church of Christendom” and is the official cathedral of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome. This first public church was built in the 4th century when Emperor Constantine gifted the land to the Bishop of Rome after legalizing Christianity. The basilica had been damaged by fires and invasions and yet it continues to survive.
In the gospel of today we see Jesus lashing out at merchants of animals that were being sold for offering in the temple as well as money-changers because the temple had its own currency. It was really a MARKETPLACE which was not fit to be around the temple area. Imagine a place of prayer and worship with people busy buying animals and changing their money. And, it was not just that. It made worship burdensome especially for people who could not afford. Remember, when Jesus was 40 days old, Mary and Joseph went to present him at the temple and they offered turtledoves, which was an offering prescribed for the poor. Imagine, the offerings themselves had social classification!
Although nowadays, we are no longer required to offer animals, there are still those of us who make our churches a MARKETPLACE – the gossipmongers, those who attend mass in an attire fit for outings, malling or wild parties, etc..
But, the worst of all is when we make a MARKETPLACE of our own bodies which are supposed to be temples of the Holy Spirit by virtue of our Baptism. According to Jesus in Mark 7: 21-23, what defiles a person come from within – “sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.” How then can our bodies be temples of the Spirit of God?
We pray Lord, that the Church remains strong, with its members relentlessly upholding Christian values even in the midst of adversaries and challenges!
