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The date of “November 9” is our parish’s founding anniversary. The same day is also the Catholic feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome (November 9). It marks the dedication of this cathedral church of Rome by Pope Sylvester I in 324. Last year, as we celebrated our 110th Anniversary, this Basilica had its 1,700th Anniversary.
The Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome carries profound historical importance as it is situated on land granted to the Christian community in the fourth century by Emperor Constantine. This event marked a significant turning point when Christianity shifted from being an illicit faith to becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire. While St. John Lateran might not have been the very first place of Christian worship in Rome, it is recognized as the city's inaugural major place of worship. (The name “Lateran” is not a surname for St. John but rather the family by whom the property of the church was originally owned. The patron of the church is St. John the Evangelist).
It's noteworthy that the
Basilica of St. John Lateran (324) predates St. Peter's Basilica, the
construction of which spanned two centuries: 1506 to 1626. St. Peter’s Basilica actually fulfills both
criteria of late antiquity churches in that it was built over a martyr’s tomb
(St. Peter) and it follows the plan of a Roman basilica. St. John Lateran is different.
As the Catholic Encyclopedia
reports: “[St. John Lateran] has no saint buried beneath it, since it was not,
as were almost all the other great churches of Rome, erected over the tomb of a
martyr. It stands alone among all the altars of the Catholic world in being of
wood and not of stone, and enclosing no relics of any kind. The reason for this
peculiarity is that it is itself a relic of a most interesting kind, being the
actual wooden altar upon which St. Peter is believed to have celebrated Mass
during his residence in Rome”
1. A Familiar Reunion and an Unfamiliar Challenge
On Friday night, I attended a reunion
with classmates, some whom, I hadn’t seen in over 40 plus years. We needed name
tags to recognize each other, but before long we were acting exactly the same
way – and had the familiar mannerisms and word as we had in 8th
grade — it was a time of familiar stories and also familiar personalities,
almost as if no time had passed. We became the people we were….
Driving home, I wondered: Is it always good to resume our old
ways?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus walks into the
Temple of Jerusalem and finds people who have also resumed their “old ways.”
The holy place meant for prayer has become a marketplace. He fashions a whip of
cords, drives out the merchants, and overturns the tables. To the startled
onlookers He declares, “Zeal
for your house will consume me.” Zeal
means dedication or devotion.
That zeal
is not anger —it is love on fire. It is the burning passion of One who cannot
bear to see what is holy corrupted. Jesus doesn’t destroy the Temple; He restores it. Every
divine cleansing — whether of a sanctuary or a soul — is love refusing to
settle for half-hearted worship.
2. The Parish: A Living Temple
Today we celebrate 111 years of faith at
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, founded in 1914 under Monsignor Nicholas Marnell.
From Cherry and Chestnut Streets to this church built in 1964, the Lord has
continued to build not just walls but hearts.
The Psalmist reminds us: “Unless the Lord builds the house, in
vain do the builders labor.” (Ps 127)
We are those builders. Every prayer whispered, every candle lit, every meal
shared, every confession made — each is a beam in a spiritual cathedral that
time cannot erode.
Saint Augustine taught that zeal for
God’s house means letting our hearts be purified so that we ourselves become
His dwelling. And as the Catechism (CCC 593) tells us, the true Temple is Christ’s Body
— and through Baptism, we are joined to that living Temple.
3. Before Beauty, Demolition
If you’ve ever watched a home-makeover
show, you know that before the beauty comes the dust: walls torn down, floors
ripped up, debris everywhere. The crew doesn’t destroy for destruction’s sake;
they clear space for something stronger and new.
That’s what Jesus does in the Temple —
and what He wants to do in us. His zeal overturns not furniture but false
attachments, not tables but tired routines of faith. He clears space in our
hearts so grace can rebuild.
The other day I spent about half an hour
cleaning “the temple” of my car before driving my parents to New York for a
routine doctor’s appointment.
I made space for a wheelchair and walker,
checked the seatbelts, got everything just right or so I thought.
Before we even left,
my father was loading the car, bumped his head on the door frame, and said,
“This car is too small—too low to the ground!”
I was displeased. I couldn’t make the “building of the car” or temple fit his
desire.
And I’ve bumped my own head on that same door frame more than once.
Sometimes I wish the car—and even the Church—were built more to my own liking!
At times I’ve wished the Gospel were a bit more adapted to me, rather than me
having to adapt to it.
Still, off we went. ****
On the highway, a car came speeding up
behind us, so I moved to the right lane.
My dad asked, “Why’d you move? Let him
go around.”
We started to argue. And in that moment I realized: I had cleaned the car, but
not my heart. I was impatient, resuming my old ways.
So I took a breath, stopped responding,
and just focused on driving.
To be honest, peace didn’t come right away.
I actually didn't feel good right away
about restraining myself. It took a day for me to feel good about what I had
done. Sometimes it takes time to realize that we've done something right or
done something wrong. Conversion, like a true remodel, takes more than a single
afternoon, and every sacrament in the church is
This also why we are called to confess
our sins, to cleanse our hearts, to make room for something more, someone more,
a love greater than we can create on our own.
4.
The Pattern of Christ’s Renovation
When Jesus says, “Destroy this temple and in three days
I will raise it up,” He reveals Himself as the new and everlasting
Temple. His cleansing of the Temple foreshadows His Passion and Resurrection — before the glory comes the demolition,
before Easter comes the Cross.
In every sacrament, that same rhythm
continues:
·
Baptism,
the old life is buried so new life can rise.
·
Confession,
sin is put to death, so we can live!.
·
Marriage,
2 people die to independence so a new union can be built.
·
Eucharist,
we are united to the Body of Christ — the living Temple not made by human hands
(cf. CCC 1329).
The Lord is the true Builder who never
stops renovating us. And each act of divine cleansing is not punishment, but
preparation for resurrection.
5. What We Are Building — The Zeal That
Lives in Ordinary Service
A parish anniversary is a time to look
around and ask, What have we
been building all these years?
We know it’s more than bricks and mortar. Yes, we repair roofs, patch plaster,
change lights, and someday, God willing, we’ll even find heavenly parking! But
what really lasts are the hands and hearts that keep this parish alive.
I see your zeal – your devotion so many
ways. Those who come early to prepare the altar, arrange the plants, make sure
everything is in order for Mass. In our volunteers and catechists who teach our
children the faith, sometimes after a full day’s or week’s work, week after
week. In the volunteers who count the collection, clean the church, decorate
for Advent and Easter, in lectors who
proclaim the Word, in choir members and musicians, ushers, those visit the
sick, take in food donations. and keep the parish running behind the scenes.
Each act — large or small — is a beam in
the house God continues to build here.
Every contribution, every sacrifice, every humble task adds another stone to
the living temple that is Our Lady of Lourdes. The parish is not only what we
see around us; it is what we do
together, in love.
Our faith is not a static monument —it’s
a living renovation. The Church endures because love endures. And the zeal that
consumed Jesus in the Temple must continue to burn here, in us, every time we
serve, forgive, and begin again.
6. Conclusion — Every Renovation Becomes a
Resurrection
When Jesus overturned the tables, He was
already preparing the altar.
When He spoke of the Temple’s destruction, He was already promising
Resurrection.
His zeal —the fire of divine love —
tears down what is false so that He may build what is true.
As we mark 111 years of worship at Our
Lady of Lourdes, may that same zeal consume us —not with anger, but with love.
May our hearts, our homes, and our parish be continually renewed until every
renovation becomes a resurrection.
Ad Multos Annos!
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray
for us.
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