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Temple 3.0
Over the past few weeks, many of us have been thinking and praying about the
We Are His Witnesses initiative taking shape across our archdiocese.
And for many of you—especially those who have called Our Lady of Lourdes home
for years or even decades—these conversations about parish partnerships,
restructuring, or possible mergers can feel unsettling. That reaction is
understandable. More than that, it is a sign of love. It shows how deeply this
parish has shaped your faith, your families, your sacramental life, and your
sense of belonging.
So before anything else, I want you to hear this clearly: Your concerns and questions are legitimate. Your words and ideas are not
complaints; they are expressions of commitment. I care about this parish too. My role is to walk with you, to bring
your concerns forward honestly, and to help us navigate whatever comes with
faith and hope.
It is precisely in moments like this—when something familiar feels
uncertain—that the Gospel today speaks with particular power. Jesus stands
before the magnificent stones of the Temple, stones that had weathered
centuries, stones that anchored a people’s sense of God’s nearness. And it is
in that very place that Jesus speaks of dramatic change. He does not dismiss
the reverence people felt for that sacred building. Instead, He reveals
something deeper: that God is not confined to a structure, and that God
continues His work in ways that may surprise us, challenge us, and ultimately renew
us.
With this in mind, let us turn to the Gospel.
Jesus and the Temple: What
Is Really Being “Destroyed”?
The Temple in Jerusalem was not an ordinary building. It was the sacred
center of Israel’s life—where sacrifices were offered, where heaven and earth
touched, and where God’s glory was said to dwell. So when Jesus predicts its
destruction, it is not simply a bleak warning about stones collapsing. He is
announcing a transformation in how God will dwell with His people.
God’s dwelling will no longer be tied to one place. It will be found in
Jesus Christ Himself—the true Temple—not made of stone but of flesh. Through
His death and Resurrection, Christ becomes the meeting place of heaven and
earth. And through Baptism, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. You
become a temple. Your home becomes a place where God’s presence can
take root. The Church becomes the living Temple—what we might call Temple
3.0.
The people listening to Jesus must have felt the same shock many of us feel
when we hear about parish changes. “How can something so sacred fall?” But
Jesus is not predicting God’s absence. He is revealing God’s renewal.
History confirms what Jesus foretold. The Temple standing in His day—Temple
2.0—was destroyed by the Romans about forty years after He spoke these words.
But God was not defeated. The new Temple—Christ and His Body, the Church—rose
in its place.
Would there be a Temple 3.0?
Yes. And it is the Church. And it is you.
Why the Temple Mattered—And
Why Jesus Rebuilds It in Us
To understand the depth of what Jesus promises, it helps to remember what
the Temple meant to ancient Israel.
1. The Temple was the one place of sacrifice.
Only there could the priest offer atoning sacrifices for sin. But Christ
fulfills this perfectly in the Eucharist. At every Mass, the sacrifice of Jesus
becomes present again for us. The heart of the Temple lives in the heart of the
Church.
2. The Temple was a microcosm of heaven and earth.
Its design mirrored creation. The Holy of Holies represented heaven; the
larger courts represented earth. A miniature universe. And in every Mass,
heaven touches earth again.
3. The Temple was where God dwelt.
“God with us”—Immanuel—took on a new meaning in Jesus. And through Baptism,
the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling in us. You become a place where God desires
to live.
Jesus rebuilds all this—not in one building, but in each of us.
How the Temple/Church = Blueprint for Your Home
What takes place in this church building is not meant to stay in this
building. The architecture here teaches us how to build a Christian home. And
each part of the Temple helps us with one essential task of discipleship: to clarify,
specify, and sanctify the way we live our
faith.
The pew and the kneeler – silence and reverence (CLARIFY).
The pew and the kneeler help us clarify our relationship with God.
They remind us that before we speak, before we act, before we decide—we
listen. Silence clarifies what truly matters.
You might not have pews or kneelers at home, but you can cultivate what they
represent:
Turn off the radio. Silence the phone. Create small pockets of quiet where God
can speak.
Clarify your life with moments of silence.
The confessional – humility and mercy (SPECIFY).
The confessional teaches us to specify our faults—to name them
honestly, without excuses—and to receive mercy with humility.
You might not have a confessional booth at home, but you can build a
confessional spirit:
Can we admit our mistakes without defensiveness?
Can we name where we were wrong?
Can we forgive with precision and intention?
When we specify our faults, grace can enter. When families learn to speak
mercy clearly, healing begins.
The altar – daily sacrifice (SANCTIFY).
The altar shows us how to sanctify our daily lives—how to make them
holy through sacrifice.
Your kitchen table, your desk, your commute—they become places where you
sanctify your day with acts of love.
And this is one reason the Church encourages us to say Grace Before
Meals. When we pray, “Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts…”,
we are not just offering a moment of silence before the entree. We are
inviting God to sanctify everything connected to that meal:
the food, the hands that prepared it, and the time we spend together. We are
asking God to bless us, too—that our home, our conversations,
and our relationships may become holy. It is one of the simplest, clearest ways
to bring the grace of the altar into the heart of the home.
The Eucharist you receive here fuels the sacrifices you make there:
patience with a coworker,
care for an aging parent,
time spent listening,
kindness offered when you are tired.
When united to Christ, these ordinary moments become holy. They sanctify
your home.
Returning to Our Local
Situation
This brings us back to where we began.
When we hear about the We Are His Witnesses initiative,
it can feel like something is being torn down. Emotionally, that is real. But
the invitation of the Gospel is to see beyond the surface.
Just as the Temple was rebuilt—not in
stone but in the Body of Christ—so too the Church continues in us. The goal of
this initiative is not destruction. It is revitalization. It is to strengthen
our mission, sustain our sacramental life, and help our parishes flourish in a
new moment.
There are many things at Our Lady of Lourdes that we hope will continue—and
I share those hopes deeply. But the most important thing is that our faith
lives on, and that our discipleship grows stronger. We do not only come to Mass
at 5:30, 7:30, 9:30, or 11:30. We bring the Mass home with us.
Whether our parish structure changes
or remains the same, the mission continues because the Church lives in you.
Conclusion: Building Temple
3.0
Jesus told us the Temple made of stone would fall. But the living
Temple—Christ and His Church—cannot be destroyed.
So let us rebuild with Him:
Let us clarify our days with silence.
Let us specify our faults and forgive with mercy.
Let us sanctify our homes with daily sacrifices of love.
I pray the architecture of the Temple and Church —dwelling, sacrifice,
heaven and earth—become the architecture of our homes and our hearts.
Jesus is the true Temple.
And in Him, you are living stones.
You are God’s building.
Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for Us..
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