*"Being filled with a _deeper love and zeal_ for the Lord, His Mission and His Church!"*

*"Being filled with a _deeper love and zeal_ for the Lord, His Mission and His Church!"*

*(Based on the Feast of the _Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome)_*

"In Hoc Signo Vinces" (By this sign you shall conquer).

This was the motto…

… which propelled the Christian Faith

… which signalled the beginning of Christianity as the Official Religion

Constantine who had been converted to Christianity along with his mother Helen…

… had ascended to the throne of the Roman Empire.

The historian Eusebius tells that on the night of the major battle, Constantine saw a cross of light in the skies, with the words: "In Hoc Signo Vinces."

As a gratitude for the many battles won in the name of "In Hoc Signo Vinces",

… Constantine donated his personal property for the construction of one of the first Basilicas of the Church - St John Lateran Basilica.

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of this great Cathedral Church of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome.

>> This Basilica is the oldest Christian church building in the world.

>> It is the first permanent, public place of worship for Christians in the world.

 

The Gospel of the Day vividly and dramatically displays the zeal and passion of the Lord, for the House of God through the incident of the Cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple.

Christianity, in its infancy, suffered a great deal at the hands of her persecutors.

>> The Roman Empire sought to extend its domination over the entire world.

>> The power and might of the Roman Empire was determined to utterly destroy the Christian religion.

Christians, with a staunch belief in Jesus Christ, refused to worship the Roman pagan gods.

>> This led the Christians to be labelled as the enemies of the state and thus were sought to be eliminated.

Christians were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and even cruelly executed!

>> This wave of violent persecution crashed against the Rock, the Church for three centuries!

 

It was only in 312, when the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity that these persecutions ceased.

In gratitude to Christ, the new Emperor Constantine sponsored the construction of Christian churches...

... the first of which was the Church of the Most Holy Saviour, known today as the Basilica of St John Lateran...

... or simply called as the Lateran Basilica.

 

On this Feast day of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the call of the Gospel is towards examining our relationship with God in the Church.

In the Old Testament, we read that the Lord had established a covenant with His people, Israel.

>> This covenant had its physical symbol in the Temple of Jerusalem.

The majestic and glorious Jerusalem Temple was an external symbol of God's love-relationship with His people.

 

Jesus cleansing this Jerusalem Temple, was a strong message to the people...

... that He had come to revive and revamp the strained relationship between God and His people.

>> It was also symbolic of the need of the people to realize that the Jerusalem Temple which was to be destroyed in a few decades, was only a temporary symbol.

Jesus, Himself is the real and everlasting Temple...

… the permanent symbol of God's eternal covenant with His people.

>> And so, He showcases a tremendous zeal and passion, in cleansing the Temple, of all the corruption and filth and fraud!

 

The Commemoration of this Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica and the Cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple is a call for each of us, to examine our own lives...

Is my relationship with God corrupted by many evil tendencies and pleasurable sins?

>> My heart needs a cleansing drive by the Lord...

Is my relationship with the other, who is also a Temple of the Holy Spirit, badly tainted with anger, jealousy, calumnious thoughts etc...

>> My relationships needs a cleansing drive by the Lord...

Is my relationship with the Church, strained by negative feelings of her dogmas and teachings, and stained by angry-feelings due to many scandals by her responsible authorities?

>> My mentality towards the Church needs a cleansing drive by the Lord...

 

This Feast is a call to revive our zeal and passion for the Lord, His Mission and His Church.

The Lord's ways are sometimes very hard to follow and difficult to tread in this highly materialistic and sensational world.

>> But the Lord promises to be with us, in all our trials and hardships.

The Mission of the Lord to spread His Kingdom is a very challenging one and at times, they seem too very impossible and our efforts meaningless.

>> But the Lord assures His ever-abiding presence and love to those committed and faithful.

The Church of the Lord is very often found to wrench in corrupt practices, discouraging scandals, heart-crushing and shameful incidents.

>> But the Lord assures that His might Spirit will guide the Church through any storms and will surely "write straight, with crooked lines."

 

The invitation is strong...

>> To be filled with a deeper love and zeal for the Lord, His Mission and His Church!

The challenges are deep.

>> The trials are too discouraging.

Yet, with the grace of God, can we display immense pleasure and thrill in building the Kingdom of God?

*Happy Feast Day!*

*God Bless! _Live Jesus!_*