Although the basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the Holy Father in Rome, today’s liturgy focuses not on the Petrine ministry but on the place of God’s abode, the temple. The First Reading is about Solomon’s temple, and the Gospel tells of Jesus coming to stay in the home of Zacchaeus.

Writing to the Corinthians, Paul asks them: “Are you not aware that you are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwells in you?” Notice his use of the singular: “the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple.” He has in mind the community of God’s people as the temple of God: “from living stones, your chosen people, you built an eternal temple to your glory.”

Is this temple (the People of God) only for the presence of God? What else is there in this temple? Are there false gods as well, such as the gods of wealth and power? Do the people in this temple worship the one true God, or do they bow down before other gods, such as economic and political systems? Do the people in this temple work hard at “creating its beauty from the holiness of our lives?”