Feast Lateran Bascillica - Celebrating 3 Houses Of God

[BarbTherese]

Abeautiful and thought provoking commentary on the Feast of the Lateran Bascillica from the 15th century. I have long thought that long past times had a much richer quite general understanding of Baptism than our more recent times, generally speaking again - meaning a general understanding of the implications of our Baptism from which all other vocations flow. Baptism is our primary vocation and call and no other state or role in life exists as a vocation (from Latine: vocare "to call) may be considered without Baptism and investing in the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity gifted at Baptism. Faith, Hope and Charity in the Light of Jesus and His Gospel is the path we are asked to take in our journey of life no matter our particular state in life. As Lanspergius the Carthusian states "each [u][i]holy soul[/i][/u] dedicated to God, [u][i]consecrated to him by baptism[/i][/u], who has become the temple of the Holy Spirit and the God's dwelling place". -

[u][url="http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=commentary&localdate=20111109"]http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=commentary&localdate=20111109[/url][/u]



[quote]
[u]Commentary of the day [/u]
Lanspergius the Carthusian (1489-1539), monk, theologian
[i]Sermon on the dedication of a church; Opera omnia, 1, 702f.[/i]
[center][b]«You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you» (1Co 3,16)[/b][/center]
The dedication we are celebrating today concerns, in reality, three houses. [u][b]The first is[/b][/u] the material sanctuary... Certainly, we are to pray everywhere and there is nowhere where one cannot pray. Nevertheless it is very fitting to have consecrated a particular place to God where all of us, we christians who make up this community, can meet, praise and pray to God together and thus more readily obtain what we ask for as a result of this common prayer, as it is written: «If two or three of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father» (Mt 18,19)...

[u][b]The second house of God is[/b][/u] the people, the holy community who find their unity in this church, that is to say you who are guided, taught and fed by the one shepherd or bishop. It is God's spiritual dwelling of which our church, this material house of God, is the sign. Christ built this spiritual temple for himself... It is a dwelling formed of God's elect, past, present and to come, gathered through their unity of faith and love in this one church, daughter of the universal Church and, in addition, one thing with the universal Church. When it is considered separately from the other, particular churches, then it is only one unit of the Church, as are all the other churches. Yet, taken altogether, these churches make up the one, universal Church, mother of all the churches... When we celebrate the dedication of our church, we are doing nothing else than reminding ourselves, in the midst of our thanksgiving, hymns and praise, in the goodness God has shown in calling this small group of people to know him...

[u][b]The third house of God is[/b][/u] each holy soul dedicated to God, [u][i]consecrated to him by baptism[/i][/u], who has become the temple of the Holy Spirit and the God's dwelling place... When you celebrate the dedication of this third house, you are simply recalling the favor you received from God when he chose you so that he might come to live in you by his grace.[/quote]

[BarbTherese]

Apologies for spelling "basilica" incorrectly and no typo - pure spelling error only!