May Jesus Christ be
praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.
When a new church
building is consecrated for divine worship there are an elaborate series of
rites that occur. At the front doors of
the church, the Bishop marks the door with the sign of the cross and claims the
building for Christ. Then the Bishop
blesses water and sprinkles the building and the people of the congregation. At the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word
the Bishop presents the lectionary to the readers for the Mass, demonstrating
that the Word proclaimed in this community has been received from the apostles. After the Bishop’s homily, the litany of the
saints is chanted, and the prayer of dedication is sung. Then the Bishop anoints the altar with Sacred
Chrism. The walls of the church are
anointed with Sacred Chrism with the sign of the cross. Following this anointing, incense is burned
throughout the church, the candles are lit, and the first Eucharist is
celebrated in this new Temple of the Lord.
On the day of our
baptism, at the beginning of the liturgy, our foreheads were marked with the
sign of the cross and we were claimed for Christ. The water was blessed for baptism and in the
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we were washed in the waters
of salvation. Our ears and mouth were
touched so that we might hear the word of the Lord and proclaim our faith to
the praise of the Father. Our Godparents
were given a candle as a sign of the light of Christ now present within
us. On the day that we received the
Sacrament of Confirmation, the bishop anointed our forehead with Sacred Chrism
in the sign of the Cross. As children of
God, living in communion with the Church, we have the obligation and the
privilege of participating in the celebration of the Eucharist. Through our Baptism, each of us has been made
a temple of the Lord. We have been
anointed with the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation, and we are fed
with the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Each of us has been made a Temple for the Lord, and holiness is fitting
for God’s temple.
In our readings today,
we hear the command and the invitation of the Lord to strive to be holy as the
Lord is holy. The Church reechoed this
call at the Second Vatican Council when she declared that all of the faithful
are called to holiness of life. All of
us, priests, religious, married and single, all of us are called to
holiness. All of us are called by the
Lord Jesus to share in his love and to imitate his mercy.
We seek to live a life
of holiness by being faithful to the duties of our particular vocation. Fulfilling our daily obligations in a spirit
of joy and hope, we grow in our relationship with the Lord. Each day the Lord invites us to turn to Him
in prayer and place before the throne of grace the needs of each day. Each night the Lord invites us to turn again
to Him in prayer and to ask Him for mercy for the sins we have committed that
day through our weakness. Every week we
are invited to the celebration of the Holy Mass where we are fed by the Word of
God and the Bread of Life. Living our
life close to the Sacraments that Christ has given to His Church is how we grow
in holiness. This is how we live as
Temples of the Lord.
As we celebrate this
Eucharist today, let us thank the Lord for the grace that he has given to us in
our baptism and our confirmation. Let us
commit ourselves to responding to the invitation to holiness of life that the
Lord has given to us. And let us rejoice today for the Lord has made His temple and promised
to dwell within us. Amen.
Preached
at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
