🏛️Today's liturgy celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of two of the most important basilicas in Christendom: St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. Both were originally built by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century over the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the pillars of the Church. St. Peter's Basilica was rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries and solemnly consecrated by Pope Urban VIII on November 18, 1626. The Basilica of St. Paul, after being destroyed by a fire in 1823, was rebuilt and consecrated by Pope Pius IX in 1854, maintaining the joint celebration on this date. This feast honors not only the stone buildings but celebrates the Church as the Temple of God, built on the foundation of the Apostles, and the unity of the faith symbolized by the martyrdom and legacy of these two great saints in Rome, the heart of the Catholic Church.
📜Epistle (Rev 21:2-5)
In those days, I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying: Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and he will dwell with them. And they shall be his people; and God himself with them shall be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away. And he that sat on the throne, said: Behold, I make all things new.
☦️Gospel (Lk 19:1-10)
At that time, Jesus entering, walked through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, who was the chief of the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was, and he could not for the crowd, because he was low of stature. And running before, he climbed up into a sycamore tree, that he might see him; for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus was come to the place, looking up, he saw him, and said to him: Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for this day I must abide in thy house. And he made haste and came down; and received him with joy. And when all saw it, they murmured, saying, that he was gone to be a guest with a man that was a sinner. But Zacchaeus standing, said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him fourfold. Jesus said to him: This day is salvation come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
🤔Reflections
💡The celebration of the dedication of a church and the narrative of Zacchaeus's conversion are intrinsically linked by the mystery of God's "dwelling place." The stone basilicas are a visible sign of the true Temple of God, which is the community of the faithful, the Church, and ultimately, the soul of every baptized person. When Jesus says to Zacchaeus, "This day I must abide in thy house," He refers not only to the physical structure but to the man's heart. The salvation that "has come to this house" is the consecration of Zacchaeus's soul as a new temple for the Holy Spirit. St. Augustine teaches that God does not seek to dwell in buildings of marble and gold, but in the hearts of the just. "If you wish to build a temple for God, first build in yourself the dwelling of holiness. The building you construct will be as beautiful as the love you have for justice" (St. Augustine, Sermon 336). Thus, the liturgy invites us to see the basilicas of Peter and Paul not as mere monuments, but as a call to our own consecration, so that Christ may make His home in us, just as He did in Zacchaeus.
🌟The Epistle from Revelation expands this vision to an eschatological dimension. The "new Jerusalem" descending from heaven is the Church in her final perfection, the Bride of Christ. Earthly churches, especially the mother basilicas of Rome, are a prefiguration of this heavenly reality. They are the "tabernacle of God with men" in a sacramental and symbolic way. The dedication of an altar, the focal point of a church, is a rite that mirrors the purification of a soul. The Roman Missal, in its dedication rites, prescribes anointing with holy Chrism, incensing, and lighting, gestures that signify sanctification and the presence of Christ, the Light of the world. This sanctification of space reflects the transformation of Zacchaeus: his "low stature" symbolizes the condition of a sinner, but by climbing the tree, he rises above his misery to encounter Christ. His fourfold restitution is the purification of his heart, making his house (and his soul) worthy to receive the Lord. The promise that "death shall be no more, nor mourning" is fulfilled initially in the soul that abandons sin and fully in eternal glory, for which the Church on earth prepares us.
🌿The conversion of Zacchaeus, therefore, is a gospel of personal dedication. Jesus's gesture of inviting Himself to his house is an act of pure grace, which meets the human desire to see God. Zacchaeus, the publican, represents the lost humanity that Christ came "to seek and to save." His response is immediate and generous, demonstrating that true conversion is manifested in works of charity and justice. The murmuring of the crowd ("he was gone to be a guest with a man that was a sinner") reveals the gap between human logic and divine mercy. It is precisely in sinful hearts that God wishes to build His temple. The basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul were built on the tombs of men who also knew frailty: Peter, who denied the Lord, and Paul, who persecuted the Church. Their greatness came not from innate perfection, but from the grace that transformed them into pillars of the faith. Thus, today's feast reminds us that each of us, however sinful, is called to become a "living stone" (1 Pet 2:5) in the spiritual edifice of the Church, whose cornerstone is Christ Himself.
➡️See English version of the critical articles here.
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