To Whom or What Do You Dedicate Yourself?
When
I was young, I would often see this particular set of china and
silverware “enshrined” in our kitchen cabinet. It was often wiped and
cleaned though rarely used. When I see my mother take them out and set
them on the dining table, that’s an indication that we’re celebrating
something grand, something special – perhaps a birthday or a holiday
like Christmas and New Year. It was dedicated for special feasts.
Today
the Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran.
As a student priest in Rome, I learned that the Lateran was actually the
Cathedral Church of the Bishop of Rome, who also happens to be the
Pope, and is considered to be the “Head and Mother” of all churches in
the world. The rite of dedication of a church means it is consecrated
for a singular and special purpose. Something dedicated cannot be used
apart from the purpose it was dedicated to be. To do so would constitute
an act of desecration or sacrilege.
In
his first letter to the believers in Corinth, St. Paul likened the
Christian to a sacred edifice dedicated for a special purpose. He
writes, “You are God’s building... You are the temple of God... and that
the Spirit of God dwells in you. If anyone destroys God’s temple, God
will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, and you are that
temple.”
Our
body, our whole person, is also dedicated, consecrated for a sacred
purpose. We do not treat the body simply as a physical specimen.
Likewise, we do not treat the actions done by and done to our bodies as
meaningless and trivial. This is why the Christian does not see sex like
a recreation or contact sport. This is why the Christian avoids any
kind of vice that endangers the health of his body. This is why the
Christian refuses to perform evil because evil actions affect the
personal disposition.
Every Christian is dedicated, set apart for the good, the true and the beautiful. Fr. Joel Jason
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you maintain a healthy respect for your body and others’ as well? Do you keep in mind your consecration for the good?
God our Father, You have consecrated and set me apart in baptism. I rededicate myself to You today. Amen.
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