Today's gospel instigates some biblical history awareness as well as a call for understanding why we continue to build churches.  During the month of November we have had days when the Church calls us to remember three specific churches in Rome:  St. John Lateran, St. Peter's Basilica, and St. Paul Outside-the-Walls (of ancient Rome).  In OT times the temple in Jerusalem was important to the Jewish people and their faith.  The first temple, built to end the traveling tent of exile days.  The first of three great temples was built by King David's son, King Solomon between 960-950 BC.  This temple would replace the tent and lend greater importance to the contents in the symbolic house of Yahweh:  the tablets of the 10 Commandments,  a scroll with the inscribed words of the first five books of the Old Testament also known as the Jewish Bible, Aaron's staff and a container of manna from the desert days.  All to remind the people of their painful days of Exodus.

In587 BC during the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem, Solomon's great work was destroyed.  Then, to commemorate another time of exile, 538-515 BC, King Zerubbabel built the second great Jerusalem Temple.  In the year 20 BC, King Herod built the third and last Jerusalem Temple.  This was the temple where Jesus prayed and taught.  It is the temple mentioned in the gospels and other NT letters.  This 3rd temple was destroyed by the Roman armies in the year 70 AD.  To this day there has not be the construction of the 4th Temple.

Some may wonder why another sacred space has not been built.  The teachings of Jesus and the writings of St. Paul especially have influenced this decision ... and undoubtedly the cost of such construction in modern times.  It is also the reason the Church celebrates the construction of the newer basilicas in Rome:  we are, all of us temples of the Holy Spirit.  God created us this way.  It was his unique gift to us to assist us to withstand the challenges that would confront each person in the course of life.  Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.  

So from the ancient and the modern worlds and history, we recognize that there is a need in human being to have a "locus" (Latin for "place") for our worship as a community of believers.  There is a unique challenge for us with regard to these places we call sacred space.  Buildings are buildings.  They give witness to God's presence among and within our communities.  We must not overlook the more important reality:  each of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit.  Shouldn't this be a determining factor about how we live our lives?  This is the reason for all of this reflection on temples, basilicas and churches.  They exist to bring our communities together in worship and personal prayer.  But the most significant temple is each person's body -- the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  We should remember there are never schedule ceremonies in that temple.  The Holy Spirit is always present for listening!