Nov 9 – Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the church of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. It is officially named ‘Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, St. John Baptist and St. John the Evangelist at the Lateran’.
It is the oldest and ranks first (being the cathedral of Rome) among the four major basilicas of Rome, and holds the title of ecumenical mother church (mother church of the whole inhabited world). An inscription on the façade, Christo Salvatore, dedicates the Lateran as the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, for the cathedrals of all patriarchs are dedicated to Christ Himself. As the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, containing the papal throne, it ranks above all other churches, even above St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
- Wikipedia
1 Cor 3:9-11,16-17
Jn 2:13-22
You are God’s building…you are that temple.
I recently did a sharing with an all-male community I am part of, who gather on Saturday mornings at Church of the Holy Spirit as part of a 26-week programme called That Man Is You (TMIY). This is a US-based programme which our Core team reached out to, and we are now officially the Singapore chapter. Most of the men are fathers (a handful are already grandfathers) who are married and face challenges within the home and at work…let’s not even talk about ministry.
Essentially, as heads of households, men are expected to shoulder much of the responsibility for the spiritual formation of the family, especially so when there are children. However, as life challenges get in the way, or as we shift focus on more ‘pressing’ matters – building a career/family, dealing with fatherhood, coping with growing teens, etc – we end up neglecting to establish our own foundations from a spiritual perspective.
In my sharing to the group (around 80 of whom were present), I recounted my past life/transgressions and revealed the turning point when I encountered Christ in May 2011. Since then, I have focused my efforts on strengthening my foundations by continually praying the rosary and being open to God’s promptings/calls to serve in His vineyard. Over the past 12 years, I have been blessed to be moulded/shaped/guided by a variety of experiences and people on my faith journey. And unlike in the past, when I would have been sceptical of others’ personal agendas or questioned their motives, I have ‘stored away’ all my interactions and built up a bank of knowledge/wisdom in order to discern better His plan for me when faced with challenges/opportunities.
Over the past year or two, He has called me to serve in two ministries which have proven to be life-giving. While both communities are relatively new, I know I am in the season of spring with them – where interactions are budding and we are building foundations that will surely have to withstand challenges as we navigate the intricacies of ministry work.
On the other hand, I am now approaching mid-autumn in my career and, depending on one’s perspective, I am either someone with rich knowledge and experiences to tap into, or a veritable ‘dinosaur’ who is no longer relevant to the new management. Either way, as I also shared recently with two senior staff, I know what my purpose is and am glad to be able to continue to add value to others.
Brothers and sisters, we all go through different seasons in our lives. However, not all of us are blessed to have the privilege of living different seasons at the same time. As I negotiate a season that comes with chilly, blustery winds at work, I am fortunate to be able to experience a different season in ministry life where I see light all around and feel the warmth of the glorious, blazing sun each and every week (thanks in no small part to my ‘new’ communities). It is these experiences which nourish and strengthen me and which I carry into my season at work, where I hope to be able to make an impact on another community come next year.
And my foundation? Prayer. Not as regularly as He would like, but I am more convicted now as I cling to the small, wooden cross that sits in my right pant pocket (it has been a mainstay since 2019, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land). That is the only way we can all build a solid foundation so that we can live as examples to those around us – whether as parent, colleague, leader, employee, teacher/mentor, business owner, student – never forget that we are children of God; a God who loves us tremendously, unconditionally and faithfully.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Desmond Soon)
Prayer: Lord, we pray for your hand to continue guiding us and for You to be our constant focus in our lives.
Thanksgiving: We thank you, Abba Father, for your hand in our lives. And for your presence which nourishes and comforts us in our time of need.
OXYGEN 
Leave a comment