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
Eze 47:1-2,8-9,12
1 Cor 3:9-11,16-17
Jn 2:13-22
Making a whip out of some cord, He drove them all out of the temple…
My parents raised us to hide our emotions. In our household, you were not encouraged to express your opinions – the proverbial ‘children are seen but not heard’. Anger was seen as a sign of weakness. Tantrums were frowned upon; if you were brazen enough to have one, you were punished for it. If you had strong feelings about something, you kept them to yourself. Very often, we wanted to speak out, but it never came to any kind of good end. So, we learned to bite our tongues, and became adults who are adept at reading a room, wearing masks and walking on eggshells.
I have often wondered if that might not have been the best of strategies, especially now that I live in America, where people are not shy about telling you what’s what. We would’ve never thought to attempt what Christ did in the temple, fashioning a cord and dramatically throwing out the sinners in His father’s house. Make a scene in a public place? It’s not the conservative Chinese way of doing things. And more’s the pity because though this is a cultural quirk in so many Chinese families, that repression eventually finds its outlet, and manifests as something more damaging.
I have come to realize that not all anger is bad. Sometimes, anger is necessary, especially in the face of blatant wrongdoing. If Christ had triangulated, worked behind the scenes to broker an outcome that was amenable to all parties, would things have ended differently for him? Quite possibly. But politicking usually involves a compromise that dilutes the end message. Nobody would remember a triangulated resolution — “no oxen, sheep and doves, but money changing is ok”, for instance. But everyone remembers the image of a whip made out of cords, and the drama of an angry Christ beating out the money changers — with the oxen, sheep and doves flying all over the temple floor.
Do I regret not speaking out more as a child, when faced with outright wrongdoing? Yes, absolutely. I have lots of regrets that I was not braver, that I kept silent when I knew things were not right. I often wish I had not averted my eyes, made things ‘not my problem’, or hid behind my homework and past year papers. The time has passed now, and all we can do is move forward, in the hope that we do better when we are next faced with the opportunity to right a wrong. I hope I’ll find the courage then.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
Prayer: We pray for the wisdom, discernment and courage to act on our conscience when faced with the opportunity to right a wrong.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the second chances in life, to be better versions of ourselves.
OXYGEN 
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