Do you not know that you are the temple of God?

Gospel of the Day (Luke 21:5-11)

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said, All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.

Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"

He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them!

When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."

Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.

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Reflections:

«Do you not know that you are the temple of God?» (1Cor 3,16)

«Jesus said to the Jews: 'Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up'... But he was speaking about the temple of his body» (Jn 2,19.21)... Certain people think it impossible to apply to Christ's body everything spoken about the Temple; they think his body was called 'temple' because, just as the first Temple was indwelt by God's glory, so the Firstborn of all creation is the image and glory of God (Col 1,15) and therefore it is fitting that his Body, the Church, should be called the temple of God because it contains the divine image... But we have learned from Peter that the Church is the body and house of God, built of living stones, a spiritual house for a holy priesthood (1Pt 2,5).

Thus we can consider Solomon, the son of David, who built the Temple, as being a prefiguration of Christ: it was after the war, while peace reigned, that Solomon constructed a temple to the glory of God in the earthly Jerusalem...Just so, when all Christ's enemies have been «put under his feet and the last enemy, death, has been destroyed» (1Cor 15,25-26), then there will be perfect peace, then Christ will be the «Solomon» whose name means «Peacemaker» and in him this prophecy will be fulfilled: «With those who hate peace, I speak of peace» (Ps 120[119], 6-7). Then each of these living stones will become a stone in the temple, according to their merits in this present life: one – apostle or prophet – placed in the foundation, will carry the stones set above it; another, following after those at the foundation and itself carried by the apostles, will carry other, weaker ones with it; one will be a stone completely on the inside, where the ark with the cherubim and the mercy seat is to be found (1Kgs 6,19); another will be the stone of the porch (v.3), and yet another, outside the vestibule for the priests and Levites, will be the altar stone where the grain offerings are made... The overseeing of the construction together with the organization of the ministers will be entrusted to the angels of God, those holy powers prefigured by Solomon's prefects for the work... All these things will be accomplished when peace is perfect, when there reigns a great peace.