Jesus says: " 'Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!' " (Jn 2: 16) Notice that he says "my." His relationship with the Father is unique and personal. In baptism we are adopted into that relationship. We are privileged to call God "our Father" every time we pray the Lord's Prayer. The church is essentially the gathering of the People of God; however, the building that houses them for the sacred liturgy reflects and symbolizes their dignity as a priestly people. How mistaken were people in the recent past when they thought to build churches that were "multi-functional!" As we gather for Mass let us be aware of the sacred space and our sacred dignity as the baptized. The Church is the sacrament of Christ therefore the building has a sacramental character which means that it is a sign of God's action in the world. The beauty of the edifice and its decorations all lead us to engage with the great mystery of the Holy Eucharist which communicates the "temple of his body" (Jn 2: 27) which we receive as food and drink to transform our own bodies into temples of the Holy Spirit which are conformed to his glory: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself." (Phil 3: 20-21)
