Christ spoke of his body as a temple

Taken together, these readings teach that God's presence cannot be reduced to a building or outward religious observance; what ultimately matters is faithful communion with God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In Jeremiah 26:1–15, Jeremiah courageously warns that even the Jerusalem Temple will be destroyed if the people presume upon its holiness while refusing to repent and obey God; in Origen's commentary on John, Origen explains that when Jesus says, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," He reveals that His own Body is the true Temple, destroyed in His Passion and raised in the Resurrection. Together they teach that external religion, sacred places, and religious practices have meaning only insofar as they lead us into genuine conversion and union with God: Christ Himself is the true meeting place between God and humanity, and through union with Him we too are being formed into a holy dwelling place where God lives and acts.