This year, in the past several months, we have had several feast days celebrated on our Sunday liturgies in our calendar, including All Souls’ Day last weekend, the feast of the exaltation of the holy cross in September, and then today’s feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. We might wonder why we celebrate the dedication of Church building in Rome at Mass today. What does that matter to us in Mississippi in the Diocese of Jackson? Indeed, we celebrate a physical building at mass today that most of us have never have set eyes upon, located in a country across the Atlantic Ocean, but this Feast is about much more than a physical building.
Historically, basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral church of the bishop of Rome, the Pope, even though many of the Catholic faithful think the Basilica of St Peter would be his cathedral. The Lateran Basilica has the title “Mother and Head of all the Churches in the City and in the World.” The original church of St John Lateran was dedicated on 9 November 324 AD. Over the centuries, this basilica has been destroyed or damaged by earthquakes, fires, and attacks. Despite all these setbacks, the Basilica has been rebuilt and restored many times.
The Lateran Basilica symbolizes the unity of the Church, which is something very important to the Catholic faithful. Catholic communities throughout the world are built on one foundation, our Lord Jesus Christ. By celebrating this feast today, we unite with the Pope and with each other, as we are all baptized into one body, the body of Christ. We should think of the Church not in terms of physical buildings, but in terms of community. Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians that we are God's building, that the foundation of this building is the Lord Jesus Christ, and all of us who serve in the Church must build upon that foundation. We are the place where God wishes to dwell, giving us the opportunity and the responsibility to proclaim God’s loving presence to the world.
We live in a world where there is a lot of division and discord. The message of the Church as a community of Christ’s love is so important to the world today. Many families have been divided or have broken down. Many lives are overtaken by anger and bitterness. Many people are lonely and do not know where to turn. Public and political life is full of attacks and harsh rhetoric. There is a lot of violence and crime on our streets. Healing and wholeness is needed in the midst of this reality. Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians to give advice to a community that was badly divided, telling them to see themselves as the Temple of God and to feel the Holy Spirit working within them.
We are grateful to have a large OCIA class this year. I also have 9 men coming into the Church at the prison in Pearl this year, and several men coming into the Church at the federal prison as well. I try to emphasize to those going through this process that they should not see OCIA as an academic class they attend or information they are trying to learn. They are called to have a personal encounter with Christ and to enter into our community, the Body of Christ. I have also told them that it is equally important, and in many ways more important, to attend Mass each week at Holy Savior, to be a part of our community and to participate in that community. The Church asks all of us to attend Mass each weekend and to support our Church community in different ways.
St Paul was able to the write to the different Church communities from a position of faith because of his own personal encounter with Christ and the love of God that he had entered. St Paul made it his mission to help people know Christ and to proclaim Christ's Gospel message to the world. The purpose of the Church is to create opportunities for people to encounter Christ, and to receive his love and healing. Sharing our time and our expertise creates an environment where God’s love can grow in us, as individuals and as a community. Our parish activities, our outreach, and our buildings give visibility to our faith. They remind us of God’s presence and help us experience God’s love.
It is God’s love that will revive and store our communities and the world. As St John of the Cross stated: “Put love where there is no love, and there you will draw out love.” In many ways, God’s love and our identity as Christ’s body are at the center of today’s celebration of the Dedication of the Basilica of St John Lateran.
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