Today, we celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, one of the four major basilicas in the holy city. It might seem strange that we dedicate an important feast day in our Church to a building, especially since the emphasis after the Second Vatican Council has been about how the Church is more than a building, how the people themselves are the Church, the Body of Christ. Yet, this basilica is an important center of worship of our faith. This basilica is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The original basilica dates back to the 4th century, with the current building dating from the 5th century, right after the Council of Ephesus declared Mary to be the “Theotokos,” the God bearer, the Mother of God. My first assignment as pastor was at St Mary Catholic Church in Yazoo City, a parish that was founded prior to the Civil War and that had a beautiful church building built in 1907, so I feel a deep emotional connection to the feast we celebrate today.
The prophet Jeremiah delivers a message from God today: “With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you.” God tells the people he will restore them, that they will be rebuilt. God gives the people a powerful passage of restoration, of unconditional love and consolation. God promises to bring the Israelites out of their Babylonian exile, back to their homeland, to restore their relationship as God’s chosen people. No matter how broken we may feel, God can restore us and bring us back to hope and healing.
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