The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
After hearing today’s gospel you can see how Jesus feels when we are not reverent to Him in a church building and when we are not respectful of Him in the Blessed Sacrament in our Tabernacle. This is actually one of the reasons why we are celebrating the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica today.
Today we celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral Church of Rome, the basilica of St. John Lateran by Pope St. Sylvester I, on this day in the year 324, on land owned by the Laterani family. The basilica of St. John Lateran was one of the first churches built by Christians following the early persecutions. This basilica is called “Mater Ecclesiae Romae Urbis et Orbis,” which means, “Mother of all churches in Rome and of the world.” Its long history evokes memories of many thousands of people who have received their sacraments within its ancient walls. It was first built by the Emperor Constantine and is the first Western church to have the invocation of the Savior. It is honored as the episcopal seat and home church of the pope as bishop of Rome. As the Pope stands for the unity of all the local churches, so his special church stands for the unity of all Christian people all over the world. The basilica of St. John Lateran is the residence of the popes from the 4th century until their moving to Avignon in 1309, and it is the site of five ecumenical councils. Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. Beneath its high altar rests the remains of the small wooden table on which, according to tradition, St. Peter celebrated Mass. This basilica was first dedicated to the Savior, then later to John the Baptist.
As we are taught in the Catholic Church, every church is the sign of Christ who became man in order to reconcile the world with God, and who has achieved this through the cross and resurrection. Hence, a church is a sign of the world reconciled with God in Jesus Christ. St. John Lateran Basilica, being the church of the bishop of Rome, fulfills in an excellent way all these qualities of a church and is indeed, the spiritual home of all the people of God.
So why are we celebrating the feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica and what does today’s feast teach us? We are celebrating this feast today because it teaches us: Firstly, that Churches are sacred places because they are symbols of the presence of God among us. We go to church to encounter God where He awaits us there with His real presence in our Tabernacles. In fact, today’s feast teaches us to approach our churches with great spirit of reverence since there is no place more worthy of respect than the house of God, where God is truly present in the Eucharist and in our Tabernacles. How reverent are we in church? How respectful are we to God in His presence in the church when we come for Mass and when we come to pray? Why do we get mad and angry at the priest or ushers or our fellow parishioners when they remind us to quiet down in the church which is a place where we are supposed to be reverent and respectful to God who is present among us?
Secondly, we are celebrating this feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica today because it teaches us that Jesus Christ is truly present in our churches, so we should be reverent and respectful of Him. This is the reason why Jesus as we heard in today’s gospel reading, entered the temple courts, drove out those who were selling and buying there; overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves because He was angered by their commercialization of the temple and corrupting its sacred purpose. Remember that the church is a sacred place, a place where we congregate to worship, adore, and praise God, because He is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist and it is where He nurtures us from the Tabernacle. He is present both in His Divinity and in His most holy Humanity, with His Body and Soul, and He sees us and hears us. So we should cultivate a habit of profound respect and reverence for our churches since the Lord awaits us there. So ask yourself today, do I immediately greet Our Lord in the Tabernacle by genuflecting to Him when I enter a church? Do I behave well in God’s house as a good daughter and son of His? When I genuflect before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is it a true act of faith or is it just a mere empty gesture or practice? Is my heart stirred within me when I pass near a church where Christ is sacramentally present?
Thirdly, we are celebrating this feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica today because it teaches us that the Divine grace in us makes us true living temples of God. Remember, if the Body of Jesus is the new Temple of God, so is the Church, the Body of Christ and we are members of His Mystical Body. Hence, we should know that we are temples of the Most Holy Trinity who inhabits in us as St. Paul tells us in today’s second reading when he said, ‘You are God’s building…. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?’
So my sisters and brothers, since God’s presence in our soul in this life is an invitation to increase constantly the intensity of our personal closeness to the Him, let us come closer to Him today as we celebrate the feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica by being reverent and respectful to Him when we enter a church, recognizing that He is present in the Tabernacle and that His Divine grace in us makes us His living temples.
