Today we recall the anniversary of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint John (Lateran), the Pope’s “own church,” the Cathedral of Rome. The Lateran was chosen as the Cathedral of Rome long before Saint Peter’s Basilica was built. It is where the papacy was housed for centuries before moving across the Tiber River to where Vatican City now stands.
The first Christian emperor, Constantine, had a church built on land that once belonged to the Laterani family. That 4th century church was the precursor of the present Basilica. Again, it now serves as the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome; it is the Pope’s own church in his capacity as Bishop of Rome. For that reason, it has the title, “Mother and Head of all the churches of the city and the world,” and that includes our own parish church where we gather for prayer each day. While our church is much smaller than the Basilica of Saint John, both are equally monuments to people’s faith.
When St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, he said: “You are God’s building, you are God’s temple.” More fundamental than the building we call the church are the people we call the Church. The building helps us express our identity as a people of faith, called to worship God, through Christ, and in the Spirit. If our worship is to be authentic, the shape of our worship must become the shape of our lives. That is, our whole lives are to be a movement towards God, through Christ, and in the Spirit. This is what it means to be the Church, to be the temple of God in the world, and not just “go to church.”
Let us pray. “O God, who from living stones prepare an eternal dwelling for your glory, increase in your Church the grace you bestow so generously. Keep us grateful and help us walk faithfully in the way of your Son, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.”
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Cada 9 de noviembre, la Iglesia celebra la Dedicación de la Basílica de San Juan de Letrán, la primera Basílica en ser construida en la ciudad de Roma, incluso antes que la Basílica de San Pedro. La Basílica fue la primera en ser construida después del edicto del emperador Constantino, el cual, en el año 313, concedió a los cristianos la libertad de practicar su religión.
Para los católicos es muy importante conservar en el calendario litúrgico celebraciones como la dedicación de una Basílica, porque son una referencia directa al culto que realiza la Iglesia, así como a la memoria de quienes nos precedieron en esta tierra y a la historia sobre la que hemos construido nuestra fe a lo largo de los siglos. Invoquemos la intercesión de María Santísima, para que nos ayude a convertirnos, como ella, en “casa de Dios,” templo vivo del amor de Dios. O Virgen Madre, ruega por nosotros.
