Word to the Wise
Friday, November 9, 2007 - The Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome
[Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Corinthians 3:9C-11; 16-17; John 2:13-22]You are God's building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ.
Most of us will probably never visit the Lateran Basilica. If we get to Rome, it's St. Peter's we want to see. But St. Peter's is not the official cathedral of the Pope. St. John's is. The Lateran name comes from the family that donated the real estate - the Laterani! I suppose it's not so unusual to celebrate the anniversary of a dedication of a building, but it does seem strange to make it a feast of the universal church. However, some buildings have an importance that is more than the bricks and mortar and decorations. St. John Lateran represents, in a way, all Catholic churches which are in union with the Vicar of Christ. The church building is not the church, as St. Paul points out above. The "real" church is made up of baptized believers! An empty worship space, no matter how magnificent, is not a church. The church comes into being when the believers gather in the worship space. So, the Basilica of St. John Lateran represents all gatherings of the People of God in a space set aside for worship - whether it be a mobile chapel or a medieval Cathedral - in much the same way as the capitol building in Washington, DC, represents, in a way, all the capitol buildings in the states and the democratic processes that occur in them. It is a symbol of unity. I think the same way about the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Maybe someday I'll get to visit it. AMEN
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