Word to the Wise
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - Nov. 9 - The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
[Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22]Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. [1 Corinthians]
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A family friend who weighed in excess of 400 lbs once said to me, "If the body is the temple of the Lord, I'm a basilica!" Well, so are we all! Given that profound spiritual reality, what is the reason for celebrating the anniversary of a dedication of a particular church in Rome, where Lord knows there are hundreds of Catholic churches and the scene is dominated by St. Peter's Basilica? The reason is that the Lateran Basilica (St. John Lateran) is actually the official cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. The land was donated by the Laterani family, whose name is therefore memorialized in the title! ("Development" directors take note!)
Sacred space is common in most religious traditions. There are temples of all kinds. I am amazed often by the size of some of the Catholic churches in rural West Texas! The "painted churches" of Central Texas are another testimony to the desire of faithful people for beautiful sacred space. One may go to our nation's capital and see the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for a very large sacred space with many "chapels" included. Of course, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is probably the best known Catholic sacred space. (The great medieval cathedrals of Chartre, Cologne and Notre Dame are other examples.) But the Lateran basilica pre-dates those and St. Peter's by more than 1000 years! It has survived earthquakes, fires, invading armies and millions of pilgrims (architecture students take note!).
Even with all those majestic manifestations of the need for sacred space for sacred worship, St. Paul reminds us that the fundamental temple of the Lord is the human person, made in the image and likeness of God. It is the human person who worships and it is not necessary to go to a local "sacred space" to do so. Our affection for certain churches because we were baptized, confirmed, married, etc. there is understandable, but the temple of God begins with each one of us. How good are we at maintaining it in good condition? AMEN