Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 - 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]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......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]
A family friend who was very large once said to me, "If the body is a temple of the Spirit, then I'm a basilica!" In contrast, I think of the poem by e.e. cummings that begins, "i am a little church, not a great cathedral." Today we celebrate the dedication of a church building which is both a basilica AND a cathedral in Rome. Many folks see St. Peter's Basilica as the principal church of the Pope, but it is not. The basilica of St. John Lateran is actually the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome. "Basilica" is an honorary title given to a church of historical importance. "Cathedral" is a title given to the principal church of a diocesan bishop. The term comes from the Latin word "cathedra," meaning a throne. The title, St. John Lateran comes from the Laterani family who donated the land for it and for the baptistry section dedicated to St. John!
With that in mind, it is important to remember that a church building, no matter how majestic, is still a building. Its true significance comes from the people who gather there. And St. Paul's words in the second scripture today point to the sacredness of the human person as the true temple of the Spirit. The smallest country church and the great medieval and renaissance cathedrals are all manifestations of the Spirit dwelling in faithful believers. Jesus' cleansing of the temple, recounted in today's gospel scripture, was a direct message to the Jewish authorities who had allowed it to become a "marketplace," reflecting their own corrupt leadership.
While a church may be a piece of magnificent architectural art and worthy of praise, its value as a place of worship and faith is primary. A fire like the one that damaged Notre Dame in Paris a few years ago brought all of this to mind. Is its true value found in its being a symbol of Paris, or in being a place of prayer? In celebrating the dedication of the cathedral basilica of St. John Lateran, we celebrate every place we gather to celebrate an event that began in an upper room in Jerusalem! AMEN