God Is Counting On Us

Why do we celebrate the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica this Sunday?

Our first reaction to this Feast might be to ask ourselves, What does this have to do with me or with people in the most remote parts of the world? After all, isn’t it a feast day for a church building in Rome? Yes, we celebrate a physical building that we may never see, but this Feast is much more than that. With a little reflection, we can see that this Feast has something important to tell us today.

The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. It holds the title of “Mother and Head of all the Churches in the City and in the World.” The original church was dedicated on November 9, 324 AD. Over the centuries, it has been destroyed by earthquakes, fires, and attacks. Despite all these serious setbacks, the church has been painstakingly rebuilt many times. This is because this Basilica symbolizes something very important: the unity of the Church.

Christian communities worldwide are built on a single foundation: Christ. By celebrating this feast, we show that we are united with the Pope and with one another, for in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body… now you are Christ’s body. (1 Corinthians 12). The Church is not primarily a building, but a community of believers. St. Paul tells the Corinthian community in the second reading that the liturgy offers us for this feast that “you are God’s building.” That is, we are the place where God wants to dwell, so that we can reveal God’s loving presence to others.

The message we give, as members of a community of love, is vital in a world that seems more fractured than ever. The rise in family disintegration, the loneliness of the elderly, poisonous political rhetoric, international terrorism, wars, and the extremism of various kinds are all signs of our fractured communities. The Church has also been damaged from within through various abuses over the centuries and is in danger of further division. There is an urgent need for healing.

Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians can be of great help to us. Paul wrote this entire letter in response to the divisions within the Corinthian community. It is no coincidence that Paul immediately follows his reflection on the body (the Church) with his beautiful ideas on love. Love is the key to a united and healthy body. Love is the implant that can overcome divisions and stimulate life and warmth where relationships have been broken. Love revives and restores relationships. Saint John of the Cross tells us: “Put love where there is no love, and there you will draw out love.”

St. Paul was able to write so beautifully about love because he encountered the One who is love: the risen Christ. He made it his life’s mission to help people come to know Christ. The purpose of the church is to create opportunities for people to encounter Christ and receive his love and healing. We can do this most effectively if we are united and faithful. Sharing our time and experience creates an environment where love can flourish. Our parish activities, our evangelization, ministries, and our buildings make our faith visible, remind people of God’s presence, and help them experience God’s love. In this way, we become vessels of love and bring life.

Although humanity is divided for many reasons, God can move human hearts so that enemies can speak to one another again, allowing all races, cultures, languages, and ideologies to share in the unending banquet of unity. Divisions should not lead us to despair. Repair and renewal are possible, and new innovations and structures can be conceived with God’s help. My dear brothers and sisters, the work of building continues. God is counting on us.

May the Lord always give you his peace.

Fr. Lalo Jara, OFM
Pastor, Mission San Luis Rey Parish