We have had a lot of feast days take over Sundays this year! Last Sunday, we prayed for the souls of all the faithful departed. This Sunday, we remember the dedication of the Lateran Basilica. The Church is telling us, through our calendar of feast days, that this is something important for us to remember and to celebrate. But why is the dedication of some Church in Rome important for Catholics living in Wichita, KS?
The first step in answering this question is to make sure we know which Church in Rome we are talking about. The Lateran Basilica is often called “St. John Lateran,” but its full name translated from the Latin is the “Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Sts. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in Lateran.” It is the oldest public church in the city of Rome, and it is the oldest basilica in the world. Constantine gave the original structure to Pope Miltiades some time between 310 A.D. and 314 A.D. It was renovated and dedicated as a church in the year 324 A.D. by Pope Sylvester I. It is the Cathedral of Rome: it is Pope Leo’s cathedral. The relic of the Chair of St. Peter is at St. Peter’s Basilica, but the actual chair—the cathedra—of the successor of Peter is inside St. John Lateran.
The dedication of the Lateran Archbasilica reminds us of our unity as Catholics. The pope is a sign of unity for all the Church. St. Peter was called by Christ to unify and strengthen his “brothers,” that is, the apostles. At the Last Supper, Christ said, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32) The pope, as the successor of St. Peter, is to continue this mission of strengthening his brothers–the bishops–and unify them. By remembering the dedication of this particular Church, the pope’s Cathedral, throughout the entire world, we are reminded of our unity as one Church.
The second reason to celebrate this date is it reminds us of our heritage as Roman Catholics. In the Western world most Catholics are Roman, but there are 23 other Catholic Churches that find their communion in the person of the Pope. Our Roman Church was founded by Sts. Peter and Paul who gave their lives out of love for God in Rome. Roman traditions are, in a way, our traditions. We value the rule of law, which has led to the development of Canon Law. Ideas such as being able to defend yourself at trial and being innocent until proven guilty came from the Church as she developed ancient Roman law. We value structure and order, so we don’t, as Roman Catholics, see hierarchy as a bad thing, but as something which enables people to live more fully united to Christ every day. Roman Catholics value noble simplicity, which is not the same as minimalism. It means that what we do should have meaning and that meaning should be knowable. That’s why churches are decorated with Garden of Eden imagery, to remind us of Heaven and of the Jewish temple which was decorated like a garden. We have saints and Bible scenes in paintings, sculptures, and Church windows to share the stories of salvation with everyone. Our liturgy is familiar, yet not entirely, which reminds us that what we are doing is not entirely understandable to our human eyes.
Finally, we hear in Ezekiel that water trickles out the side of the temple and eventually becomes a massive river that gives life to everything along its banks. The Biblical nation of Israel is gone, and the Jewish Temple is destroyed, but Ezekiel’s temple remains. The Church Fathers teach that Ezekiel’s temple is Christ, and the water is his grace. The Church, as the Body of Christ, is Christ’s visible presence in the world, and the Lateran Archbasilica is a point of unity for every church in the world. God is constantly pouring his grace out into the world through his Church into us, and we are sent out just as countless missionaries throughout history have been sent to share this grace with those around us.
So, to summarize: This feast reminds us of our universal unity as Catholics. This feast reminds us of our heritage as Roman Catholics. This feast reminds us of the river of grace God pours into the world through the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.