A Tour of the Church

Homily for the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Year A
It is an unusual feast, what we celebrate today, and especially because it rarely falls on Sunday. The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica is celebrated every year on November 9th, but it is only when that day falls on a Sunday that our entire church celebrates this feast. The last time was in 2003 – the next time will be in 2014. But this is a great feast to celebrate. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the Pope’s Cathedral – it is the church in Rome where the Holy Father has his cathedra, his bishop’s chair, from which he presides as Bishop of Rome. The church itself is important because it was the first Christian church built in Rome after Christianity became legalized in the fourth century. But we celebrate the dedication of this church not because of the building itself, but because it is a symbol of all church buildings. Over the main doors of the Lateran Basilica are the words: “Mother and Head of All the Churches of Rome and the World.” The Lateran Basilica is the most important church building in the world, and celebrating this one particular church is a way of celebrating all churches throughout the world.

Today, I’d like to take a brief tour of our church building. As we enter our church, we first encounter fonts of holy water at each of the doors. We bless ourselves with this holy water as a reminder of our baptism. Just as we entered the Church through baptism, we also physically enter the church building with a reminder of the water of new life. In just about any church, the largest area is dominated by seats for the community. A church building, first of all, is a place where the people of God gather together as a community to pray. The pews that make up the majority of our church are not just a convenient place to sit, but the large space they take up is a reminder that this building is a place of communal prayer. The pews in our particular church are surrounded by two things that can help remind us of what it means to be part of the Christian community. Our pews are surrounded by windows of colored glass that let abundant light into the building. When we come together as a community to pray, we are not in darkness, but in the light – a light that only Christ can provide. Our pews are also surrounded by the Stations of the Cross, one of the most common features of Catholic churches. These stations provide an opportunity to walk and meditate on the final journey of Jesus Christ – the journey to the cross, to the tomb, and ultimately to the resurrection. Our lives, too, are a journey – often, a journey through suffering – but always with Christ walking right beside us and leading us to new life.

The heart of any Catholic church is found in the sanctuary, marked off in our church by the raised, carpeted area here at the front of the building. The sanctuary contains the chair for the presider and the servers. It contains this reading stand – called an ambo – from which the Scripture is proclaimed. It is from this ambo that we hear God speak to us through the readings, the homily, and the general intercessions. On the other side of the sanctuary is the Baptismal Font. We are currently in the process of designing a new Baptismal Font which will be located in the same area as our current font but will be larger and permanent, allowing for both the baptism of infants and adults. At the back of the sanctuary is the Tabernacle, in which is kept the Blessed Sacrament, the consecrated hosts which are used for communion to the sick and dying as well as serving as a focus for prayer. When we enter a Catholic church, there is always a candle lit – most often a red candle, like ours – next to the Tabernacle. This lit candle is a reminder that the Blessed Sacrament is reserved here in this church. When we enter the church, we genuflect in reverence to Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament, and we treat this building as a place of reverence and prayer because we believe that Christ truly is present here among us.

But the most important of all the parts of a church building is the altar. It is on the altar that the bread and wine that we bring forward becomes the Body and Blood of Christ. It is on the altar that Christ becomes truly present among us, and it is from the altar that we are nourished by the Eucharist. The altar itself is meant to represent Christ. It is most often made of stone – like our marble – to remind us that Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone of the Church, the Living Stone chosen by God. More than anything else in this building, the altar is treated with reverence. When a church building is dedicated, the altar is anointed with the oil of Chrism. Candles are placed on its top, and a white cloth covers it as further signs of honor and reverence. At the beginning and end of every Mass, the priest kisses the altar. And when incense is used, it is the altar that is incensed.

But the Church is much more than the stone, metal, and wood that make up this building. St. Paul tells us that we are God’s building, that we are the temple of God. It is what takes place in this building that makes it a church. Here, in this place, we truly become the Body of Christ. Here, in this place, we are strengthened as members of a community, we receive the grace of the sacraments, and we offer our prayers to God as we move forward on the journey of life. Here, we are reborn in baptism and anointed with the Spirit; here, men and women are united as one flesh in the sacrament of marriage; and here, our beloved dead are sent forth into the arms of our loving God. And whenever we leave this building, we take a part of it with us. We take the words of Scripture, the fellowship of family and friends, the hope of new life, the grace of the Eucharist – we take all these things with us into the rest of the world. Because the dwelling place of God is not just inside these walls of sandstone; the dwelling place of God is in each one of us.