Homily: Feast of St. John Lateran

Feast of St. John Lateran (1st Corinthians 3:9ff) “A Living Church”

John Lateran is the Cathedral Church of Rome. It is one of the four major basilicas of Rome. St. John dates back many centuries. It has a rich history. We might ask why we have a feast day for a church building.

The feast is about what it means to be church more than anything else. Most church buildings come and go, but the church remains. The church is the People of God.

St. Paul’s writings have a rich ecclesiology. He uses many metaphors to describe what the church should be. We hear him speaking of the church as a building made up of living stones in the letter to the Corinthians.

He describes the church on other occasions as being like a human body. Perhaps that is a better example. The human body is alive, a church building is an inanimate object. Human bodies grow and change throughout the course of a lifetime. The church is always growing and changing as well. A human experiences joy and pain and so does a church community.

The church community is made up of parts. The human body is made up of parts. Each part has a particular function. If all the parts fulfill their function, then the body remains healthy. The foot does not want to be a heart. The brain does not wish to be a heart nor the heart a brain.

We remember today that we are part of a universal church. The church we are a part of is a worldwide organization. This is its strength and sometimes the liability it must deal with. There are many cultures in the church, many races, people who are rich and poor, powerful and those who lack rights. Our call is to love all our brothers and sisters no matter who they are. For we are all part of the church.

Questions:

1.    Which image do I prefer, church as building, church as a body? Why?

2.   What part do I play in the church? Am I fulfilling my call?

Dear Parishioners,

          Last night we had a meeting with our confirmation parents. We try to challenge families and affirm them as their members seek to complete the initiation process. No one must tell us that we are living through challenging times. Many young people are depressed and searching for meaning in their life. Confirmation can be a moment of grace that can uplift a struggling teenager.

          Please pray for our youngsters. There will be times in the next few months when we have rites that provide a connection to the parish community. We have a lot of young people seeking confirmation. This is a hopeful sign for the future of the church.

          May Our Lady pray for our troubled world.

          Fr. Mark