On November 9, 324 Pope Sylvester consecrated one of the first
churches built by Christians once the Emperor Constantine granted them
freedom to worship. This church was given special dignity and is the
pope's church. It was built on one of the seven hills in Rome -- the
Lateran Hill. Besides being called St. John Lateran, it is also
referred to as the Mother of all the churches in Rome and of the world.
It is the place where the pope has his chair, the Chair of Peter,
meaning that from there the pope makes any authoritative teachings and
declarations. On those infrequent occasions when an infallible
statement was made, such as on the Assumption, it was from this chair in
the Basilica of St. John Lateran. This feast is a sign of unity with
the Pope.
The Catholic Church is not a building; this is
true. But, each church building is a sign of the members of Christ's
Body the Church. Each church building is an especially holy place where
the Word of God is proclaimed and where bread and wine are consecrated
in to the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We call this the Holy
Eucharist and also the Blessed Sacrament which is reserved in the
tabernacle of each Catholic church.
Today, we thank God that
we have Catholic Church buildings, some of which are very beautiful like
our own St. Michael's. We have places where we can pray quietly in the
real presence of our Lord. We can also, as it were, for a time get out
of the busy world to receive the Sacraments.
We are grateful
to God also for the papacy. the pope is the guarantor of unity and of
truth. So, we commemorate the original dedication of St. John Lateran
Basilica as a sign of our gratitude.
Father Stanley
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