by Father Alonzo Cox
I have had the tremendous joy and privilege of visiting the city of Rome on numerous occasions.
Of course, the city of Rome is steeped in rich history and tradition. I could remember my first few visits as a seminarian, taking in the awe and beauty of the ambiance of its amazing churches. Everywhere you go in the city you’d find church after church, one more beautiful than the other.
Whenever I tell my family or friends I’m visiting Rome, their immediate focus is the Vatican, especially St. Peter’s Basilica. It goes without saying that St. Peter’s in the Vatican is one of the most breathtaking places of worship in the world. Traditionally, St. Peter’s is associated with the pope, since it is from the balcony of this church that he is introduced to Catholics around the world upon his election.
Just six months ago, we watched Pope Leo XIV emerge from St. Peter’s Basilica and give his first address and blessing to the world as supreme pontiff. Days later, he formally began his ministry as successor to St. Peter with an Inaugural Mass with the cardinals who elected him.
As a spectacular church known worldwide, St. Peter’s Basilica is not the “primary” Catholic Church in Rome. It is the Basilica of St. John Lateran, whose feast of dedication we celebrate today. The Lateran Basilica serves as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome.
It is in this church the Roman pontiff takes his seat as the bishop of Rome and shepherd of the Catholic Church.
As Catholics, all of us are connected to a church building. Here in our diocese, we are blessed with many beautiful churches featuring a variety of architectural styles. Our church is not just a building, but it is a spiritual home. Today’s feast highlights the importance of the particular church of the Lateran Basilica. This church serves as the mother church for all Catholics. It is from this church that the pope, with his pastoral authority, teaches the teachings of the Catholic Church. As we commemorate the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, we look to the importance of why we have a church to worship in.
Our first reading from the Book of Ezekiel gives a beautiful image of the temple as the source of life, where water flows, providing strength and nourishment. It is in our churches the sacrament of baptism is celebrated. Through the saving waters of baptism, God’s children are born into eternal life. It is through the waters that new members are born into the life of the Church. We are reminded of how we are fed, both in word and in sacrament, whenever we enter into a church.
As beautiful and majestic as our particular church might be, the building does not define what the church really is. Our second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians reminds us that we are the Church. As baptized members of the mystical body of Christ, we make up the Roman Catholic Church. It is the people of God who come alive in these beautiful and holy spaces. We must not turn church buildings into idol spaces. They are places of worship for the people of God to gather as we give honor, glory, praise, and majesty to him and him alone. Jesus himself is the temple, raised from the dead, who sits at the right hand of the Father and will come again in glory. We are called to build up the Church by the very example of our lives, striving for goodness and holiness. We are called to be a source of hope in a world that is in dire despair and hopelessness.
Our churches are meant to be places of welcome for God’s children, that they may encounter the Lord who loves them unconditionally. Our Holy Father continues the mission of preaching unity and peace. He does it from his pastoral authority as bishop of Rome and supreme pontiff. On this feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, we pray for the unity of the Church. May Christ, the great high priest, unite each of us together in his infinite love, that we may be faithful and holy disciples of him.
May our churches bring all of God’s holy people together that we may forever and always sing and shout his praises.
Father Alonzo Cox is pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and coordinator for the vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns for the Diocese of Brooklyn.