My Father’s House

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 Today is the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. “The basilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral of the Pope as bishop of Rome, is called the ‘mother church’ of Rome and the world. As such, it is a visible symbol of the universal Church. It calls us to look toward the house of God in the new Jerusalem toward which the earthly church is the pilgrimage.”  ~ Magnificat

We are the Church, our bodies are a temple of the Lord and the Spirit of God dwells in us. Do we need these beautiful buildings in order for the Church to go on? Would destroying a building be a blow to the Church, scattering all who worshipped in that place elsewhere? No, oftentimes we see on the news that when a natural disaster has destroyed a church through fire, tornados or other means that the people actually draw closer to one another and closer to Christ. Yet, these buildings are important. They are a visible symbol of the Church. It is on these altars that bread and wine become the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is in these buildings that a man and woman are joined as one in Holy Matrimony, where we are baptized, freed from sin and reborn as sons and daughters of God. We become members of Christ and incorporated into the Church. It is a place where we can sit in the presence of our Lord and put aside all the distractions of the world.

“He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep and doves, as well as the moneychangers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area…he said, ‘Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.’” (John 2:14-16)

First and foremost our churches need to be a house of prayer and worship. We need to be reverent and remember that we are there to partake in the Sacrifice of the Mass. So many Christian churches have removed the altar from their church and replaced it with a stage. The pews have been replaced by theater seats and people are there to be entertained. The Mass is the most sacred act of worship that we can participate in. It was instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and will continue to the end of time. My prayer is that we all may come to know and love Jesus Christ who both commands and invites us to encounter Him in this very special way. That we fall in love with the Mass all over again and seek a deeper understanding of this beautiful gift.