Dear Friends in Christ,
For the first time in eleven years, the Church celebrates on a Sunday the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. We have had a lot of these this year! (Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, All Souls Day, etc.)
In other years, our schedules may keep us from going to Mass on this feast. Since it falls on a Sunday, we can all savor it, so let us celebrate! But why? Why does a church building get its own feast day? And why does a church in Rome matter to us here in Pasadena?
St. John (for both saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist) Lateran (the name of the family who gave Christians the land for the church) is special, because it is the main cathedral-church for the city of Rome and for the whole world. An inscription on the facade of the basilica reads “omnium Urbis et Orbis ecclesiarum Mater et Caput,” “mother and head of all the churches of the City [Rome] and the World.”
As we celebrate the Lateran Basilica, we are reminded of the marks of the Church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic: the unity of the universal Church and the enduring, loving presence of God among His people. We are in communion with the bishop of Rome, Pope Leo XIV, the successor of St. Peter and the visible point of unity for Catholics throughout the world.
There is a whole theology and spirituality surrounding the idea of “temple.” It is revealing! We apply it to honoring the gift and dignity of physical structures where God meets us in the most profound ways in the sacraments. “How lovely is your dwelling place Lord God of Hosts,” it says in Psalm 84.
“Temple” helps us understand who Jesus is: He is the Living Temple as we hear in today’s Gospel from John 2. Our Christian worship centers on the Living Temple of the sacred divinity and humanity of Jesus.
As members of Christ, we are living stones of the Temple. And, every person becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit in baptism, as we hear in the second reading from 1 Corinthians 3. So, when we celebrate the dedication of a church, it has strong implications for who God is and who we are! May the joy and mystery of this day fill our hearts!
We are thankful to welcome Fr. Steve home from his vacation! I will be on retreat this week, so please remember me in your prayers and know of my prayers for you!
Please continue to remember our food pantries in these difficult times—every little donation matters.
Thank you to Marie Griffiths and to all who helped organize and participated with us in the Pasadena Sharing and Caring Parade. We were delighted to see and greet (and treat!) many parishioners along the parade route!
Please note that our offices will be closed on Tuesday for Veteran’s Day. On this note, thank you to all those in our pastorate family who have served our nation in many courageous and generous ways! May God reward you.
God bless you and let us pray for each other!
Fr. John
