Children's Liturgy

A message from Deacon Mark

We the Church

Normally we would be celebrating the 32^nd Sunday of Ordinary Time this Sunday but this year the feast of Dedication of the Lateran Basilica falls on this day and has precedence.

The Lateran Basilica in Rome is first among all churches and the Pope’s Cathedral. His cathedra (bishop’s chair) is situated there, and the feast recalls the dedication of the church in 324AD marking change from persecution of Christians to a newfound religious freedom for Christians.

Of the four major basilicas in Rome, the oldest and most important is not, as we might think, St Peter’s but Saint John Lateran. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Rome but also the mother church of the entire world.

Now in its eighteenth century, the Archbasilica has retained its original form through several fires and a devastating earthquake and we proudly celebrate it as such.

More importantly though, our scripture readings emphasise that the church is not made up of bricks and mortar but of individual Christians as living stones and local faith communities.

In our first reading today, we hear Ezekiel’s vision of a river flowing from the Temple in Jerusalem and bringing life everywhere it went (Ezek 47). For us it is a vision of the Church receiving life-giving grace from Jesus.

St Paul makes it plain that it is we ourselves who make up God’s building – the Church of which, graced by God, he is the successful architect and foundation layer. While John’s gospel (John 2:13-22) of Jesus cleansing the temple symbolizes that the true temple is now in Jesus himself and his followers as the Body of Christ, rather than a single physical building.

Celebrating today the dedication of the “the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world”, we pray that the Church be a true mother and that Jesus may become the foundation stone and corner stone of all lives.

Deacon Mark Kelly