Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Today's Mass Readings

Zeal for your house will consume me.

We celebrate a unique feast today, the feast of a building. This building, St. John Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral, can become for us a sign of powerful witness, and it is this witness we celebrate. The witness is not a witness of grandeur—the Church is most surely grand—nor of worldly influence—yes, it has had that and continues to do so—but a witness of zeal, the zeal of God for his people.

Jesus Christ, in his incarnation—that is, his coming in human flesh—showed that God was willing to lower himself for our sake. The all-powerful creator, in whom all things exist and have life, desired to dwell among us, be with us, and die for us. This act dramatically refocused all of creation toward holiness, of being set apart for goodness and virtue. All created things are called to witness to this radical gift.

So, St. John Lateran is a powerful reminder that Christ did come in the flesh and has called for us to build a kingdom, in his name, that witnesses to God’s radical gift. Our human gifts, talents, and offerings, present a fitting place for the house of God—the Christian communities—to worship and be in his loving presence.

As you worship today in your local church or pray in your homes, be reminded of God’s dwelling among us and the radical gift of his love.

Reflection by Fr. Etienne Huard, OSB