Nov. 9 Basilica of St. John Lateran. Reflection for 11/9/08 www.apostleshipofprayer.org Most Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s …More
Nov. 9 Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Reflection for 11/9/08 www.apostleshipofprayer.org
Most Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s church, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides.
The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake and the ravages of war, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated until the popes returned from Avignon in the 14th century to find the church and the adjoining palace in ruins.
Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.
Comment:
Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches (St. Mary Major, August 5; Sts. Peter and Paul, November 18), this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope's cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.
Quote:
"What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechizing, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love" (St. Augustine, Sermon 36>).
Reflection for 11/9/08 www.apostleshipofprayer.org
Most Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s church, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides.
The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake and the ravages of war, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated until the popes returned from Avignon in the 14th century to find the church and the adjoining palace in ruins.
Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.
Comment:
Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches (St. Mary Major, August 5; Sts. Peter and Paul, November 18), this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope's cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.
Quote:
"What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechizing, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love" (St. Augustine, Sermon 36>).
NOVEMBER 9, 2010
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
[2]
-------------------------
THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TEMPLE
November 9, 2010
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Father Steven Reilly, LC
John 2: 13-22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and
the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip …More
NOVEMBER 9, 2010
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
[2]
-------------------------
THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TEMPLE
November 9, 2010
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Father Steven Reilly, LC
John 2: 13-22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and
the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he
drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle.
He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned
their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these
things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His
disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will
consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us
for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in
three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has
been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up
in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After
he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had
said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus
had spoken.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are here with me, and
I hope in your boundless mercy and love. Thank you for watching over
me and keeping me in your friendship. Thank you for the precious gift
of our Mother, the Church.
Petition: Lord, increase my zeal!
1. The Indestructible Temple Today we celebrate the dedication of
St. John Lateran Basilica, known as the "mother and head of all the
churches." Going to Rome and visiting this wonderful church, now some
seventeen centuries old, one gets a sense of the durability of
Catholicism. The Catholic Church has been around for a long time, and
it will be around for a lot longer — until judgment day, to be
exact. No matter how hard the world has tried, it hasn't been able to
destroy the temple of the Church. This should give us a deep
confidence that the Lord is with us as we journey through history.
2. Purification Being indestructible doesn't mean, however, that
the Catholic Church does not need constant purification. When our
Lord arrived to the temple in Jerusalem, he found many things that
marred the spirit of prayer and devotion that was to characterize
that sacred building. His vigorous reaction serves to underline the
high vocation of holiness that God had given to the Chosen People. We
Catholics have inherited that call; yet all too often, the ways of
the world creep into our souls. Each one of us needs to submit to
the Lord's purification. He will challenge us in our conscience, and
sometimes that will sting like the whip of cords. But if we are
sincere in our desires, we accept this with humility, aware that our
souls must be living temples of God's presence.
3. Consuming Zeal When the apostles contemplated our Lord's action
in the temple, "zeal" was the word that summed it all up. Jesus is
zealous because he doesn't accept the status quo of entrenched
mediocrity. The day he arrives it is no longer business as usual: His
Father's house WILL be respected. Too often we let the barnacles of
laziness and the accretions of apathy weigh down and extinguish our
zeal. Every day we must pray that the Lord will once again "enkindle
in our hearts the fire of his love." Our zeal in living the faith is
part of the way God works to make this temple of his Church
indestructible. Don't we want to cooperate with his love, so that the
"gates of hell will not prevail?"
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I love your Church. I thank you
for the priceless gift of my Catholic faith. Protect the Church from
all her enemies and help me to be an effective apostle filled with
authentic zeal.
Resolution: I will offer myself to collaborate in a parish
ministry or other Catholic apostolate out of love for the Church.
meditation.regnumchristi.org
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
[2]
-------------------------
THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TEMPLE
November 9, 2010
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Father Steven Reilly, LC
John 2: 13-22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and
the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he
drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle.
He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned
their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these
things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His
disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will
consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us
for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in
three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has
been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up
in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After
he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had
said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus
had spoken.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are here with me, and
I hope in your boundless mercy and love. Thank you for watching over
me and keeping me in your friendship. Thank you for the precious gift
of our Mother, the Church.
Petition: Lord, increase my zeal!
1. The Indestructible Temple Today we celebrate the dedication of
St. John Lateran Basilica, known as the "mother and head of all the
churches." Going to Rome and visiting this wonderful church, now some
seventeen centuries old, one gets a sense of the durability of
Catholicism. The Catholic Church has been around for a long time, and
it will be around for a lot longer — until judgment day, to be
exact. No matter how hard the world has tried, it hasn't been able to
destroy the temple of the Church. This should give us a deep
confidence that the Lord is with us as we journey through history.
2. Purification Being indestructible doesn't mean, however, that
the Catholic Church does not need constant purification. When our
Lord arrived to the temple in Jerusalem, he found many things that
marred the spirit of prayer and devotion that was to characterize
that sacred building. His vigorous reaction serves to underline the
high vocation of holiness that God had given to the Chosen People. We
Catholics have inherited that call; yet all too often, the ways of
the world creep into our souls. Each one of us needs to submit to
the Lord's purification. He will challenge us in our conscience, and
sometimes that will sting like the whip of cords. But if we are
sincere in our desires, we accept this with humility, aware that our
souls must be living temples of God's presence.
3. Consuming Zeal When the apostles contemplated our Lord's action
in the temple, "zeal" was the word that summed it all up. Jesus is
zealous because he doesn't accept the status quo of entrenched
mediocrity. The day he arrives it is no longer business as usual: His
Father's house WILL be respected. Too often we let the barnacles of
laziness and the accretions of apathy weigh down and extinguish our
zeal. Every day we must pray that the Lord will once again "enkindle
in our hearts the fire of his love." Our zeal in living the faith is
part of the way God works to make this temple of his Church
indestructible. Don't we want to cooperate with his love, so that the
"gates of hell will not prevail?"
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I love your Church. I thank you
for the priceless gift of my Catholic faith. Protect the Church from
all her enemies and help me to be an effective apostle filled with
authentic zeal.
Resolution: I will offer myself to collaborate in a parish
ministry or other Catholic apostolate out of love for the Church.
meditation.regnumchristi.org
Most Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s church, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides. The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake and …More
Most Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s church, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides. The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake and the ravages of war, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated until the popes returned from Avignon in the 14th century to find the church and the adjoining palace in ruins.
Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.
Comment:
Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches (St. Mary Major, August 5; Sts. Peter and Paul, November 18), this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope's cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.
Quote:
"What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechizing, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love" (St. Augustine, Sermon 36>).
www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx
Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.
Comment:
Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches (St. Mary Major, August 5; Sts. Peter and Paul, November 18), this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope's cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.
Quote:
"What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechizing, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love" (St. Augustine, Sermon 36>).
www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx