A Reflection for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
“Jesus answered and said to them,
‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.’
The Jews said,
‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?’” (Jn 2:19-20)
After finishing my fellowship at America, I moved to Germany, and in that time, I have visited my fair share of churches. But I have not yet visited the basilica that is honored in today’s feast.
Usually, feast days are for people or perhaps special events in the life of Christ or Mary. But today’s feast, that of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, is quite a bit different. This basilica, dedicated to St. John Lateran, also happens to be the seat of the Bishop of Rome (otherwise known as the pope).
Corresponding to the feast day, today’s readings are about buildings, whether the physical temple in Jerusalem or people who are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
In the months since I’ve been here in Germany, I’ve attended Mass at several churches. Now, when you think of European churches, I would assume that you picture medieval buildings with their domes and statues and stained-glass windows. But in many places in Germany, and especially in my city, Cologne, most of the churches did not survive the bombings during the war unscathed.
As we celebrate the dedication of the pope’s basilica, the hallowed church building serves as a reminder of what we are there to worship, but the structure itself is not the be-all, end-all.
It is an odd feeling to have, mourning the loss of the beautiful spaces that had stood for centuries for millions to worship God in a holy space. But it is just as strange to think that it was American and British soldiers, the ones who won the war and stopped the Nazis from taking over Europe, who bombed these same places I now visit. What would the world look like if all the churches in my city were still standing? I am not sure that it would be as it is today.
Though churches in the downtown area were damaged, most are still standing and Masses are celebrated there: In many cases, they have turned the newer sections of buildings that do not match the original Romanesque or Gothic structures into modern art, with paintings or abstract stained glass. The churches were rebuilt after being torn down, but only through the support of the people of God, who are also, as St. Paul writes today, temples of the Holy Spirit. The temple Jesus describes to the Pharisees, the one that will be destroyed and that Jesus will raise in three days, is not a physical one. Nevertheless, the people, these temples of the Holy Spirit who make up the Church, are both a physical and a spiritual church.
As we celebrate the dedication of the pope’s basilica, the hallowed church building serves as a reminder of what we are there to worship, but the structure itself is not the be-all, end-all. We can have Mass in a half-Romanesque, half-mid-century-modern church just as easily as in any other church. Although these buildings we have dedicated to God are beautiful, they are impermanent, while the spiritual church that Jesus built is everlasting.
