|
Hearts of Prayer: Sacred Liturgy - Homilies |
Feast
of the Dedication of John Lateran
Homily for
32nd Sunday in Ordinary TIime
Rev. Msgr. Daniel H.
Mueggenborg
It is a personal privilege for me to
celebrate today’s feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran. As
many of you know, I have a great love for and interest in the
Christian monuments in Rome. The basilica of St. John Lateran is a
distinctive treasure of theology, spirituality, and ecclesiology. As
you approach the basilica, you see an inscription across the front
that says this: “The sacrosanct Lateran Church, mother and head of
all the churches of the City and of the world.” In a real sense, the
St. John Lateran is a mother who has been teaching us, as Catholics,
what it means to be Church for more nearly 1,700 years. As residents
of Rome, this is our Cathedral and I think it is worth listening to
a few lessons that I think this basilica, our Mother, has to offer
us today even as she first taught them to the Church of Rome 1,700
years ago.
The first lesson is what she says to
us by her sheer size. You know, when Constantine legalized
Christianity in 312/313, he made it possible for Christians to
worship publically for the first time. But temples in the ancient
world were very small – event the temple in Jerusalem had a very
small sanctuary. That’s because people in the ancient world did not
participate in worship. Instead, only the priest would enter the
sanctuary to offer sacrifice. The people stood outside while the
priest worshipped for them. So you can imagine Constantine’s
surprise when he said to Pope Silvester, “how big of a temple do you
want” and Pope Silvester replied, “How big can you build it?! The
idea that people would actually participate in worship was
revolutionary. St. John Lateran was the first place built for public
Christian worship in the City of Rome and as such it set the
standard for all others. It taught them, and it teaches us, that the
Mass is never something we watch like spectators but always
something in which we participate. No one can do our prayer for us.
Do you see why Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple? He
didn’t want a temple in which others offer purchased sacrifices; he
wanted a new temple in which the presence of God dwells and those
assembled are members of his body raised up. So when we come here
for our liturgies, do we watch the priest pray or are we transformed
with the priest as he leads us in prayer? If the first words out of
our mouths following a liturgy are observations of criticism rather
than expressions of thanksgiving, then we are more observers than
participants. But if we are participants, then every reading of
scripture will speak to our heart and every Eucharist will be a
life-changing encounter with Jesus.
The second lesson of St. John Lateran
is in the Baptistry – it is the lesson of the red columns and
beautifully carved pilasters. These were taken from other imperial
monuments in Rome and used to build the baptistery. They could have
used new materials when they built the baptistery – they didn’t have
to use things from other buildings. They did so for a purpose, to
teach a truth of faith. And I think the truth is this: In baptism,
that which was secular becomes sacred; that which was profane, is
now profoundly incorporated into the body of Christ. Those old
pieces of marble and red porphyry used to adorn the monuments of the
pagan emperors. They are symbols of all the forces of sin and death
that tried to destroy Christianity – but through the grace of
Baptism, they become a beautiful part of the Church. That is the
power of baptism – It changes all people and makes them new in
Christ. The Church always has been a community of sinners seeking
God’s grace. The baptistery of St. John Lateran reminds us that no
sin is greater than God’s mercy, and that the waters of Baptism and
the grace of Reconciliation continue to take what is secular and
make it sacred. How easy it would have been for the early Church to
become elitist thinking that people had to earn their right to be
Christian or somehow prove themselves holy before they would be
accepted. St. John Lateran shatters that arrogant illusion. If the
porphyry pillars that once served the personal needs of murderous
pagan emperors could become the welcoming public entrance of a
Christian Church, then there’s hope for us, too, and for all God’s
people. St. John Lateran teaches us that the Church is where we
trust and celebrate God’s all-powerful, unbounded, transforming
mercy.
Lastly, the gilded bronze pillars
near the altar of repose for the Blessed Sacrament. These pillars
were given by Constantine to the Basilica of St. John Lateran for
reason – because they tell a story. You see, in 44 BC, Augustus was
named the heir of Julius Caesar. It was not an easy transition – he
had to conquer Mark Anthony. And when he did, in the year 30 BC he
set sail to also conquer the famed and feared Egyptian navy of
Cleopatra. And when it was over, he confiscated all the Egyptian
ships of Cleopatra’s fleet and removed their prows – that’s the
bronze decoration piece that was used on the bow. Augustus melted
those bronze pieces and molded them into 4 pillars which he had
placed in the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill. They were a
symbol to everyone that a new day had dawned and that a new era had
begun. A new chapter in world history had opened – the Roman Empire
had been formed. Those pillars were powerful. And Constantine gave
them to the Basilica of St. John Lateran to make the same statement
… but now for the Church – a new day has dawned, a new era has
begun, a new chapter in world history is now opened – Christianity
is no longer only a private, personal experience of faith; it is now
a public witness that courageously forms society and transforms
cultures and no longer hides in fear of persecution or rejection.
Those pillars are a statement to us today that we are to be
courageously prophetic, and publicly vocal in our witness of faith.
That the new chapter of Christianity is still open and the Church
has a necessary voice in world affairs. We need to remember that –
today more than ever – lest we become silent and the bronze columns
of St. John Lateran become nothing but interesting artifacts from
the past.
So visit St. John Lateran. And when
you see her size, remember it is so we too can be participants in
worship and not just watch it. When you see the columns and marbles
of ancient Rome reused, remember it is so we too can be transformed
by grace and the profane in our lives can be made profound by
Christ. When you see the pillars of bronze around the tabernacle, it
is so you will be priests and prophets of the Christian era in a
secular world.
Today, we do not just celebrate the dedication of a church – we
celebrate the dedication of that church which continues to teach us
how to be Church.
Rev. Msgr. Daniel H. Mueggenborg
serves as the Vice Rector for Administration, Director of
Admissions and Formation Advisor at the Pontifical North American
College in Rome. He is from the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary