Faith Beyond Buildings: The Church As More Than Brick and Stone | Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome - November 9, 2025 (Year C)

This week, we celebrate the dedication of the Archbasilica of St John Lateran in Rome, the oldest of the major basilicas in Rome, the seat of our faith.  In reflecting on the readings and the namesake of the feast, I was struck by the connection: community.  It can be easy to see the church we attend each Sunday as just a building: a facility for our service each week, a venue for weddings and funerals, or an adjunct facility to house various events for children in school.  And even the building builds community, albeit locally.  But it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, that our church is part of the Church, and that our community is part of the Body of Christ.  Rome may feel far away from the pew we sit in each week, but spiritually we are connected.  On the surface, we share the same liturgical traditions having the same calendar, readings, prayers, and other "forms" of worship that are indistinguishable from each other in all but language.  And yet, on a deeper level, we are all part of the Body of Christ, joined to Christ through the Eucharist.  Beyond that, our relationship goes further to include all of creation.  So as we sit this week and hear how Ezekiel saw the river of life flow forth from the Temple, think of Jesus's Love flowing to every parish and church in the world, and even beyond that to wherever people gather in His Name.  It was this Love that Jesus has that led to His driving out of those from the Temple, as they had lost sight of the community-aspect of the church and had reduced it to merely a building.  We are apart of something greater than we can imagine and as Catholics, we have to think beyond our pew each week and remember our place in the universal Church.