Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

by Rev. John Granato  |  11/09/2025  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

Today, as we celebrate the feast day of St. John Lateran Basilica, the cathedral Church of the diocese of Rome, we recall the sublime teaching of St. Paul in several of his letters. Church buildings are important. It is in the church building that the sacraments are to be celebrated, with exceptions permitted for some of the sacraments. The four major basilicas of Rome are all honored during the year on our liturgical calendar. Within each diocese, we are called to celebrate liturgically the date of our local cathedral, and in our own parishes, we are also called to celebrate the date of each local parish church.

But St. Paul reminds us that we are called to be a temple of God; that each member of Christ is a living stone that builds up the church, which is Christ’s body. We are members of Christ’s body, each with different gifts to be used for the service of the salvation of souls. Just as when a part of our individual body is maimed or cut off, which affects the wholeness of that body, when a member of Christ’s church is separated from the body, our church is not functioning at a wholeness level. There are over one billion Catholics in the world. Just imagine if every one of those billion Catholics actually attended Mass every Sunday and Holy Day for a whole year. And imagine if every Catholic besides attending Mass prayed a rosary daily for a whole year. Our world would change for the better.

Every person baptized becomes a temple of God, and He (Father and Son and Holy Spirit) comes to reside in our temple. When we come to realize that our body is a living temple, then it follows that we honor our bodies by taking care of them and using them for what God intended.

God bless.