St. John Lateran

Today, we celebrate the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica.  Some people think that St. Peter’s Basilica is the Pope’s Church, but it has been a long standing tradition that the Popes would be consecrated and named at St. John Lateran.  Because it outranks the other three Major Basilica (St. Peter, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls), it is actually referred to as an Arch-Basilica.

Before it became an Arch-Basilica, it was a palace that belonged to Emperor Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome. 

Within the walls of the St. John Lateran houses “bigger than life” statues of the Apostles.  One in particular I like is St. Bartholomew who is holding his own skin.  The legend is that Bartholomew died a martyr by being skinned alive. 

St. John Lateran Arch-Basilica is dedicated to both St. John the Baptist and also St. John the Evangelist.  But on the façade of the Church, it is given due glory and honor to Christ our Savior. 

In our RCIA classes, we always encourage New Catholics to go to St. James Cathedral in Seattle because it is the local Bishop’s church.  If you have never been there, I do encourage you to go and attend Mass there.  For us Catholics living in Western Washington, St. James Cathedral is the sign of unity for our Archdiocese because it houses the chair of the local Archbishop.  In a similar way, the feast of St. John Lateran is also a sign of unity among all Catholics.  Because it houses the chair of the successor of St. Peter, which is currently the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

For us Roman Catholics, when it comes to unity, it has to be a visible sign.  St. Mary Parish is a visible sign of unity for us here in Anacortes.  Within the Archdiocese, St. James Cathedral, the chair of the Local Archbishop is the visible sign of unity.  For all Catholics, St. John Lateran Basilica is the visible sign of unity.  The Visible Sign of Unity in a larger sense is not only a place or a chair, but it resides in the one who holds the Keys to the Kingdom, St. Peter and his Apostolic Successor.

Jesus prays: “Father, may they be one just as you and I are one.”  That prayer is answered when we focus on these visible signs of unity.  Amen.