The Church as Building and the Church as People

 

Deacon Dave · “The Church as Building and the Church as People”

Homily for the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica, Nov. 9, 2025. Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17; Gospel of St. John 2:13-22. Theme: The Church as Building and the Church as People

 What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “church”? Most Catholics would reply, “it’s where we go to Mass on Sundays”. But this is not what “church” means in both the New Testament and in Catholic teaching. When the Bible or the Catechism use the word “Church” what they have in mind is the community of God’s people and not temples designed for worship. 

 As a matter of fact there were originally no such buildings at all in ancient Christianity. The reason being that it was a forbidden religion whose members had to worship in secret before the Roman Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in 313 AD. And so it wasn’t until 324AD that the very first public church structure was erected in Rome. It was built on land donated by the prominent Laterani family and dedicated to the two most famous Johns in the Bible: St. John the Apostle and St. John the Baptist. In honor of the patron saints as well as the donors, the church was named St. John Lateran. 

 The main reason we are celebrating its dedication in today’s Liturgy is precisely because it was the first and thus the oldest of all Catholic churches in the world. But in addition, it holds the distinction of being intimately connected with the pope because it’s his cathedral as the Bishop of Rome. This surprises many people because most think that St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is his special church. While it’s true that that’s where the Holy Father makes most of his official appearances, it is St. John Lateran which is honored as the mother-church of all Catholic places of worship throughout the world. 

 Today’s feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran is a reminder that all church buildings throughout the world, be they famous and grandiose or poor and simple, stand as signs that the Kingdom of God has come among us. They are each a public proclamation that God exists, that God is with us. And so in every culture and in every part of the world there can be found temples and shrines to the homage to God. We need these manifestations of faith. We need these visible monuments of our invisible God. We need these tangible reminders that God dwells among us and with us. These sacred sanctuaries are where we gather as God’s consecrated priestly people to worship through, with and in his Son, Jesus. This is why they are specially “dedicated” in a way that is not done for any other kind of building. 

 But still, as important as they are, these physical structures are not absolutely necessary for us to live and grow as the Church. Persecutions throughout history and the assault of natural disasters have shown this to be true time after time. Even in our own day when the government closed-down our churches during the pandemic and when the raging California fires turned many of them into ashes, the “Church as people” continued its ministry, its worship and its works of mercy for the needy. You see, nothing can stop the Church of God from existing, from acting and from growing. 

 The words of Jesus in today's Gospel, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it up again!” were spoken about his physical body, but they can also be applied to his Mystical Body that is the Church. Throughout history hostile governments have tried to destroy it but have failed. Even when it looked as if they had succeeded and all visible signs of faith were demolished (such as in many Communist-controlled nations) the Church remained present. Like the corpse of Christ in the tomb, it often went underground and seemed silent but it was simply awaiting resurrection. And time after time throughout history, once the persecutors were toppled from political power, the Church emerged from that tomb full of life and grace, because as Jesus promised, it is indestructible. 

 The reason for our spiritual indestructibility is found in our Second Reading. St. Paul reminds us that just as God dwelt in Jesus of Nazareth making him his holy temple, so God dwells within each one of us through grace and faith, making us his holy temples. We are fortified by the Divine Presence which dwells within us through Word and Sacrament. This means that nothing on planet Earth, and nothing in the whole universe, nothing whatsoever, can truly destroy us!