Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran

Fr. Scott Haynes

Introduction: The Mother of All Churches

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we pause in the great rhythm of the Sundays after Pentecost to celebrate something unique—the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

Its full and solemn name is the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist at the Lateran. This church is not the largest or most beautiful in the world, but it holds a special place: it is the Pope’s own cathedral as Bishop of Rome. In honoring this basilica, we honor the unity of the Church and our fidelity to the successor of St. Peter.

Inscribed above its doors are the words:

Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput —“The mother and head of all the churches in the city and in the world.”

So today’s feast, while it honors a building, ultimately points to something far greater: the mystery of the Church herself—and the temple that each of us is called to become.

The Vision of Ezekiel: A River of Life

The prophet Ezekiel once saw a vision of a temple unlike any other. He writes,

“I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east…” (Ezekiel 47:2)

At first it was only a trickle. But as he walked farther, the stream grew deeper—ankle deep, then to the knees, to the waist—until finally it became a mighty river he could cross only by swimming.

That river gave life wherever it flowed. On its banks grew trees that bore fruit in every season, and whose leaves were for healing.

This was no ordinary water. It was a symbol of divine grace, flowing from the very presence of God. It foreshadows the grace that would later pour forth from the side of Christ on the Cross—the living water of Baptism and the Eucharist.

Jesus loved the temple of Jerusalem. He called it “My Father’s house.” (John 2:16) And more than anyone else, He fulfilled the words of Scripture: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Christ the True Temple—and We His Living Stones

But then, in the fullness of time, something astonishing happened. The Lord Himself became the new Temple. He said:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”And St. John explains: “He was speaking of the temple of His body.” (John 2:19, 21)

Jesus is the living Temple of God—and through Baptism, we are joined to Him. As St. Paul reminds us,

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

So every baptized soul becomes a sanctuary. Every Christian heart becomes a place where God wishes to dwell.

And yet, because we are both body and spirit, we need visible signs to express invisible realities. That is why the Church continues to build cathedrals, basilicas, and parish churches. We need sacred spaces where Heaven touches earth—where the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered, where Christ is adored in the tabernacle, where sinners are reconciled, and where we are nourished with His Body and Blood.

The Meaning of Sacred Space

Now, dear friends, think for a moment about how the spaces around us shape our souls. A disordered home, a cluttered office, or a dark, lifeless environment subtly forms our interior life. So too, the house of God shapes our hearts.

Winston Churchill once said: “We shape our buildings, and afterward they shape us.” How true that is!

When our churches look like shopping malls or pizza huts—when beauty is replaced by mere functionality—our faith becomes comfortable, casual, and utilitarian. But when we step into a church built to lift the soul upward—with its spires pointing to Heaven, its cruciform design, its art and stained glass filled with light—we are reminded that God is transcendent, glorious, and worthy of our awe.

These buildings of stone, glass, and wood symbolize the spiritual temple of our bodies. Their beauty mirrors the beauty of the faith. The church’s bells proclaim the Gospel to all who hear. The sacred images of Christ, His Mother, and His saints are silent teachers of holiness. And the altar at the heart of the church reminds us that everything begins and ends with the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

The Witness of St. Theodore Tyro

This same day—November 9—also commemorates St. Theodore Tyro, a young Roman soldier and early martyr. His story sheds light on the meaning of this feast.

In the year 304, Emperor Maximian ordered all Christians to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Theodore refused. Instead, in his zeal for the true God, he set fire to the temple of Cybele, the so-called “mother of the gods.” Arrested, scourged, and starved, he was visited by Christ Himself, who strengthened him in prison. Angels appeared, singing with him through the night.

When his captors tried to persuade him to renounce his faith, he refused, saying he would never deny Jesus Christ. Finally, he was condemned to die by fire—the very fire he had kindled against idolatry.

Making the sign of the Cross, he offered his body, the true temple of the Holy Spirit, in sacrifice to God.

How fitting that only a few years later, Emperor Constantine would give the Lateran Basilica to the Pope—the new “mother and head” of all churches. From the blood of martyrs like Theodore, the visible temple of the Church arose.

The Temple of the Body and Our Times

How different is our age from his! St. Theodore revered his body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Today, the world desecrates that temple. The body is no longer seen as sacred; it is used, distorted, and redefined. God’s moral law is ignored or mocked.

But the Word of God is clear. St. Paul warns the Corinthians:

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?Do not be deceived: neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,nor the effeminate, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor the greedy,nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified,you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11)

In times of moral confusion, the Church calls her faithful children to return to the fountain of grace—to cling to Christ with all our strength, as St. Theodore did. We must rediscover reverence for the sacred: reverence for our bodies, for the Church, and above all, for the Holy Eucharist.

The Healing River of the Altar

My dear friends, today we are invited to wade once more into that healing river that Ezekiel saw—the river flowing from the temple.

Here, at the altar, we stand knee-deep not only in water, but in the Blood of Christ poured out for us. From this altar flows the life of the world. Here His Sacred Heart beats for love of us.

And that same love resounds through every Catholic church and through every Christian soul. For as the Book of Revelation declares:

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them.” (Revelation 21:3)

May the celebration of this feast renew our reverence for the House of God, deepen our love for the Eucharist, and rekindle our zeal to be living temples of the Holy Spirit—beautiful, strong, and filled with the light of Christ.

Amen.