Lateran Basilica

Today we celebrate a basilica in Rome named after Saint John and its original donor, the Lateran family. It is a consecrated place which withstood centuries of destructive forces and yet endured—like the universal church itself. We celebrate the Lateran basilica as a symbol of all the holy places in this world, communal and personal, that elevate our thoughts and move our hearts to the grand reflection of the universal church. Such sites help us to see as God sees: from his exalted and unified perspective across the holy places and sacred moments. They help us grow from the personal to the universal, from the present hour to the eternal. Jesus once cleared the Jerusalem temple to prepare for the radical replacement of its authority with himself. Holy places invite us to consider how the Holy One once pitched a tent among us. We who believe in “God-with-us” become quite literally that sacred meeting ground in flesh and blood. Our very lives are holy places.