ON VISITING CHURCHES
INTRODUCTIONThe title of my homily is, “On Visiting Churches!”
[I was going to entitle this homily: “For History Buffs, Look It Up!” Most of this homily or sermon will be history. And I like history, but it so easy to mix up facts and figures. It’s so easy to make mistakes, so it’s important to keep looking up stuff to make sure one is right. But let me stick with my title: “On Visiting Churches.”]
Today we celebrate something that might seem odd: The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. We celebrate this feast on November 9 – because on this day in 324 – this first major cathedral church in Rome was dedicated in honor of Jesus our Savior. Later on the cathedral was also dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.
We celebrate this feast on this Sunday because today is November 9th. I have had all this schooling, but I’m still not sure when and why some feasts take over for Sundays and some don’t. So I have to do some homework.
ON VISITING ROME
Father Pat Flynn and 60 plus folks from this parish are in Rome today, I think it’s today, on their trip to Italy.
Is it a trip or a pilgrimage? Pilgrimage connotes visiting holy places.
I’ll have to find out when they come back if they went to the cathedral of St. John Lateran.
I was in Rome once – and I made sure I visited St. John Lateran’s. Ever since I was a kid, we were told at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and Church in Brooklyn that the church where the original picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is in the small church of St. Alphonsus on Via Merulana – between the two major churches of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran.
That information helped, because when I came out of the airport in Rome, the first bus I saw had “Santa Maria Maggiore” on it. I took it because I knew it was close to the Redemptorist House in Rome where I was going to stay.
The next day I went to the church of St. John Lateran. It was big – but I wasn’t impressed. But I knew I was standing on history. It was too dark for me – and too boxy. Sorry.
But what hit me was history – a long history. Here was the place of the first major church of Christians in Rome. Here was the wooden altar that Peter was supposed to have said mass on when he was in Rome. When news that Constantine was fighting under the banner of Christ – Christians knew they finally made it. Up till then they were a minority – often persecuted. This cathedral was our coming out party. Constantine had acquired the land through marriage – so he gave it to the church. It was land owned by the Laterani family – and they had a long history going back for centuries as well.
It was to be the place of the popes for 1000 years plus. Besides the cathedral, it was the place where the pope’s house was – along with several other buildings. The cathedral has a long history – and many rebuildings: it was sacked by the Vandals; it was devastated in a major earthquake; it had two big fires; it went into big crumble when the popes – 7 French popes - had moved and then lived in Avignon in France for 68 years. Then when the papacy came back to Rome, they settled in what is now the Vatican, a place on higher ground with better drainage – and St. Peter’s became the place to visit.
Yet, St. John’s remains the cathedral church of Rome.
So when you visit Rome, you have to visit St. John Lateran’s as well as St. Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum and St. Maria Maggiori and the small St. Alphonsus’ church when you can see the original picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help which we Redemptorists have promoted since 1867.
TODAY’S READINGS
The three readings for today all have to do with holy places – holy buildings.
We just listened to the readings them. What thoughts and feelings do they touch?
The first reading for the Prophet Ezekiel 47 talks about this imaginary temple that has the wonderful sound and sight of running water.
The water flows out of the temple down to the Arabah River. Then Ezekiel says that there are fruit trees of every kind along the banks of the river. Each month the trees give fresh fruit.
Isn’t that a great image of what a temple or a church should provide?
Wouldn’t that be a delicious place to visit every Sabbath? Wouldn’t that be a place that would restore our energies – going to the temple and seeing all this delicious water and then walking outside and picking fresh fruit.
Delicious fruit is very restorative. My sister always says, “If you want to get men to eat fruit, you have to cut it up for them.” Women: is that true?
A cold glass of water – the water cooler down the corridor here at St. Mary’s – seeing the creeks and bay of Annapolis – swimming – sailing on the Bay – going to Ocean City – taking a shower or bath – seeing, tasting and experiencing water restores us.
To be human is to hunger and thirst for good food and good water.
Aren’t families restored by picnics? Visits to Ben and Jerry’s? Tail gate parties? Cook outs? Sunday dinner?
Restoration – rest – revival – renewal? Isn’t that the purpose of temples, church, mosque, synagogue? When we feel broken and need a break after a long week of work – and sometimes Saturdays, we need Sunday. Isn't that why we’re here today. Give me a break!
The second reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Church of Corinth has Paul saying the people are the building – the temple. This was written before we had buildings – when the church was in hiding – when the church met in homes – long before cathedrals and churches could be built.
Question: when people meet me - this temple called "me", do they experience rejoicing, rest, restoration, renewal? Do they experience the presence of Christ?
The Gospel from John has the great message that Jesus is the temple.
The great temple in Jerusalem was the center of Israel’s life and culture. Jews would make pilgrimages to it many times in their life – just as Moslems today want to make pilgrimage to Mecca and their holy places.
Well, Jesus sees the money changers and sheep and oxen being sold on temple ground and Jesus became angry. Filled with zeal he overturned the money changers tables and yelled out, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
Jesus then says that he is the temple – he is the center – he is the place to visit.
It took the church and it takes us a long time to grasp this deep theology.
BUILDINGS
Do we need buildings? Do we need holy places?
The history of the world of us human beings answer a loud, “Yes!” – but of course the key is we come here to experience God first. And as Christians we come to church to feast on the great food here: Jesus. We come here to be washed with the delicious water: Christ. We come here to hear we are the body of Christ – and then to go out from this holy place – and treat each other with sweet sacredness.
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is, “On Visiting Churches.”
Up front I said, I find it a bit odd celebrating the feast of church. Do we just give history? What? What do you need this Sunday morning?
So my theme was the value of visiting churches. When you’re a tourist do you drop into churches? I notice folks who come to Annapolis visit St. Mary’s. What is their experience when they come through our doors? I notice that visitors who come here for weddings, baptisms and funerals, often say, “This is a beautiful church.” So churches do something to some people.
If you’re a history buff, read Robert Worden’s history of St. Mary’s Parish here in Annapolis. * I believe there are still copies for sale.
As one reads and digs into the history of this church or any church, interesting tidbits of information – as well as questions arise. For example in putting together this first draft homily for today, I kept noticing things that were very interesting. I read that in 1784 there were 15,800 Catholics in Maryland – 3,000 of them being African Americans. What’s their story? How did they get here? What churches did they go to? Start digging. Research is a great hobby.
If you haven’t been to Rome yet, and you get the chance and if the economy improves, visit St. John Lateran – and St. Peter’s, and St. Alphonsus, and St. Maria Maggiore, and the many interesting churches there.
If you want to keep the money in this country, if you go to Florida visit St. Augustine – the oldest European city in the United States. Nibble on Spanish Catholicism there. It goes back to Ponce de Leone who was searching for the fountain of youth in 1513 and so many snow birds doing the same since.
If you go to California, take in the history of the 21 Spanish Missions along “El Camino Real” – each mission a days walk from each other – 1769-1823 – and how those missions are part of the history of that state – how the buildings were left to ruin – how in 1863 Abraham Lincoln gave all the mission lands back to the Catholic Church – and those mission buildings were restored in the 20th century.
Or if you stay local, visit the basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore. It’s been restored big time. Take the guided tour. Or to save gas and time, go on line and drink in its history. It’s the key cathedral for this diocese – and some would say for the United States – but those in Washington D.C. who like the Immaculate Conception Cathedral might differ. Whatever. Enough. Amen.
* Robert L. Worden, Saint Mary's Church in Annapolis, Maryland, A Sesquicentiennial History
