John 2:13-22, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

If the pope is the bishop of Rome, then, he must have an official cathedral, right? Well, he does. And it’s not St Peter’s Basilica, like I thought for a long time. It’s St John Lateran Basilica. It was the first-ever Christian basilica, so it’s also called the archbasilica-cathedral. They first named it after Jesus. So, it’s called the Church of the Holy Savior. Then, it was rededicated to the two Johns: the Baptist and the Evangelist. So now its full name is the Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist at the Lateran. The older building that stands beside the basilica now was once the palace of the Laterani family. They donated it to Constantine as he put an end to Christian persecution in the whole empire. Constantine, in turn, bestowed it to the Church to be the residence of Popes for many years. Then, the basilica was built right beside the palace. The oldest, first-ever simbahan in Christendom. (In the Philippines, the very first simbahan was San Agustin, 1563.) We celebrate the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, to thank God first of all, for that great day when Christians no longer had to hide their faith under pain of being crucified, barbecued, or fed to big cats. Secondly, the feast celebrates our unity with the Pope.

 I find it kinda strange, though, that the feast is named after a building, even if I know what it symbolizes. Why not call it, Feast of Christian Freedom from Persecution, or Feast of our Unity with the Pope, or feast of the Free Church? I mean, I wish the feast was named to evoke images of people, community, a worldwide family, rather than images of a building, beautiful that it is. But that’s just my opinion which doesn’t really matter.

Imagine how much we owe Constantine, though, sisters and brothers? Before he finally banned Christian-bashing, our fore-lolos and fore-lolas gathered secretly in homes, in hiding places, like the Roman catacombs. With eyes alert and voices kept low, they must’ve read from the prophets, sung psalms, then shared bread and wine in Jesus’ memory: the first fearful, hopeful gatherings that became what we now celebrate openly: the Eucharist, the Mass. But back then, who knew if this new faith in Jesus of Nazareth would even survive? Thanks to Constantine, we moved from shadows to sunlight; open now, loud, and fearless.

Kaya lang, when Constantine richly endowed Christianity, and Emperor Theodosius after him declared Christianity as the official religion of the whole empire, our once very humble, very subdued, very intimate Church ran away with the look and the feel of a Roman empire. Don’t you wonder why many churches are designed to look like palaces? Look at the presider’s chair in big churches. Doesn’t it remind you of a throne? Compare priestly vestments to a king’s flowing robes. Christ’s body and blood are served on plates and goblets of silver and gold, a straightaway reference to royal banquets. And the altar boys, a throwback to yesterday’s pageboys! Dami pa. Frescoes, murals, statues, banners, bells and smells, etc.

But never mind the vibe of imperialism. What troubles me more is our deeply ingrained monarchical mindset of Church. We see this in our taste for elaborate Masses like they were coronations, our attempts to make Filipino churches look and feel Roman, and most problematic of all, our outdated theologies that exaggerate the distinction between who stands at the altar and who kneels before it: up here, us, the priests, also called “princes of the church”. Down there, everyone else, the laity, you. To be fair, it’s not just priests who tend to cling to a pre-Vatican-II imperial mindset. Many lay Catholics also prefer a clericalist kind of Catholicism rather than a synodal one, triumphalist rather than down-to-earth, altar-centric more than community-involved, more ceremonies in the church, than outreach to the poor. I find myself telling my future-priests students: “Beware that you become more Roman than Catholic, more Catholic than Christian.”

It’s fascinating that the Gospel for a feast day like this is the cleansing of the temple, don’t you think, sisters and brothers? Flipping tables over and sending merch and money flying, Jesus outed the rude and unholy negosyo that the hierarchs had turned the Father’s house into, bastos na at garapalan (like today’s corrupt senators and congressmen). What a perfect story, though, for today’s feast of the free church and unity with the Pope. The cleansing of the temple reminds us of what Jesus wants the Church to be otherwise. St Paul captures it well: the Church is the Body of Christ; a body that prays and worships God, not itself; a body that serves the poor, not itself. A body that seeks that all be saved, not just itself.

So, wherever and whenever we come together to hear God’s word, share our food, pray with each other, pray for one another, here we are: Church. So long as we help the poor together, protest for and protect them, make peace instead of war, but always fight for justice, here we are: Church.

Look at our community here in AIM, parish of the “Assumption of the Immaculate Mother”! No frescoes, no statuary, no throne to boast of. We’re in a conference room, for goodness sake! But how I love coming here to celebrate the Eucharist with you because there’s a feel of family, friendship, and communal prayer. And I gather that you love coming over, too! That for me is being Church. It would be nice to have mass in a chapel again, if not a church, for sure! But no matter; if you notice, it’s people who make “Church” happen. Because wherever people are, there is Jesus.

So, never mind the look, feel, sound, smell of basilicas and ecclesiastical royalty. Jesus from Nazareth was never any of those. Instead, he blended in. He spoke the people’s language. He smelled of pawis and araw. And he walked towards the poor and the helpless who needed him most. We are Church when we look and feel, sound, smell, and walk together–like the Lord’s Body; a body that is broken, and blessed, and shared, so that all of us may have our fill!

*image from the Internet