“For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” – 1 Corinthians 3:9
The Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome is the cathedral of the Pope. It was dedicated as such in the year 324 A.D., shortly after Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal and donated the Lateran Palace to Pope Sylvester I. This beautiful church – not St. Peter’s Basilica – houses the official “cathedra” or chair of the Bishop of Rome, making it the mother church of Rome, and by extension, the mother church of all Roman Catholics.
It stretches 460 feet long and 460 feet wide. It’s Roman columns reach to the sky. But its foundation is not built of stone. It is built of love.
As St. Paul tells the Corinthians and us in this Sunday’s Second Reading, “no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ.” The love of God, manifest in Jesus, is the foundation of the Church. Without this love, the beautiful buildings would mean nothing. Without this love, there would be no reason to build in the first place.
But God did love us. And this love raised Jesus from the dead. This love compelled the Apostles to share the Good News with the world. This love led the martyrs to lay down their lives rather than their faith. This love convinced a pagan emperor of the power of the Cross and he converted his castle into a cathedral. Now, more than 1.2 billion people worldwide call this Church “home.”
Yes, through the ages the love of God has inspired painters to paint, choirs to sing, sculptors to sculpt, and builders to build. It has turned sinners into saints, water into wine, and even now transforms wine into the blood of the new covenant.
Behold, the power of God’s love.
Imagine what might happen if you would let it transform you. How might God use you to make a difference? How might you change the life of a child, a neighbor, a friend, or even an enemy by embracing God’s love and sharing it with others?
Lord of Love, make us, your living stones, into a beautiful cathedral. Pour out your love upon us, that we may love others more wholeheartedly in return. Fill us with love for one another, especially those who are most vulnerable. Unite us more faithfully to Pope Francis and the Church throughout the world as a universal sign of your love. Amen.
