The month of November traditionally considers four very related aspects of the Faith. One of these is the four Last Things - death, judgment, Hell, and Heaven. As the end of the Liturgical Year draws near, we liturgically commemorate that which has yet to occur, namely the Paraousia of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Last Judgment, the Last Act of Salvation. This of course gives rise to the end of the world, and consequently, our end. Therefore, we cannot help but to consider the fact that we will one day die, be judged, and either be eternally in Heaven with God or eternally separated from Him in Hell, both through our own free will. In fact, the Subjects for Daily Meditation propose these as the final two subjects:
"Remember, Christian soul, that thou hast this day and every day of thy life . . .
Death perhaps to suffer,
and Judgment to undergo."
This focus on death, in turn, gives rise to meditation on the Three States of the Church, which the posts of last week considered, especially the Poor Souls in Purgatory, who have not yet attained their final end. The month of November is especially dedicated to the praying for the Poor Souls as well, then.
Following from this, the Church naturally considers the resting place of those who have fallen asleep in Christ, namely cemeteries, which are one of the two types of sacred places the Church designates. The other type is the church building (which has many different subcategories). These two sacred places are designated primarily to prayer. The church building is given to the nourishment of the Christian life through the Sacraments, and the cemetery is the resting place of our brothers and sisters (and one day, us), who have lived the Christian life in body as well as soul and await the coming reunification of them in the Resurrection of the Dead.
Today's feast of the Dedication of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, however, which supersedes the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, allows us to mediate upon the church building, that final aspect of meditation in the month of November.
This feast celebrates many things. Firstly, and most clearly, it commemorates the day upon which the the first official Church of Rome (and the West), was officially consecrated and dedicated by Pope St. Sylvester I, under the reign of Constantine in 324 A.D. First known as the Lateran Palace, when it was converted into a church, it was originally dedicated to Christ the Savior alone and became the Cathedral of Rome. Later, however, the patrons St. John the Baptist and St. John the Apostle were added to its dedication, leading to the common name it is known by, St. John Lateran. Nevertheless, the official name for the cathedral is, "The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and of Sts. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran, the Mother and Head of all the Churches of the City and of the World." Quite the impressive title, if I do say so myself.
Its position as cathedral of the bishop of Rome, the pope, who exercises universal jurisdiction over the Church throughout the world, means that the basilica is granted the position of "archbasilica," meaning simply that it ranks first and foremost of all churches. Thus, just as the anniversary of the dedication of a diocese's cathedral is a feast day in all the churches of that diocese, the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral of Rome is a feast throughout the entire Church.
This provides us with a great opportunity to reflect upon the church building in our lives. The church building mystically represents so many things. It has been called, "the house of God and gate of Heaven (Genesis 28:17)." These words, used to refer to the church building come to us from the passage in Genesis of Jacob's Dream, where we read:
"He [Jacob] dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, 'I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants . . . . Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you.' Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place; and I did not know it.' And he was afraid, and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:12-17).'"
Jesus also references this passage in relation to Himself, which I believe is worthy to note for our meditation:
"Jesus answered him [St. Bartholomew the Apostle], 'Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.' And he said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man (John 1:50-51).'"
From these two passages we can draw forth much fruit to understand the importance of the church building. Just as Jacob encountered God in the Promised Land, which God had sworn to Abraham and his descendants, which was then fulfilled in the Kingdom of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt, so we encounter God in the church, which is a representation of the land promised to us, i.e. Heaven, and of the Kingdom of Christ which will be fulfilled in the Second Coming at the end of time.
It is within the church building that the Liturgy, the official prayers of the Church, take place. Within her walls the Sacraments are administered and the Divine Praises are sung throughout the day in the prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours. Here it is that we see, "heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man," for all of the prayers are offered through Christ our Lord. Through Him, Whom we encounter principally in the public worship of the Church, Heaven opens and we see the Father (John 14:9).
St. Augustine has an interesting line in his Confessions, in which he writes, speaking of Victorinus, once a pagan and honored citizen of Rome:
"[Victorinus] said to Simplicianus, - not openly, but secretly, and as a friend, - 'Know thou that I am a Christian.' To which he replied, 'I will not believe it, nor will I rank you among the Christians unless I see you in the Church of Christ.' Whereupon he replied derisively, 'Is it then the walls that make Christians?' (Book VIII, Chapter 4)."
Victorinus was correct. The walls are not what make one a Christian, rather through Baptism we are made Christians. Nevertheless, "the walls" are the visible representation of the spiritual truth of what we are. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
"What matters above all is that, when the faithful assemble in the same place, they are the 'living stones,' gathered to be 'built into a spiritual house.' For the Body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the source of living water springs forth: incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit, 'we are the temple of the living God (1179).'"
When we gather together within the walls of the church, we gather as one Body - the Body of Christ. Just as a building must, in its architecture, be unified for the building to stand, so must we be. We are "living stones" of the household of God, unified by our one Faith, one Baptism, and partaking of the one Eucharist. The Faith, "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, [with] Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)," is the unifying foundation for the Church. We who bear the name of Christian, share in this one Faith.
We then, are Kingdom of Christ, "the eternal dwelling for God's majesty . . . [who] build up the heavenly Jerusalem (Collect for the Feast)." In the celebration of this glorious feast day, we pray that we may more perfectly reflect this truth. In order to do this, we must be perfected in grace, so that we may be a fitting stone for the Church of God. By this I mean that just an unstable brick would not be used in the construction of a building, for one would risk the collapse of the building, so the Church cannot obtain her perfection until all Her members are perfected in the Christian life. The difference is, of course, that God works with imperfect instruments and by the power of the Holy Spirit protects the Church from collapse. Christ has built His Church firmly upon the Rock of Peter and the foundation of the other Apostles, and thus the Church may never collapse (Matthew 16:18).
Nonetheless, the Church may be greatly afflicted and broken, albeit never in Her foundation or inner structure, for that is Christ, and thus the Church is always holy just as Christ is holy. However, it is for this reason that the Christian must work to be perfected in grace, so that he may always be united to the Church and may be a witness to the world of the glory of Christ. How often have we driven through a city and seen a run down or gutted out building and felt either pity for it or disgust at it, or both. It is the same when the world sees the Church through a Christian has disfigured himself or herself through sin; they see the Church as not worthy of admiration. However, when we live the words of our Lord, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16)," the world will be left in wonder at the "living stones," which build up the Church, just as we are astounded by the beauty of a well ornamented church building.
Now the church building is essential for this perfection in grace. Note that I do not mean that the Sacraments and/or prayer cannot take place outside of the sacred place, for, "The worship 'in Spirit and in truth' of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any one place (CCC, 1179)." What I am saying is that the church holds a deep theological significance which the Faith cannot set aside. To go there is to express one's unity with the entire Church through prayer, through hearing the Divine Word, through instruction in the Faith, and through the Sacraments. Christianity is a communal faith. The Catechism says, "These visible churches are not simply gathering places but signify and make visible the Church living in this place, the dwelling of God with men reconciled and united in Christ (1180)." First and foremost, through the Liturgy God comes to dwell in our souls.
The church is designed in such a manner that it can most perfectly bring about the dwelling of God in our souls. The Catechism explains various features of a church. It says:
"A church, 'house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful assemble, and where is worshipped the presence of the Son of God our Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help and consolation of the faithful - this house ought to be in good taste and a worthy place for prayer and sacred ceremonial.' In this 'house of God' the truth and the harmony of the signs that make it up should show Christ to be present and active in this place.
"The altar of the New Covenant is the Lord's Cross, from which the sacraments of the Paschal mystery flow. On the altar, which is the center of the church, the sacrifice of the Cross is made present under sacramental signs. . . .
"The tabernacle is to be situated 'in churches in a most worthy place with the greatest honor.' The dignity, placing, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle should foster adoration before the Lord really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
"The sacred chrism (myron), used in anointings as the sacramental sign of the seal of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally reserved and venerated in a secure place in the sanctuary. The oil of catechumens and the oil of the sick may also be placed there.
"The chair of the bishop (cathedra) or that of the priest 'should express his office of presiding over the assembly and of directing prayer.'
"The lectern (ambo): 'The dignity of the Word of God requires the church to have a suitable place for announcing his message so that the attention of the people may be easily directed to that place during the liturgy of the Word.'
"The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism; a church must have a place for the celebration of Baptism (baptistery) and for fostering remembrance of the baptismal promises (holy water font).
"The renewal of the baptismal life requires penance. A church, then, must lend itself to the expression of repentance and the reception of forgiveness, which requires an appropriate place to receive penitents.
"A church must also be a space that invites us to the recollection and silent prayer that extend and internalize the great prayer of the Eucharist (1181-1185, emphases in original)."
I quote the Catechism at length because there is a great epidemic in the Church that the building itself is unimportant, that it is simply a gathering place and serves more of a functionary purpose. This could not be further from the truth! Yes, Christians can and should worship God through prayer outside the church, but the church is specifically given to worship of God. The very nature of the building is designed to foster prayer and for this reason, Christians should be so familiar with the church building they know it like they know their own home. They should know which pews creak, where the not to sit because you'll be blinded by the sunlight, etc.
Certain places are much more conducive to certain acts than others. Anyone who has ever tried to sleep in economy class on a transAtlantic flight knows that an airplane is not conducive to the act of sleeping. Rather, we use a bed for such an act. However, a bedroom is not the place in which one would have a fancy dinner; instead, one would use a formal dining room. The same holds true for the church. It is conducive to prayer, it is the place where certain actions, such as Mass, Baptism, Confession, are most proper. It is not that they cannot be performed other places but all the matter of the church is constituted so as to assist the Faithful in harvesting the most fruit from the sacred actions they participate in and perform.
The church has a "feeling" about it, much as a library or a museum have a "feeling." Something that transcends our everyday lives is present there. The difference is that in those secular buildings we may only in some way transcend the present into the past. However, in the church, we transcend our earthly existence. We transcend the present into the past and the future, and beyond. I quote the Catechism again:
"To enter into the house of God, we must cross a threshold, which symbolizes passing from the world wounded by sin to the world of the new Life to which all men are called. The visible church is a symbol of the Father's house toward which the People of God is journeying and where the Father 'will wipe every tear from their eyes (1186, emphasis in original).'"
In a church we are able to transcend our earthly existence because it is the house where God dwells. Therefore, we encounter God there, and thus, our final end. Which brings us full circle in our meditations for the month of November. Last week, in considering the three states of the Church, we considered how we make up the Church Militant, the Pilgrim Church. As the Catechism pointed out, the church building is a symbol of what we are called to be and what we journey towards. It is, on this earth, the New Jerusalem we journey to. It is also a sign of what we are called to be.
In today's Office of Readings, St. Caesarius of Arles says, "Let us not destroy the living temples of God in ourselves by works of evil. . . . Whenever we come to church, we must prepare our hearts to be as beautiful as we expect this church to be." We must work to purify our souls so that God may enter into them through the Sacraments, Liturgy, and prayer, and dwell in us as He does in the church. Then we will truly be living stones in the New Jerusalem!
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