Thursday 9 November 2017
The Dedication of The Lateran Basilica.
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12. Psalm 45(46):2-3, 5-6, 8-9. 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17. John 2:13-22.
The waters of the river gladden the city of God — Psalm 45(46):2-3, 5-6, 8-9.
‘Wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows.’
The Lateran Basilica in Rome is dedicated first to Christ the Saviour and second to John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. Although located outside the boundaries of the Vatican City, it belongs to the Holy See and is honoured more highly than St Peter’s Basilica. The Lateran Basilica is the seat of the Pope and on its walls are inscribed words denoting its position as Mother of all the churches in the city and in the world.
We celebrate this feast universally as a way of expressing our reverence and affection for the church in Rome, which presides over the universal communion we share as Catholics. The church bears the water of life. As we slake our thirst on these waters—the love of and for Christ—we drink of the spring of everlasting life.
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