Nov
9
“Welcome Home”
November 9, 2007 |
Today, the body of the Church celebrates the dedication of an actual church - the Lateran Basilica in Rome (or St. John Lateran). The Basicila was built by Emperor Constantine and is considered the mother church of Christianity. It is the Cathedral of Rome, “The Pope’s Church”, and used to be the pope’s residence.
But why do we celebrate a church? Afterall, it’s just a building - right?
We shouldn’t think so.
Our church should be our second home. It should be the center of our faith and our spiritual life. It is the house of our Lord and contains his very presence within its hallowed walls.
It’s where our faith, hope and charity grow - where Christ really speaks to us and teaches us - where we contemplate the great questions and issues of our lives - where we plead for help and forgiveness, and (hopefully) give praise of thanksgiving. It’s sometimes our last recourse and our greatest comfort.
It’s where we feel the Holy Spirit and the very breath of all of the saints and angels - where we are recharged and given strength for the battles ahead - where we are sent forth every Sunday to “go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”
It’s where our children are touched by God and really begin to the learn about the basics of our faith and the unconditional, merciful love that Christ has for each of us. In our church, we watch them grow from baptism and onwards.
Our church is where we socialize, play sports, have fun - it’s where we connect with others.
Our church is where we have our highest of highs and lowest of lows.
And through it all, Christ, Mary and St. Joseph (and the saints and angels) are there to watch it all - celebrating with us, praying with us, consoling us.
But do we think of our church in all of these ways? Or, is our church just another place we fit into our busy schedules once a week for 75 or so minutes? Or worse, is our church a place we can’t wait to get out of the very minute we walk in the door?
If we only see our church as a weekly inconvenience, then we are missing out on so much.
How about trying to visit our church (or any other church) once a day - even if it’s just for 15 minutes? We could focus on Christ on the Cross, Christ in the tabernacle, the statute of Mary, the statute of St. Joseph, the saints on the stained glass windows, the patron saint of the parish. We could try saying rote prayers, having a conversation, or just sitting in silence - listening to what God is trying to tell us. We could pray the rosary in the presence of Christ and Mary. Go to Eucharistic Devotion if our parish gives us the opportunity. Stop in on our way to work - or on our way home from work. Stop in on our lunch hour. Go to daily Mass. Attend adult discussions (my favorite is the “Answer the Call” aimed at married men). Go to social functions. Go to confession. Avail ourself of the opportunities our parishes give us to worship and pray.
In other words, we should get connected with our parish - get connected with the incredible living organism that is our church. Our faith will grow - our lives will change - we will become closer to Christ.
Christ invites us to his home each and every day and wants us to make it our spiritual home. It is our loss if we do not accept his invitation. Everytime we walk through those doors, his arms are literally opened wide - inviting us in and saying to us “welcome home”.
