The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

The Basillica of St. John Lateran was one of the first churches to be built following the persecutions of the early Christians. It was consecrated by Pope Sylvester on November 9th 324.
 Originally this feast was only celebrated in Rome but eventually it became a universal celebration. This church continues to be the Cathedral of the Holy Father.

Churches are an important part of our community. They have always been a place where the members of the body of Christ can come together to pray and offer thanksgiving.Jesus is truly present in our Churches he told us "where two or More are gathered in my name, there I will be in the midst of them"(Matt 18:20) above all Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. He is present in both his Divinity and humanity, with his body and soul, and he sees us and hears us. There Christ nurtures us from his tabernacle as he used to care for those who sort him out in all the cities and villages. We can present him with our deepest desires to love him more and more with each passing day, and entrust to him our preoccupations, our difficulties and our weaknesses. We should cultivate a profound reverence for our churches and oratories since The Lord awaits us there. Truly the world would be considerably different if Christ had not wanted to remain with us. In front of the tabernacle we can draw strength for our interior struggles and leave all our worries in his hands. On how many occasions have we returned to the hustle and bustle of ordinary life with renewed hope. We cannot forget the sacrifice of infinite value which The Lord offered on Calvary is renewed each day in our churches so as to draw down upon us from Heaven innumerable graces of divine mercy. It would be a lack of courtesy to withhold our vigilant attention from a distinguished guest staying in our home. We need to be equally conscious of the fact that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is our guest here on earth, and that he's is eager for our attention as he is to help us in all our need six

This idea of "Church" was important to the Jewish people. Each year the Jews would commemorate  the feast of the Dedication in memory of the purification and re-establishment of worship in the temple in Jerusalem following the victory of Judas Maccabeus over the king of Antioch. The celebration lasted for a week and it was called the Festival of Lights, since it was the custom to place a light in their windows as a symbol of the Law. Families would increase the number of lights with each passing day of the Feast. The reason for this custom was to recall the time when pagan temples were converted into places of worship. Similarly the whole Church recalls the dedication of the Lateran Basilica. It is the oldest and most dignified of all the Western Churches. Each diocese holds a day of celebration for the dedication of each of its cathedrals and most parishes celebrate the day of dedication within their own parish.

Among the Jews the temple was considered a place of the presence of Yahweh. God had already made his presence known in the "temple of meeting" in the desert.  In Exodus it speaks of Moses friendship with God and the cloud in the shape of a column that came to him as a sign of his presence.

When Solomon had finished building the Temple in Jerusalem he prayer the following prayer" Is it  true God can dwell upon the earth? For if Heaven cannot contain you, how much less can this house which I have built. Listen to the prayer of your servant and his supplications, O Lord my God. Hear the hymn and prayer your servant offers you this day. May your eyes be upon this house night and day. Whatever people shall pray for in this place, you will hear them from your abode in Heaven. When you hear their petition show them your mercy."

We too go to our Churches to encounter God. He awaits us there with his real presence in our tabernacles.  JPII said" Any Church is your house, and the house of God. Value it as the place where we encounter the common Father."
 The Church building is the sign of the Church-Assembly. The congregation is formed by the living stones-men and women consecrated to God by their Baptisim. The Church building is the place where the Christian community gathers together to hear the word of God, to offer prayers of petition and to praise, and I a principal way, to celebrate the sacred mysteries of our faith. The Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, a unique image of the Church, is reserved here. The altar surrounded by people made holy by participating in the sacrifice of The Lord and nourished at this celestial banquet. The August sacrament is a sign of Christ, who is priest host and the altar of his own sacrifice( decree 29may1977)
 Let us then preach our churches with a great spirit of reverence since there is no place more worthy of respect than the house of God. What great devotion these buildings should inspire in us, since the sacrifice of Heaven and earth, the blood of God made Man, is offered up there. Let us visit them with confidence of a person on his way to greet his best friend, Jesus Christ. He gave his life for each one of us out of love, and eagerly awaits us every day. In our Churches we also encounter the house we share in common with our brothers and sisters in the faith.

St.Martin De Porres

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Martin de Porres who was born in Lima in Peru on. December 9,1579. Martins father was a wealthy man from Spain and his mother was a freed slave from Panama, possibly of African or Native American descent. Although they never married Martin's parents had two children before their father abandoned them, leaving the family to grow up in great poverty. With no real education Martins mother placed him with a barber come surgeon where he learnt to cut hair and do some medical procedures.

Martin suffered many taunts for the colour of his skin he was ridiculed often for coming from a mixed race family. However this did not turn him into an angry or bitter young man but drove him to his knees more deeply in his prayer life. He longed to enter a religious community but the laws at time denied anyone of African or Indian descent from becoming full members of religious orders.
Martin asked the Dominicans of the Holy Rosary Priory in Lima if he could become a volunteer. He spent many a long year performing the most menial of tasks in the monastery.
Martins faith and kindly ways did not go unnoticed by those that he lived with, eventually the prior of the order, Juan de Lorenzana decided to disregard the laws based on race and allowed Martin to take his vows to become a member of the Third Order of the Dominicans.

By the time he was 24 Martin had become a lay brother of the order and was assigned to the infirmary where his medical skills we're put to good use. He remained there until he died. Martin's love for Gods' people became very evident in the way he cared for those who were sick. Regardless of race or class, nobleman or slave Martin cared for them all often bringing them into his own bed. He tended all his patients with tenderness and great love.

During an epidemic in Lima, many of the friars in the Convent of the Rosary became very ill. Locked away in a distant section of the convent, they were kept away from the professed brothers. However, on more than one occasion, Martin passed through the locked doors to care for the sick without any thought for his own well being.
His abilities to heal extended not only to humans who had much need but also to the animal kingdom. Like St. Francis, Martin had a great love for all creatures large and small. He could never go past an injured cat or dog without taking it to his sisters house where they had established a form of sanctuary for sick and injured creatures. Martin would make herbal medicines to treat his "patients."
There is another story told about the day he helped some mice who had taken up residence. In the altar linen cupboard. The Friars wanted to poison the little furry critters but Martin decided to do a deal with the mice. He promised that if they would move to a new home at the bottom of the garden he would feed them each day. Now like the proverbial pied piper St. Martin led the mice down the garden to their new abode. Both Martin and the mice held up their end of the bargain, and the mice never went back to eating or nesting among the altar linens again. That is why St. Martin is often depicted with a dog, cat and mouse sitting at his feet!

Martin also proved to be a great fund raiser and managed to raise large amounts of money which enabled him to open an orphanage. He also used to provide money for young women who had no dowries thus allowing them to marry.

There were times when Martin found himself in trouble on one occasion Martin was reprimanded for not following the rules of the Convent, but after replying, "Forgive my error, and please instruct me, for I did not know that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity," he was given full liberty to follow his heart in mercy. His gentle ways and spiritual devotion led people to seek Martin out for spiritual direction, and prayers for healing. This did not sit comfortably with Martin because he preferred to remain obscure but he endured it as he felt God was asking this of him.

Martin had great friends in both St. Juan Macías, a fellow Dominican lay brother, and St. Rose of Lima.

In January of 1639, when Martin was 60-years-old, he became very ill with chills, fevers and tremors causing him agonizing pain. He would experience almost a year full of illness until he passed away on November 3, 1639.

By the time he died, he was widely known and accepted. Talks of his miracles in medicine and caring for the sick were everywhere. After his death, the miracles received when he was invoked in such greatness that when he was exhumed 25 years later, his body exhaled a splendid fragrance and he was still intact.

St. Martin de Porres was beatified by Pope Gregory XVI on October 29, 1837 and canonized by Pope John XXII on May 1962.

I'm sure there are many ways to honour this humble, gentle saint. As a family maybe you could visit someone who is poorly and lift their spirits, or help out at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. At this time of year there are many collections for the "shoebox"appeal. Taking the children to the supermarket and choosing some nice "essentials" to give to those in need is a great way of emulating St.Martin, and as a special treat I think we might have some sugared mice for tea!