A few days ago someone asked why we celebrate an opulent Basilica when so much of the world lives in extreme poverty?” This person objected to today’s feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. I think it’s a fair question, so I want to begin there and talk about what this feast is for us.
How many of you know what the Lateran Basilica is? (Give time for answers.) First, St. John Lateran is the oldest Church in the West and the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. But most importantly, it is a symbol of the living Church, the Body of Christ, the People of God, rooted here in the ground of Earth.
A building is not only a place to gather, it is also a statement of PRESENCE. Putting down roots has always been a statement about commitment. It says “I’m here to stay!” The Lateran Basilica as a symbol has that kind of staying power. It has been built and rebuilt after earthquakes, vandalism and fire destroyed its physical structures over the centuries. The Body of Christ has also been vandalized and shaken to its core countless times but it, too, has staying power. The People of God ARE that body, and as long as the people gather, the Body of Christ continues to live in the heart and soul of the world. The Body of Christ is here to stay.
Paul calls US “God’s building.” As God’s building we provide a place for God’s Spirit to dwell on the earth. This is who and what we are and what we are called to be. A people of PRESENCE, allowing the waters of God’s life to flow through us into a thirsty world. So maybe the real question we need to ask is: what does it mean to be the “Temple of God” in the world today? How are we that “building” Paul is talking about? Do we have the kind of structural integrity as a people that allows us to ride the waves of an earthquake?
I think of the recent media coverage of the Synod on the Family in Rome last month. An op-ed piece titled “The Pope and the Precipice” in the NY Times a couple weeks ago warned of a possible schism if Francis continues down the road toward what the author calls “sweeping change.” The writer advised other conservative Catholics like himself to be “clear-eyed” in their “understanding of the situation” and urged them to openly resist Francis’ leadership if he maintains a change-oriented direction. He says it is their responsibility “preserve [the Pope] from error.” These are startling remarks, and the current issue of the National Catholic Reporter quotes Philadelphia’s Cardinal Chaput who was “very disturbed” by discussions occurring on the floor of the Synod. Those discussions, he said, sent a confusing message and “confusion is of the devil.” In his mind, apparently, the proceedings of the Synod were of the devil!
The fact that honest discussion is creating an earthquake within the worldwide institutional church should come as no surprise to those who know a bit about church history. The first seven ecumenical councils were all convened to settle hotly debated theological issues. The attempt to reach consensus and establish a unified Christianity left a trail of fervent dissent. The divisions were deep! Heresy was a label hurled at losers of those arguments and it stuck. Those earthquakes changed the landscape, as did passionate differences voiced during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The ideological and theological viewpoints of past centuries are still with us today, and with only minor variations. So far Christians have seemed unable to allow differences of belief, outlook and interpretation to coexist while holding to a Gospel where Jesus commands us to love one another.
Perhaps the litmus test for love is RESPECT. Being God’s “Temple” in the world requires us to respect each other and allow for variances in belief and opinion without making enemies of those with whom we disagree. That’s easier said than done, I know, especially in a context of polarization that is fanned daily by political power plays and sensationalistic journalism. But we are all part of the same family and as “temples of the Spirit” we have a responsibility to find ways of disagreeing that maintain respect for the indwelling God in the person of the other.
As a community, the invitation to fully embody who we are as “God’s building” poses an important question about our commitment to being a visible and tangible PRESENCE in the larger communities we serve. What does it mean for Sophia Christi to be that kind of Presence? What does it mean for us to “sing a new church into being?” On an individual level I see many of us volunteering time and contributing resources in areas devoted to social justice. The St. Andrew’s Food Pantry, Food for Lane County, Habitat for Humanity, the Crop Walk in Eugene, St. Vincent DePaul in Eugene and Battle Ground, Rose Haven and Sisters of the Road in Portland are just a few local organizations in which Sophia Christi members are currently involved serving the homeless and the poor in our area. But what might we do together, as a community, I wonder?
The parish council is currently asking this question. If we were to dedicate a percentage of our financial contributions each month to an organization on the front lines of serving the poor, the sick and the homeless, what would that percentage be and where can we best serve? The Council needs your help in answering that question. As water from the Temple flows through each one of us, YOU are a channel of that life-giving spring Sophia Christi offers the world. Where has the Spirit led you? Where are you serving? What if Sophia Christi joined you there? Is there another area of service to the poor where our joint efforts might make a difference?
Ezekiel’s image of water flowing from the Temple in all directions, growing every kind of fruit tree, providing healing powers to the leaves and making it possible for those trees to bear fruit every single month is an image of what we are called to be. God can accomplish ANYTHING through us if we open the floodgates of this sanctuary and say “yes” to Spirit’s guidance at the core of who we are. Are we ready to be that kind of PRESENCE in the world? And if so, how?
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