Today’s liturgical observance of the Dedication of the St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome on November 9, 324, makes us aware not only of the mother church of all churches of Rome, but also the meaning of “home” that exists with people of each parish church in the world.
St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome, where the pope presides as Bishop of Rome. So, while many Catholics think of St. Peter’s Basilica as the pope’s venue for the Universal Church, it is St. John Lateran Basilica, in a sense, that is the pope’s home parish church. The Lateran Basilica is a reminder of the parish church in each locality throughout the world that serves as a spiritual home of the people who are “the Church.”
Beneath the high altar of St. John Lateran, there rests the remains of a small wooden table on which tradition holds that St. Peter himself celebrated Mass. This reminds us that Christ in the Eucharist is the very reason for our unity as we come together regularly to worship as God’s people in our own parish church. This is why we say “welcome home” to those who have been away for awhile, and why we greet each other as “brothers and sisters” in the Lord.