The Sacredness of Catholic Churches
The Sacredness of Catholic Churches
November 18th Readings Reflection: Optional Memorial of Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Today is the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul. It is an optional memorial in our current missal, but since this is the traditional feast for today, I wanted to highlight its importance by using the readings for this optional memorial. Today’s feast celebrates the dedication of two basilicas in Rome: St. Peter’s, which we know as the Vatican, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. Both of these basilicas were first built by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century AD. The original basilicas have both been destroyed, and newer basilicas were built at the same holy locations, places that have been venerated since the time of the earliest Christians.
St. Peter’s Basilica stands on the site where St. Peter was crucified upside down and on the hill where the saint was buried. The exact spot of St. Peter’s crucifixion is near the Egyptian obelisk in St. Peter’s Square. The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls stands on the place where St. Paul was beheaded just outside the walls of Rome, on the Ostian Way. St. Paul was buried near the location of his death.1
I recently heard a homily in which the priest explained why the Catholic Church pays such great respect to her church buildings. Within each and every Catholic church resides God Himself, physically present in the Holy Eucharist. This is why Catholics genuflect toward the tabernacle; we are acknowledging and paying homage to Christ’s real presence within the tabernacle.
In his homily, the priest also explained that it is within the walls of a church that souls receive the saving power of God’s grace in Baptism and Confession. The Catholic church in my town has seen thousands of Baptisms in the 130+ years of its existence. Thousands of souls have been born into the life of God’s grace within those stone and wooden walls. Similarly, thousands of souls have received the life of God’s grace renewed within their souls through the Sacrament of Confession within those walls. For this reason, Catholic churches are truly sacred places, and the anniversary of their dedications is an important occasion that we should honour.
Today’s Gospel recounts the incident when the Apostles were in a boat during a storm. They saw Jesus walking on the water toward them, and St. Peter boldly began walking on the water himself toward Jesus. When St. Peter and Jesus returned to the boat, the storm subsided, and the Apostles knew that Jesus is “[t]ruly…the Son of God.” Boats in Sacred Scripture are appropriately seen as allegories for the Catholic Church. Like the boat in today’s Gospel, Jesus calms the storms of our lives through the graces of the Church’s Sacraments. May we always remember to honour our churches and recognize the sacred mysteries that they hold inside their walls.
“Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul,” at My Catholic Life, www.mycatholic.life.
Great piece, thanks. Coincidentally I was reading the other day about two saints - can't quite remember their names but one began with B, Basillissa? - who were for centuries honoured as two women who gathered the earthly remains of St Paul after his martyrdom. As is the way these days, some modern people have decided there is little evidence for their existence, so they have been dumped from the calendar. However someone or some people must have done this, and the two great basilicas were undoubtedly built on the places of martyrdom so today I am thinking about these churches in light of those courageous people who were their foundations in a spiritual sense.
Beautiful!!!!