Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
We celebrated the birthday of a coworker at work today. He said it was good that we celebrate because he has been around a long time. He turned eighty years of age for which he was very proud. For a few minutes, he described his parents and how they worked so hard to raise him in the faith. I almost wept as he described how important the sacraments were to his mother and how deeply she desired her whole family to participate in Eucharist. For his mother, mass was foundational to living as a Catholic and she wanted her children to grow up with the same belief. It made me stop and consider how my own parents raised me and how they brought me up in the faith.
In my family, my parent’s desire for me to practice my faith was so strong that there was no missing mass or even weekly religious education. It was the way it was supposed to be. Our being faithful disciples was imperative so that we could pass on to our own children what my parents were passing on to us. We were another brick in a larger building that had Jesus the Christ, Son of God as its foundation. This construction project that was our lives was built in a similar manner as it was for our parents. Our staying connected to this foundation insured their connection to the building beyond this life, heaven.
For my siblings and I, the trouble arose when we were not as interested in staying connected to the foundation. Often it came out like: “Do we really have to go to Church today?” It sounded whiny to be sure. Our father, who loved us deeply, had little time for this debate. Thus, all that was within us that wanted to argue with him was driven out. And while unenthusiastic participation in faith was tolerated, it was certainly not what was modeled. I can still remember shrinking in my pew because of the embarrassment of a parent who sang with so much zeal that the notes must have come from his toes. Ironically, it is the zeal with which I sing and practice my faith today.
Fortunately for our family, we had a zealous model of Christ who was willing to challenge us and hold us accountable as faithful disciples. This is what is so incredible about a foundation in faith. From the outset, the steps can seem tedious and unwelcome. In perspective of time, the waters that spring forth in the sacrament of baptism along with the love showered by our families both at home and at Church made us strong disciples. Now we too are part of the Christ’s foundation that we celebrate in today’s feast. We too have been formed into dwellings for the Most High, let us rejoice and be glad!
-Michael Montgomery