“We are the Church of Christ, His body, His members called to spread His Gospel of mercy, consolation, and peace throughout the world, through that spiritual worship that must shine forth above all in our witness of life,” Pope Leo said at his weekly Angelus.
In his remarks on Sunday, the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the Pope recalled that this day in particular, the Church is called “to contemplate the mystery of unity and communion with the Church of Rome, called to be the mother who cares for the journey of faith of Christians throughout the world.”
While drawing attention toward the “extraordinary historical, artistic and religious value” of the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the seat of Peter’s successor, he said it most notably “represents the driving force of the faith entrusted to and preserved by the Apostles, and its transmission throughout history.”
Observing that the mystery’s greatness also shines forth in the artistic splendor of the building, which in its central nave houses the twelve large statues of the Apostles, he pointed out how this points to a spiritual perspective, “which helps us to go beyond the external appearance, to understand that the mystery of the Church is much more than a simple place, a physical space, a building made of stones.”
True sanctuary of God is Christ
Yet, “as the Gospel reminds us in the episode of Jesus’ purification of the Temple in Jerusalem, the true sanctuary of God is Christ who died and rose again,” Pope Leo said.
“He is the only mediator of salvation, the only Redeemer, the One who, by uniting Himself with our humanity and transforming us with His love,” he continued, “represents the door that opens wide for us and leads us to the Father.”
“United with Him,” Pope Leo XIV marveled, “we too are living stones of this spiritual edifice,” “the Church of Christ, His body,” called to spread his Gospel message and mercy through our daily witness.
Walking in the joy of being God’s holy People
“Brothers and sisters,” he insisted, “we must train our hearts to have this spiritual outlook.”
The Pope lamented how often “frailties and mistakes of Christians, together with many clichés and prejudices, prevent us from grasping the richness of the mystery of the Church,” but clarified “Her holiness, in fact, is not dependent upon our merits,” but in the “gift of the Lord, never retracted,” that continues to choose “as the vessel of its presence, with a paradoxical love, the dirty hands of men,” Pope Leo said, quoting Benedict XVI’s Introduction to Christianity.
In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV prayed, “Let us walk then in the joy of being the holy People that God has chosen, and let us invoke Mary, Mother of the Church, to help us welcome Christ and accompany us with her intercession.”
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