After World War II, a small Catholic church in a village in Europe was severely damaged. The bombing had destroyed the roof and shattered the windows. When parishioners began to clear what was left, they found something remarkable: the statue of the Risen Christ was still standing. But both hands of the statue were broken off. Some parishioners wanted to repair it, but their pastor said, “No, leave it as it is.” He placed a plaque beneath the statue that read: “Christ has no hands but yours.” It became a living sermon for that parish, a reminder that Christ continues his saving work through the hands, hearts, and lives of his people.
Years later, around 1980, that same message took on new life here in San Diego. Outside Christ the King Church, a beloved statue of Christ with outstretched arms was vandalized; its hands were broken off. The parish had the option to replace them, but they didn’t. Instead, they chose to place a plaque below the statue with the exact powerful words: “I have no hands but yours.” That image greets everyone who passes by, a silent but powerful message that Christ’s work of love, healing, and unity continues only through us, his living hands on earth.
My dearly beloved in Christ, the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, which we celebrate today, is not just about the physical building in Rome. It is about us, the living Church, the Body of Christ.
Many people think that St. Peter’s Basilica is the pope’s cathedral because it is so famous and majestic. But in fact, the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome (the pope) is St. John Lateran Basilica. It is the oldest Church in the city of Rome, dedicated on November 9, 324 A.D., by Pope St. Sylvester. For that reason, it is called “the mother and head of all churches in the world.” Today’s feast reminds us that the Church is not just bricks and mortar. Every church building points to something greater: the unity and holiness of the entire People of God. The Lateran Basilica stands as a visible sign of that unity under the successor of Peter, the Pope.
Our first reading from Ezekiel speaks of water flowing from the Temple, bringing life wherever it goes. That living water is a symbol of God’s grace flowing from Christ, the true Temple, through his Church to the ends of the earth. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of his own Body as the new Temple: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He was speaking of the Temple of his Body. Through baptism, you and I become part of that Body, living temples of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul tells us in the second reading: “You are God’s building… Do you not know that you are God’s Temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” That means every Christian, every single one of us, is part of God’s sacred structure. The strength of the Church depends on how faithfully each “living stone” stands firm and stays united with the others.
Unfortunately in our world today, unity is fragile. People are divided by politics, race, ideology, and pride. Yet Christ desires one Church, one Body, and one People of God. We build that unity every time we forgive, every time we pray together, every time we reach out to someone who feels left out or broken. The Lateran Basilica may be built of marble and stone, but beyond the walls of that Basilica, we have the Church, the one Christ loves and died for, and that Church is built of living hearts joined together in faith and charity. When we gossip, hold grudges, or sow division, we slowly break down the walls of that living Temple. But when we serve, forgive, and love, we repair those walls and make the Church stronger and more beautiful.
So today, as we celebrate this ancient Basilica in Rome, let us also celebrate the living Basilica right here in our parish community, the family of faith gathered around this altar. When you reach out to someone in need, you are repairing Christ’s Temple. When you pray for peace, you are cleansing his Temple. When you forgive someone who hurt you, you are building his Temple. Like the statue at Christ the King Church, Christ still says to us today: “I have no hands but yours, no feet but yours, no heart but yours.” Let us, then, be his hands that serve, his feet that bring the Gospel, and his heart that loves without measure.
May this feast renew our commitment to be one Church, holy, united, and alive in love. May the Lord purify our hearts and make each of us a worthy dwelling place for his Spirit, until that day when we see him face to face in the heavenly Temple. Amen.
Homily for the Feast of the Lateran Basilica 2025
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