Pope: “Work with patience to keep the Church on solid foundations”.”

- Cindy Wooden, Rome (CNS)

The work under construction is “a beautiful image that speaks of activity, creativity and dedication, as well as hard work.” “And sometimes, of complex problems to be solved,” the Pope said at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome this Nov. 9, the feast of the dedication of the basilica.

The basilica is the cathedral of the Pope as bishop of Rome, and is known as “the mother of all churches”.

Standing on the “cathedra” or episcopal chair, Pope Leo preached about the basilica as “a sign of the living church, built with chosen and precious stones on Christ Jesus, the cornerstone.”.

God chooses “the dirty hands of men” (Benedict XVI)

He also spoke about the feast day when he returned to the Vatican for the Angelus prayer at noon.

“We are Christ's church, his body, his members called to spread his Gospel of mercy, consolation and peace throughout the world, through that spiritual worship which must shine forth above all else in our witness of life,” he told those gathered to pray with him in St. Peter's Square.

“Too often, the weaknesses and errors of Christians, along with many clichés and prejudices, prevent us from understanding the richness of the mystery of the Church,” he said.

However, the holiness of the Church “does not depend on our merits, but on “the gift of the Lord, never revoked”, who continues to choose “with paradoxical love, the dirty hands of men as the vessel of his presence”. This is how the Pope expressed himself, citing Pope Benedict XVI's 1968 book, ‘Introduction to Christianity’.

Excavating for solid foundations

In its homily In the basilica, Pope Leo asked the faithful to reflect on the foundations of the church in which they found themselves.

“If the builders had not dug deep enough to find a solid foundation on which to build the rest, the whole building would have collapsed long ago, or would be at risk of collapse at any time,” he said. 

“Fortunately, however, those who came before us laid solid foundations for our cathedral, digging deep with great effort before erecting the walls that house us, and this gives us much more peace of mind.”.

Catholics must also first deepen their inner self.

As members and collaborators of the Church, he said, Catholics today also “must first go deep within and around themselves before they can build impressive structures. We must remove any unstable material that prevents us from reaching the solid rock of Christ.”.

The Church and her members must constantly return to Christ and his Gospel, the Pope said. “Otherwise, we run the risk of overloading a building with heavy structures whose foundations are too weak to support it.”.

Building Christ's church is a work that requires a lot of time, effort and patience, he said.

United with Christ, we are “living stones” for the building of his Church 

Part of that work, the Pope said, is to be humble enough to allow God to work in each member, the “living stones” that make up the Church.

“When Jesus calls us to participate in God's great plan, he transforms us by masterfully molding us according to his plans of salvation,” said Pope Leo XIV. “This involves a difficult path, but we must not be discouraged. On the contrary, we must persevere with confidence in our efforts to grow together.”.

Pope Leo XIV ended his homily by making a special request to the community that celebrates Mass there regularly, but also to all churches and parishes.

On the care of the liturgy at Masses

“The care of the liturgy, especially here in the See of Peter, must be such that it serves as an example for all the people of God,” he noted “It must comply with the established norms, be attentive to the different sensibilities of the participants and follow the principle of wise inculturation.»

He asked that the Masses “remain faithful to the solemn sobriety typical of the Roman tradition, which can do so much good for the souls of those who actively participate in it”.

Prayer for the Philippines and peace building

After the Marian prayer of the Angelus, Leo XIX expressed his “closeness to the people of the Philippines affected by a violent typhoon; I pray for the deceased and their families, for the wounded and the displaced”.

He also expressed his “deep appreciation for all those who, at all levels, are committed to building peace in the various war-torn regions”.

In recent days, “we have prayed for the dead and, among them, unfortunately there are many who have died in the fighting and shelling, even though they are civilians, children, the elderly and the sick. If we really want to honor their memory, let there be a cease-fire and let all efforts be put into negotiations,” he concluded.