It may seem peculiar that we set aside today to celebrate a building, but it is not the only day on which a particular Church is honoured with a feast - we also celebrate a feast to remember the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, and the Church of St. Mary Major. What is so special about the Lateran Basilica, dedicated to Christ the Saviour, is that it is hailed as the "Mother of all Churches in the city of Rome and the World." The Basilica of John Lateran is the cathedral of the diocese of Rome and the Pope's Church. The land on which the Basilica is built was given to the Church by the Emperor Constantine in the year 311, an act signifying that Christians would be allowed to freely worship in public and practice their faith, and was dedicated on November 9th, 324.

We are presented with the image of the Temple in Jerusalem in the first reading, from which a river of living water flows out into the world. In the second reading, St Paul reminds the People of God that they themselves are the new Temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells. Finally, in the Gospel, we hear Jesus refer to His own body as the Temple. All of these readings invite us to consider what we mean by the term Church. We are aware that the buildings themselves are not as important as the People of God who gather there, in whom the Holy Spirit dwells and through whom God acts in the world, bringing living water to a thirsty world. Ultimately, the person of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church, and it is by abiding in Him that the Church is assured of its life and purpose.