Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Today we celebrate a feast in the Church that truly shows that the disciples came to believe the Scripture
and the word He had spoken, because we celebrate the feast of the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran
and indeed it is described, I believe it is even etched on the facade of the Church,
that it is the mother of all churches in this city that is in Rome and in the world
and indeed it is so because it is the see of the Bishop of Rome
and so it is the most important Basilica, it is the most important Cathedral in all of Christendom
for often we do not reflect that when the Vicar of Christ passes from this life,
as we have all had the experience to behold,
with the passing of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict as his replacement,
we often do not reflect that what constitutes him the Vicar of Christ
is the fact that he has elected the Bishop of Rome
and so it is that truly as St. Vincent Lorenz points out,
that we do not need to seek any further than to seek the Bishop of Rome
to find out the leader of the Church
and so this Church of St. John the Lateran,
whose land was given to the Church by Constantine the Emperor
and indeed we may clearly say that it was not bought with human price
but it was bought centuries earlier by the shedding of the blood of those blessed Apostles,
Peter and Paul,
and so Constantine would give the land on which this Church would be constructed,
it would be dedicated in honor of St. John the Baptist
and it is also known as the Church of the Savior
and so it is the most important Church in Christendom in one aspect
and in another aspect it is the most important Church in Christendom in all of Christendom
because it is there that the Bishop of Rome resides,
it is his see and so it is that the leader of the Church rules
through the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Indeed all liturgical changes that are made in the Church
are first posted on the doors of St. John Lateran
and that constitutes them universally binding upon all Christians
and this is very important for us to understand in this day and age
because essentially it is descent as it is liked to be called,
by the enemies,
but it is really simply a word to try to disguise the heresies that they are promulgating,
especially the heresy of modernism
and primarily that is always directed against the decrees and the teachings of the Vicar of Christ
because he and he alone of all men is preserved by the grace of the Holy Spirit
for making any error on faith and morals
and so he is the most important man living in the world
and the successor of St. Peter will always be the most important
man visible on this world until the end of time
and he cannot be replaced by any kings, by any presidents or by any other man.
He is and he always will be the most important person living in this world
and it is to him that all mankind must turn
if they are truly to work out their salvation in that fear and trembling,
if they are truly come to understand what our Lord is speaking of in today's Gospel,
that we are not here to forge an earthly kingdom,
but we are here to worship God in spirit and in truth
so that we may enter into the kingdom of God
and so we must turn constantly praying always for the Vicar of Christ
that he may hand on to us that most blessed of faith until the end of time
knowing full well that the errors of this day are directly related
to the disobedience of all people to the Vicar of Christ
for it is the teaching of the Church that all must submit in matters of faith and morals
to the Vicar of Christ.
To the Vicar of Christ and so when he suggests to certain nations
that they abandon certain practice,
it is simply not as it were a nice expression or a nice thing to ask.
It is incumbent upon that society to do so
precisely because the Vicar of Christ has told them to do so
and so it is not as it were the Church that needs the state,
but it is the state that needs the Church
and indeed every state that abandons the formation of the Church
now is the state that needs the Church.
and so it is not as it were the Church that needs the Church
necessarily is involved in its own destruction
and so we live in a world that is literally hell-bent on its own destruction
and this is precisely because of its disobedience to the Vicar of Christ
and so we must renew each and every moment of our lives
our filial obedience to the Vicar of Christ
trying to follow him in all matters of faith and morals
that he teaches us and that he asks us to do
and it is simply not permitted amongst Catholics
to even disregard the Vicar of Christ
to even disregard the Vicar of Christ
demands in regards of discipline
that is, those things he makes incumbent upon members of the Church
during the time of his reign
that are essentially matters of discipline
it is certainly temerous to think that a Catholic
can disregard these matters
and indeed that is behind what has wrecked the liturgy of the Church
in so many corners of the world.
It is not because the Vicar of Christ approves of the wreck
but it is because those disobedient theologians
those disobedient lay people
and all those disobedient members of the mystical body
refuse to submit their mind and their hearts
to the formation of the Vicar of Christ
and so they risk losing their holy Catholic faith
they risk losing the virtue of hope
and the virtues of charity
and indeed when we do so
we risk losing our own souls
and indeed we can see this reflected
in the modern attempt to try to blame everything upon someone else
indeed there is recent statistics that show
that the practitioners of that vice of Sodom
are always, as it were, more subject to drug addiction
more subject to suicide
and of course the modern psychologists
because they do not have the psychology of that blessed Apostle Peter
always are willing to blame the parents
or the friends or whoever else is in their life
they cannot possibly think, as the Vicar of Christ teaches
that it is the very practice of that vice
so contrary to nature
and indeed opposed to nature
that is the cause of death.
That is the cause of those afflictions
it has nothing to do
with the lack of charity upon the part of others
of course
that is not a good thing
but it is primarily not the cause
of all the troubles
that practitioners of that vice
or any vice are afflicted with
the greedy, that is
the modern leaders of this world
are also afflicted by the same blindness
because they cannot see past
the dollar bill that they crave so much
they cannot see past
all the things of this world
that they wish and they desire
and they cannot see past all the things of this world that they wish and they desire
and they cannot do so
because they refuse to give
they refuse to give
filial submission
to the Vicar of Christ
and his demand
that all must come to know, love
and serve Jesus Christ
through the Holy Mother Church
and so
she is more important to society
than society herself
and indeed
no society can be held together
without the teachings of that blessed Apostle Peter
and his successes until the end of time
and every society that
fails to follow the teachings
of the Vicar of Christ
will crumble as they have crumbled in the past
pagan Rome disappeared
and all disobedient societies
who remained disobedient to the Vicar of Christ
were afflicted by wars
we need only look at the Protestant Reformation
and the constant warfare
that mankind has been engaged in
since that Reformation took place
indeed the case can be made
there has not been really a single moment
in which this world has any
has had any peace
in the world
and that lack of peace
can be related directly
to disobedience to the Vicar of Christ
and indeed
the fact that we have
the modern
the Mohammedan
affliction rising up again
and spreading its errors and its violence to the world
can also be directly related
to those Crusaders
who did not follow the command of the Vicar of Christ
that they were not to go to the Holy Land
in order to carve out a kingdom to themselves
but they will go in order to conquer it back
for the Kingdom of Christ
to re-secure for Holy Mother Church
those holy places in which the Lord lived
and so it was
that while they were two miles away
from literally defeating the Mohammedan affliction
that Mohammedan curse for all time
that is they were two miles away
from taking the road at Damascus
that would have severed the head from the body
and ultimately caused that false religion
to wither and fade
they were not permitted to do so
by Divine Providence because
they were disobedient to the Vicar of Christ
and they put their minds and their hearts
not all, not even many
but enough in order that God
would not allow to be brought about
that final conquest of the Christian forces
so that true peace could be restored in this world
and so the ancient French prophecy
is as true today
as it was when it was said
when it was first uttered
he who eats the Pope dies
he either dies literally physically in the body
or spiritually
in the soul
and that is a much more dangerous death
and that is the death
that the Vicar of Christ works constantly
day and night
until he is called
to that life of eternity
God please
that he works constantly
to prevent the death of the soul
and so he is constantly feeding human society
not with his own teachings
but with the very teachings of Jesus Christ
whom this day
we truly honor and glorify
in showing our filial obedience
to the Vicar of Christ
to the Vicar of Christ
and so let us constantly strive
especially in these times of affliction
in these times when the temptation
to leave Holy Mother Church
is so great
for all that the world offers
let us remember
that the world contains
the world can offer us many things
indeed it can offer us everything
save one thing
and that one thing
is the most important thing
and that thing
is only offered through Holy Mother Church
that is
our eternal salvation
and that is
in the fountains of grace
to which she is the guardian
and dispenser of
the sacraments
which are the means
of our salvation
and so
this Basilica
in honor of St. John Lateran
is most important
in Christendom
and it should be most important
in the heart of everyone
who professes
to love and serve Jesus Christ
and we can only prove
our love and service of Jesus Christ
through filial devotion
to the Bishop of Rome
this is a truth
that was so dear
to the heart of Christ
of Francis
and indeed
it was Pope Innocent III
while he was in prayer
at the Basilica of St. John the Lateran
who had a vision
of a poor man coming to him
who would lift up
a broken and fallen church
and so it was shortly
after he had this prophetic vision
that St. Francis
and his first companions
came to the Vicar of Christ
in order to ask permission
to live the life
St. Francis
felt inspired to live
and so
that life
was not simply the product
of St. Francis'
vivid imagination
as some would assert
that life was not the product
of some romantic view
of a renaissance hippie
as it were
but that permission
to live that life
was granted to him
by the Vicar of Christ himself
and so
it is an authentic life
in the life of the Church
and indeed
its primary plank
is incumbent upon all Christians
for all Christians
must be poor in this life
in order to be rich
in the life to come
and so
we must be willing
to give up everything
if we wish to possess
the most important of things
to possess
that is
our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ
for all eternity
and so
let us especially
have no more romantic view
of who St. Francis was
or anyone
who showed filial devotion
to the Vicar of Christ
for St. Francis
was described
properly by St. Bonaventure
as a thoroughly Catholic
and apostolic man
and he shows that
very clearly
by the very first plank
in his rule of life
for the basis
of the whole rule of life
is filial devotion
to St. Francis
and to all the lawfully
canonically elected
successes of St. Peter
until the end of time
and so it is
that the life of St. Francis
is none other
than a life of submission
to the Vicar of Christ
and all that he holds out
in matters of faith and moral
and St. Francis knew
that if we live this life
then our salvation
is assured
and so
that message is as true
for all the followers
of the Pavarello
as it is
for all the members
of the mystical body
if they show themselves
filially devoted
to the Vicar of Christ
living out all the precepts
that he hands
trying to succeed
in all that he asked
the members of the mystical body
to do
then that path to salvation
is very easy
that is the marvel
of St. Francis
and all the saints
they recognize very clearly
as St. Francis
St. Maximilian Mary Colby said
it is more difficult
to lose your soul
than to save your soul
because in order to lose it
you have to constantly kick
against the means
that God has established
and primarily
the Vicar of Christ
who tells us the meaning
of the sacraments
who tells us the meaning
of the doctrines of the church
who tells us the meaning
of scripture
and so it is
without him
we would simply be wandering about
as our Protestant brethren do
looking as it were
for something
that we cannot
find
because
that something
is already here
and so
people must stop looking
for that happiness
for that happiness
lies right in front of them
as soon as they get down
like a true child
and give honor to God
for the way
and the means
he has established
his church
and the fact
that he has put one man
over that church
until the end of time
for his greater glory
and for the salvation
of all souls
and so
let us honor this day
St. Peter
and all his people
and all his successors
by our prayers
and most especially
by our obedience to them
in all matters of faith
and morals
knowing full well
that to do so
is our salvation
and that our salvation
is what we must truly strive for
and what we must hope
that all souls come to know
so that they come to know
the paternal care
of the vicar of Christ
in this life
so that they may come to know
the paternal care
of God the Father
for all eternity
in the life to come
Alleluia