My computer is back in operation and I am happy to send you a daily message again today. Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of the consecration of the basilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral of the archdiocese of Rome and therefore the Pope’s own cathedral. And today, we celebrate one of the greatest of our Popes, Saint Leo the Great. Let us put these two celebrations together and consider them in our thought and our prayer.

For the first two centuries of the Church’s history, she was persecuted by the Roman Empire and had to operate in secret—in the catacombs of Rome and in hidden places elsewhere in the immense empire. It was impossible to build churches or any visible buildings that would attract the attention of the imperial police. Almost every Pope and Bishop during that time was captured and killed by the agents of the Caesars. Then, in the year 313, the emperor Constantine signed the Edict of Toleration, whereby all religions were permitted to operate freely in the empire. The church came up from underground, both literally and figuratively, and began to build impressive churches, monasteries, and other buildings to house her many works. The Laterani family gave to the Pope the property on which now stands the basilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral of Rome. Divine worship began there in the year 324—1685 years ago!

That’s a long time and a glorious history of prayer and liturgical sacrifice to the honor and glory of God. One of the most striking monuments in Rome is the statuary group located before Saint John Lateran. It depicts three Franciscan friars—Saint Francis of Assisi himself and two of his companions. They have come down to Rome from Assisi to ask the Pope’s blessing upon their new congregation of friars. As they catch sight of the Lateran basilica and residence where the Popes lived in those days—the church already nine hundred years old—Francis raises his hands in delight and greeting, his face suffused with the joy of seeing this heart of Christianity. The statuary group catches this happiness and reflects it beautifully. It’s a wonderful monument to faith, joy, gratitude, reverence. In our own place and time, we have similar feelings of joy and appreciation for our churches. We of New Orleans know the sorrow of losing so many of our parish churches to Hurricane Katrina, including the church where I received the first Sacraments: Our Lady of Good Counsel. Here, the people on the Bolivar peninsula are fighting to keep their church, Our Mother of Mercy, open after the destruction of Hurricane Ike. And recently in our liturgy we have read of the joy on the part of the Jews at the time of the Macchabean revolt which drove out the pagan Greeks and allowed the people of God to reconsecrate the Temple in Jerusalem. That happy occasion is still celebrated yearly in the feast of Hanukkah, near our Christmas time.

In the year 440, a Roman Pope named Leo—the Lion, named for Our Lord, the Lion of Juda—was elected. He combatted the external enemies of the Church—Huns and Vandals —and her internal enemies, those who taught false doctrines and tried to lead Christ’s flock into error. All of this shows us the great gifts of our faith, the truth of Christ, his Church, and the great institution of the Papacy. Let us be grateful for these gifts and the spiritual wealth that they bring to us and to the world. Thank you for seeking God’s truth. God bless you. Father Victor Brown, O.P.