(The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde during the Mass on the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran at St. Michael Church in Annandale for the parish's 50th anniversary celebration on Nov. 9, 2003.)
“My fellow Christians, today is the birthday of this church, an occasion for celebration and rejoicing.” I echo these words from a sermon preached by St. Caesarius of Arles (470-543 A.D.) as we assemble this day to celebrate a two-fold anniversary: the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome and the founding of this Parish of St. Michael in Annandale 50 years ago. Indeed, as we observe these two anniversaries, our joy is doubled!
Why do we celebrate the anniversary of the Lateran Basilica in Rome? Because this was the first Christian basilica in history and, therefore, the mother of every church building in the world; and because the basilica is the cathedral of the Pope, who is the Bishop of Rome and the Universal Pastor of the Church. An inscription which greets every pilgrim entering the Lateran Basilica proclaims the meaning and significance of that church: “The most holy church of the Lateran, the mother and head of all the churches of the city and of the world.” As members of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, we join one another in thanking God for the grace to belong to the Church which Christ founded and for His call to each of us to be holy.
Why do we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of this parish? To give thanks to God for the countless blessings given here these past 50 years, to recall more deeply who we are as members of the Church, and to recommit ourselves to living more faithfully as the Body of Christ made visible and tangible by this local expression of Church: the parish.
On this day of celebration and rejoicing, how can we not give thanks over and over again for the seed planted here in Annandale in 1953, the seed of the newly-established parish of St. Michael! This seed was planted and intended to grow in this particular place: Annandale, and among this particular people linked together by their Roman Catholic faith and tradition. Yes, how just and right, how fitting it is for us to give thanks to the Lord of the harvest who has guided the growth and directed the development of this parish these 50 years! Surely, we give thanks to our ancestors in the faith, some of whom are here with us, and to all those who have served here as priests, deacons and religious. To those who are still among us in this life, may the Lord give them every grace and blessing to remain faithful. To those who have gone ahead of us, marked by the sign of faith, may the Lord grant them fullness of life in His presence.
In your name and in mine, I thank the priests and deacons who are serving you so faithfully at the present time. In a particular way, we give thanks for the ministry of Msgr. Thomas P. Scannell, the founding pastor of this parish. A priest for 66 years, he served here for 33 years as your pastor with fidelity and dedication and his vision and energy has not only benefited this parish but our entire diocese as well. As we renew our gratitude to him, we ask the Good Shepherd to keep him close to His loving Heart.
On this day of celebration and rejoicing, we also recall who we are as members of the Church who form this parish community. Our Holy Father reminds us that the parish is where the Church locally finds its most immediate and visible expression. As parishioners, you make the Body of Christ, His Church present and tangible in Annandale. Today's Scripture readings help us to understand our calling to make the Church immediate and visible.
Water is a dominant image in today's first reading. Water is the outward sign in the Sacrament of Baptism and symbolizes new life. We became members of Christ's Body when we died to sin and rose to new life in the saving waters of Baptism. In that rebirth, each of us was called and continues to be called to holiness. An inscription in the baptistry attached to the Lateran Basilica puts this so beautifully: “Think not your sins too many or too great: birth in this stream is birth to holiness.”
Yes, we are called to be holy, to be like Christ, and, thereby, be His living Presence in the world " and for you who form this parish, in this local area. Indeed, as holy people, you and I are being built into the temple of God, with Jesus Christ as the foundation. St. Paul in today's second reading reminds us: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? … for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.”
As members of God's Temple and of Christ's Body, we must be eager to proclaim Jesus as Lord in all that we think, say and do. As we heard in today's Gospel, “zeal for your house will consume me.” Zeal must fuel and energize us in becoming heralds of the New Evangelization, especially in upholding and strengthening marriage and family, in defending and protecting human life from conception to natural death, in transforming our society into a civilization of love and respect for every human person. Yes, baptized into Christ Jesus and made members of His Body, we must be zealous that we grow in holiness and that we, in turn, invite others to become holy too, especially by the witness of our lives.
On this day of celebration and rejoicing, we recommit ourselves to living more faithfully as the Body of Christ made visible and tangible by this local expression of Church: this Parish of St. Michael in Annandale. Looking to Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church and to your patron St. Michael. I invite us all to renew our pledge to grow more into the image of Jesus and to witness to Him in daily life in all that we are and do. Through prayer and the sacraments, let Jesus be our daily Companion and Lord, so that we can truly be His living temple. I end as I began, by echoing St. Caesarius' sermon: “Just as you enter this church building, so God wishes to enter into your soul, for he promised: I shall live in them, and I shall walk the corridors of their hearts.” Amen.
