On November 9, the Catholic Church celebrates the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of Rome. Too often we think of the Church as merely a building, but it is a community of faith. As Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities of those with special needs, wrote in Community and Growth:
“A community — and especially a Christian one — will always be running against the tide of society, with its individualistic values of wealth and comfort and resulting rejection of the people who get in the way of these. A Christian community constantly calls its members to share, welcome, become poorer and go beyond their own resources to a truer love.”