The Dedication of the Local Church

Today we celebrated an unusual feast - the Dedication of the Local Church.  It's a diocesan feast which means it's celebrated only in our diocese of Down & Connor.  

The feast of the dedication of a church normally takes place on the anniversary of when a church was formally opened and dedicated by the bishop.  In Down & Connor, however, every church celebrates the feast together on October 23rd each year.  And it's the highest rank of feast as well - a solemnity.  At St Mary's on the Hill we celebrated morning Mass with all the trimmings - every candle was lit, the vestments were gold, and the chants and hymns were sung with gusto!   It might seem a little over the top, especially as it isn't even a particularly special anniversary for us (our church is 118 years old).  But the reason is that when we celebrate our church we are thinking of much more than just bricks and mortar.

When Jesus walked into the temple in Jerusalem he was upset to see God's holy place being used as a market place where pilgrims were swindled out of their money.  He picked up a cord to use as a whip and in a display of righteous indignation that caught everyone by surprise, he cast the marketeers and their produce out of the temple courtyard.  The authorities were shocked by his behaviour and challenged him to justify himself.  His answer was to say "destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days".

We can learn three things from this.  Firstly, that holy places are very important to God.  When his friends saw the reaction of Jesus to the temple being used to make money they were reminded of a phrase from the scriptures - "zeal for your house will devour me".  Jesus had great zeal and passion for God's house.  And that's why our own churches are so important.  They are holy places, consecrated to God.  At their original dedication they were blessed with holy water and anointed with the oil of chrism, almost like a baby being baptised.  When the Blessed Sacrament is placed in the tabernacle and the sanctuary lamp is lit we know that God is really present among us in that space.

Now of course, we Christians know that God is everywhere and that we can pray to him anywhere.  But it's to the church building that we are called together to celebrate the Eucharist and the sacraments.  And its the church that stands in our towns and cities, like a 'sermon in stone', announcing the word of God to others.  Here in Glengormley, St Mary's on the Hill can be seen from the Hightown bridge, along the Antrim line and from Tesco's car park.  It calls out to anyone who sees it that God is here if they are looking for him - and so often people who don't know God do come looking, and they find the church open, warm and welcoming.  

But there's something else.  When Jesus speaks about the zeal that will devour him he's not just thinking about the temple.  He means his zeal for souls.  He wants to draw people to himself so that they may enter the kingdom of heaven.  That's the second meaning of church - it is the people of God.  When we celebrate the church we celebrate our community, united with the other parishes in our diocese with our spiritual father Bishop Noel, and united with the church across the world under our holy father Pope Francis.  A church building doesn't do much good if it's not a place for God's people to praise and adore God, to seek his forgiveness and to pray for his people.

St Paul regularly makes this point.  He wrote to the Christians in Corinth:

"Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple."

To the Ephesians he wrote:

"You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit."

And there's a third meaning of church we celebrate today - Jesus himself.  Remember how in the temple Jesus said "destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up" ?  He was talking about himself.  Jesus was destroyed on the cross but he rose again on the third day.  Neither the church building or the people will mean anything without Jesus.  It is Jesus who gives his Body in the Eucharist which we adore in our church buildings.  It is Jesus who draws his people together so that we become the mystical Body of Christ.  It's Jesus who makes the Church.  How wonderful Jesus is to us!

So when we celebrate the Dedication of the Church, we're not just remembering an anniversary.  We are celebrating what it means to be the Church - the building where God is really present and can always be found, the people he draws to himself, and Jesus who is its head.  Light the candles, and get the gold vestments out!  Let the people sing out with joy!  May God be praised in his Church forever.