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The Basilica of Saint John Lateran

La Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano

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The Basilica of Saint John Lateran is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Pope. While you are here, find the altar of the holy sacrifice: This altar contains a fragment of the table believed to have been used at the Last Supper. The Eucharist, which is celebrated at this altar, is central to the Christian experience of God’s forgiveness, as it recalls Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.

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For the one who seeks mercy at Saint John Lateran’s

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Prayer

Lord Jesus,
who stepped out of the splendor of heaven
to live and die for sinners like me,
hear my prayer.

My pilgrimage has led me here,
to the Mother of all Churches,
to see and step through its door
in this moment which you have made holy.

As I move through the masses,
move within me.
Reveal to me how this sanctuary,
with all its man-made beauty and grandeur,
is but a dim reflection of the glory
that fills your eternal kingdom.

You were there as the ground was formed;
the foundation of this sacred house.
You know every grain of soil
and every slab of stone.

I stand in wonder, now,
at the works you have done
through the labors of the faithful
who came before me.

Here, in my awe,
I catch a glimpse of the Blessed Mary.
I see her cradling You,
the innocent Lamb of Heaven.
What frailty there was in the form
You chose to take.

Not a conqueror,
not a warrior,
but One who depended upon
the tender love of His mother.

Seeing you there, I recognize my own frailty:
How greatly I need you, my great Provider;
How lost I would be without your direction;
How prone I am to wander outside of your will.

Yet you have promised:
No one can snatch me away from you.
I am held in your merciful arms
which spread wide on the cross to receive me.

I see you now.
The nails in your wrists,
the thorns on your head,
the agony in your eyes –
You endured it all for the joy set before you.

And I sense the invitation into that same joy
in the outstretched hand of the blessed Virgin Mary.
The door of mercy is open;
You are calling me in.

In your suffering,
You called me yours.
In your death,
You called me yours.
In your resurrection,
You call me yours.

Capturing my attention now is the place
where so many have reached out toward You:
The shine of your heel –
Which crushed the head of the serpent
and destroyed the power of hell and the grave.

And this I know,
and this I claim,
as I step through the threshold:

In my imperfections,
I am Yours.
In my brokenness,
I am Yours.
In my weakness,
I am Yours.

And that is enough.
Because You are enough.

You are Christ,
yesterday, today, and forever.

Amen.