Dedication of a Church

Today we remember the Dedication of St. Peter and St. Paul Churches in Rome. The first St. Peter's was built in the 4th century under the reign of Constantine. St. Paul's was also built in the same era. St. Peter's was replaced with the current church. It took 100 years to build and was dedicated on this day in 1625. St. Pauls had a devastating fire in 1823, and it had to be rebuilt and dedicated. The history of these buildings should remind us of the importance of the work of God's grace in our souls and in the Church. The amazing thing is that Our Lord passed the faith onto the apostles and today we strive to receive the faith, to live the faith, and to pass it on. The gift of mercy that Jesus entrusts to the Church must always be something alive and active. Jesus gives us the Church, his body, as the place in which we are nourished, and also as the place in which we are to be active in bringing others to the knowledge of Jesus.