Antiphons at Lauds - Psalms of Sunday of the 1st week

1. My house shall be called a house of prayer.

2. Blessed are you, Lord, in your holy temple.

3. Praise the Lord in the gathering of his beloved.

Isaiah 56, 7

These I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

Dearly beloved, wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if you have indeed tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as to a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore it is also written in the Scripture:

"Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious: and whosoever believes, he shall not be confounded. To you therefore who believe, he is precious. But to them who are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and also a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them who stumble at the word, being disobedient. Whereto also they were appointed."

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. You, who in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God. You, who had not obtained mercy, but have now obtained mercy.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Having your conversation honest among the pagans, so that, if they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme, or to governors, as to them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Live as free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Honour all men. Love your brethren, fear God, honour the king.

Among the rich and splendid Roman basilicas where the ceremonies of Christian worship were celebrated in great pomp, after the era of persecution, there is one of first rank whose dedication is solemnized in this anniversary. The palace of the Lateran on the Coelian Hill belonged to Fausta, the wife of Constantine. The Emperor, after his conversion, gave it to the Pope as his private residence, and founded there the church of the Lateran which became the mother and mistress of all the churches of Rome and the world.

On the 9^th November, A.D. 324 Pope St Sylvester consecrated it under the name of Basilica of St Saviour. This was the first publi consecration of a church. A long time after; under Lucius II in the 12^th century, it was dedicated to St. John the Baptist, whose name had been given to the adjoining baptistry. Wherefore, nowadays, it has been given the title of St John Lateran.

In this basilica and the adjoining palace were held from the 4^th to the 16^th centuries, more than 25 councils, five of which were ecumenical. It is also a Station where Holy Orders were conferred, penitents were reconciled, catechumens were baptised on Easter Day and as neophytes they came there in procession during the whole octave.

At St John Lateran is inaugurated, on the first Sunday in Lent, the great liturgical season consecrated to penance; there is held the assembly on Palm Sunday, there are carried out the ceremonies of Maundy Thursday and Easter Eve and Mass is celebrated on Saturday in Albis and on the eve of Pentecost.

The church, which had been destroyed, was rebuilt and consecrated anew by Benedict XIII in 1726 and the yearly commemoration of this consecration was fixed as that of the first church on the 9^th November.

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