Assisi

Today is my last day in Rome.  The first three months of the sabbatical are now finished.  In December I will be with my family in Minnesota.  In January and February I will head to Mexico to improve my Spanish language skills.  So I would like to end this  portion of the blog with a reflection of my week in Assisi.


Cross of San Damiano



 This is a very peaceful place.  After arrival, I walked down the hill to the church of San Damiano.  This church was in physical ruin when St. Francis went there to pray.  Sitting in front of the cross, he heard Jesus say to him, "Rebuild my church for it is in ruins."  St. Francis took this literally and began to rebuild this little church.  One of the things I never knew was that Francis took money from his father without permission to accomplish this task.  This is what led to the confrontation in front of the Bishop.  During this confrontation, Francis strips naked and gives everything to his father and declares he now has one father, the Father in heaven.

Later Francis gives this church to St. Clare and her followers.  Here I visited the place where Clare died, ate, and lived.  Since my birthday is August 11, it was a wonderful place to begin my retreat.  If you do not know, that is the day Clare died and is her feast day on the religious calendar.

The next day I we had Mass in the church of St. Chiara (St. Clare).  This where she is now buried. Later on they moved the covenant inside the city walls for defense.  Also, the chapel in which we offered Mass happened to be where the actually cross Francis prayed in front of and which spoke to him hangs.  I prayed here everyday.  I prayed for all I know who are sick and I prayed for all my woman Franciscan friends.

In the afternoon, I journeyed to the lower church by foot.  This is the church of St. Maria degli Angeli which surrounds the Portiuncula.  This is where Francis lived and died.  The church inside the church was also built by him, but was a gift from the Benedictines.  So, of course, I prayed for all my Benedictine friends, both men and women. 

Wednesday we had Mass at the church of Chiesa Nuova which is built over his family home and his father's business.  This is a very quaint church.  The Franciscan who is the sacristan is 94 years old.  That afternoon I wondered all over the city enjoying many churches.  Of course, I spent time in the Basilicia where the body of St. Francis rests.



Cave area



Thursday we had Mass at the cathedral of St. Ruffino.  This is a martyr before the time of St. Francis.  In this church is a beautiful display of original  paintings of John  Paul II beginning as a young pope and ending with then Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) hold the cross for the Pope to kiss on Good Friday.  This a very moving display. 



Statue of St. Stephen



In the afternoon, I journeyed by taxi to the caves where Francis and brothers often spent there days in prayer and fasting.  It was raining, but it was here that I carried my prayer lists and remember everyone.  I loved this area.  I hope the Lord will allow me to return when it is not raining.  Still it was a meditative afternoon. I concluded the afternoon praying in a little church dedicated to St. Stephen the martyr, my name sake.  This church has not been remodeled in any significant way since the time of St. Francis.  It is a wonderful, quiet place for prayer.  That evening many of us attended a musical about the life of St. Clare.  It was fabulous!!!



Tomb of St. Francis of Assisi



The final morning we had Mass in front of the tomb of St. Francis.  What can I say?  The holiness of the place overwhelms me.  I dedicated this Mass to peace in the world including the hearts of each of us.  The spiritual insights were many.  Yet, the largest is God loves us and the little acts of love we return is great gift.  Joy is in simplicity!

Thank you for walking with me through my three months in Rome and the Holy Land.  Stay tuned for whatever is next!  Peace!!!!

Pope Benedict's Encyclicals

My Roman Look

Today was the last day of formal class for the Roman part of my sabbatical.  Our last class was on bio-ethics and I might write more about that later.  On Monday the class travels to Assisi for a week retreat.  You will have to wait to know more about that since I will not take my computer with me.

One of my goals of this sabbatical was to catch up on some spiritual and theological reading.  I managed to read all three encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI.  I was delightfully surprised by them.  Now this is a matter of opinion, but I found the encyclicals of Pope John Paul II to be hard to read and very long.  JP II followed a very traditional formate:  first scripture, then church teaching, then new concepts.  Benedict takes you on an intellectual journey.  He begins with common questions people might have and tries to address them.  They are very readable and only the third one is rather long.  Also, the topics are inspiring.  My respect for him as our Pope as certainly increased.

The first encyclical is Deus Caritas Est or God is Love.  It is a very simple, but not simplistic, statement on the importance of love and how to understand God's love for us.  He focuses very much on the God of Love and also reminds us that as we love God, so too, are we to love our neighbor.  Here are just two quotes that I like. 

"Love of neighbor is thus shown to be possible in the way proclaimed by the bible, by Jesus.  It consists in the very fact that, in God and with God, I love even the person whom I do not like or even know." Paragraph #18

"Love of neighbor, grounded in the love of God, is first and foremost a responsiblity for each individual member of the faithful, but it is also a responsibility for the entire ecclesial community at every level: from the local community to the particular Church and to the Church universal in its entirety." Paragraph #20

Both of these paragraphs remind us that we are to love everyone and this love involves individuals, parishes, diocese and everyone.  No exceptions.  We even have to love those we do not like or who consider enemies.  We can do this because God loves us.  At times it might be hard to love ourself because we know how messed up we are, yet, God knows that too and still loves us.  So, we then, should do the same with others.  Love means trying to understand and help regardless if the other is "worthy" of it or not.

His second encyclical is Spe Salvi, "Saved in Hope".  This is the second virture following love.  It is a wonderful reflection on how hope, faith and love are connected.  It points out where we can place our true hope and helps us become more hopeful in our daily lives.  Again here are samples of this inspiring document:

"A first essential setting for learning hope is prayer.  When no one listens to me any more, God still listens to me.  When I can no longer talk to anyone or call upon anyone, I can always talk to God.  When there is no longer anyone to help me deal with a need or expectation that goes beyond the human capacity for hope, he can help me." (Paragraph #32)

"It is, however, hope--not yet fulfilment; hope that gives us the courage to place ourselves on the side of good even in seemingly hopeless situations, aware that, as far as the external course of history is concerned, the power of sin will continue to be a terrible presence." (Paragraph #36)

"The true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffereing and to the sufferer.  This holds true both for the individual and for society. ... Yet society cannot accept its suffering members and support them in their trials unless individuals are capable of doing so themselves; moreover, the individual cannot accept another's suffering unless he personally is able to find meaning in suffering, a path of purification and growth in maturity, a journey of hope." (paragraph #38)

"No one is saved alone.  the lives of other continually spill over into mine: in what I think, say, do and achieve.  And conversely, my life spills over into that of others: for better and for worse. ... It is never too late to touch the heart of another, no is it ever in vain. ... As Christians we should never limit ourselves to asking: how can I save myself?  We should also ask: what can I do in order that others may be saved and that for them too the star of hope may rise?" (Paragraph #48)

These passages deal with prayer, community, suffering and unity.  Our Hope is in the Lord and the Lord fills us with His Spirit, thus we are strengthened and give hope to one another when we stay united on behalf of others suffering.  Not so hard to understand, but so difficult, at times, to accomplish.

The last encyclical of Pope Benedict, Caritas en Veritate, Charity in Truth was released June 29, 2009 at the conclucion of the year of Paul.  This letter is addressing the economic and social realities of today.  It is in honor of the annversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical "Populorum Progressio" or on human development.  This one is very challenging to the current state of political and economic life in the United States and Europe.  Some of its content might surprise some Catholics and possibly even anger them.  Yet, the principles of this letter are very necessary for our world today.  At 118 pages in my copy, it is by far the longest of his letters.  The topics as listed in the table of contents are: Human Development in Our Time, Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society, The Development of People, Rights and Duties, The Environment, The cooperation of the Human Family and the Development of Peoples and Technology.  It has a lot of moral implications for society in the areas of business, economics, and politics.

Here are some statements that I appreciated, but it is better to read to whole document to gain the context of the challenge Pope Benedict is giving us.

"Love---caritas----is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for couragious and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace." #1

"Love in truth---caritas in veritate---is a great challenge for the Church in a world that is becoming porgressively and pervasively globalized.  The risk for our time is that the de facto interdependence of people and nations is not matched by ethical interaction or consciences and minds that would give rise to truly human development."  #9

"Thus, every economic decision has moral consequence." #37

"Today's international capital market offers great freedom of action.  Yet there is also increasing awareness of the need for greater social responsiblity on the part of business. ... there is nevertheless a growing conviction that business management cannot concern itself only with the interests of the proprietors, but must also assume responsiblity for all the other stakeholders who contribute to the life of business: the workers, the clients, the suppliers of various elements of production, the community of reference." #40

"The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly--not any ethics whatsoever, but an ethics which is people-centered." #45

"The way humanity treats the environment influences the way it treats itself, and vice versa. ... Our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others. " #51

"The development of people depends, above all, on a recongnition that the human race is a single family working together in true communion, not simply a group of subjects who happen to live side by side." #53

"Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance. #62

"While reflecting on the theme of work, it is appropriate to recall how important it is that labor unions---which have always been encouraged and supported by the Church--should be open to the new perspectives that are emerging in the world of work." #64

"God gives us the strength to fight and suffer for love of the common good, because his is our All, our greatest hope." #78

I hope these statements wet your appetite to read more on these encyclicals.  My bias is certainly evident.  Yet, this too has been the fruit of my learning.  Afterall, I have been living right next door to the Pope for the last three months.

Visit to the Shrine of Padre Pio



Tomb of Blessed Pope  Pius IX



Today I visited the church of St. Lawrence, who was a deacon and one of the early martyrs of Rome.  Along with his relics are the relics of St. Stephen, the first martyr and my name sake.  Also Blessed Pope Pius IX rests there.





Look down to the clouds at Monte Sant'Angelo



Yet, last weekend, I was able to travel to the shrine of Padre Pio and the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel.  It was a very deep and spiritual experience.  The Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel is located in a cave on top of a mountain.  There are several stories of apparition (visits of the angel) associated here.  Yet, the most significant is when Pope Gelasius 1 (492-496) went to consecrate the grotto, eagles flew above the bishops protecting them from the sun.  Then when they arrived there was a primitive altar already in place.  Some declare that the very footprints of the angel St. Michael were visible.  Whatever the truth behind such legends, the fact is that the grotto is the only place of worship not consecrated by human hands because it is believed the angel already blessed the site.



This cave was important to Padre Pio as well.  Padre Pio had a vision of the angel Michael who encouraged him to protect other from evil.  Others who visited before and after Padre Pio include Popes like Gelasius I, St. Leo IX, Urban II, Alexander III, Gregory X, Saint Celestine V, John XXIII when a cardinal and John Paul II.  Among the saints are Anselm, Bernard of Clairvaux, William of Vercelli, Francis of Assisi, Bridget of Sweden, Bonaventure of Pisa, Alphonsus Liguori, Gerard Medulla and, of course, Padre Pio.  So there is a very ancient tradition here.  I do not have pictures, since they were not allowed.  I offered Mass along with Fr. Santos in the cave chapel.



Tomb of Padre Pio





Later that day we traveled to the Shrine of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina.  Even after the visit, I do not profess great knowledge of his life.  Yet, as a young boy he desired to be a Capuchian Friar.  At age 24, as a friar, he received the stigmata.  Imagine living with the suffering of the loss of blood everyday from your hands and feet.  Yet, his holiness is not so much in this unique joining to Christ.  His holiness was in the way he prayed, offered Mass and heard confessions.  He would listen for hours every day.  Actually people had to receive tickets and wait in line for this holy saint to hear their confessions.  What adds to this is that he only died in 1968, so there are many living witnesses to his holiness.  It might be easy to doubt all the visions and other miraculous episodes of his life, but their are those who remember.  (The picture above shows people in line to touch the tomb of Padre Pio.  There is an openning for one to do so.  I did so twice!-Saturday and Sunday).





Personally, the whole time was a beautiful place to pray.  After visiting the churches, walking the way of the cross and spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, my companion and I left.  Fr. Santos informed me that we were there over three hours and that it was past lunch.  I could not believe that so much time passed and I was not at all hungry when I left.  There was no great revelations or insights as a result of this visit.  Yet, I prayed for many folks, including all of our students.  The most interesting thing for myself, is how often I was drawn to pray the Glenmary Home Mission prayer.  The lines that seemed to echo in my heart of this prayer were:  "founded your Church in the Blood of Sacrifice",  "Raise up holy and zealous apostles ... to souls thirsting for the truth" and "send shepherds to lead them into your one true fold."  I do not know if Padre Pio is inviting me or Glenmary into a deeper sacrifice for the home mission effort.  What I do know, it was easy to pray here and my prayer was directed to the Home Mission  Prayer of our founder, Fr. William Howard Bishop, over and over again.



After Offering Mass in the Shrine of Padre Pio



On Sunday Morning we returned to the shrine and were able to offer Mass in the original church where the confessional of Padre Pio is displayed behind glass and the altar where he offered daily Mass is also there.  It was a deep blessing for me. 

May the Lord continue to raise up saints in our own day and increase the practice of the sacrament of penance among all believers.  May the good Lord, through the intercession of Padre Pio, help all priest to hear confessions with the compassion of Christ bringing healing and forgiveness to all who seek it.



Praying in front of this cross, Padre Pio at age 24 recieved the stigmata



Holy Land Pictures



Inside the house of Peter's Primacy (You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: MT 16:18)



Mosaic of Pope Paul VI who visited this site


 Sharing the Holy Land journey has been a delight.  I have over three hundred pictures, so I cannot possible share it all.  Here are some radom photos.  Some are inspirations of holiness and a few are a smattering of humor. Enjoy today's photoblog.



Enjoying my Peter's fish, head included!!





Inside the Church of Lazarus in the West Bank



Inside the Church of the Beatitudes



Fishing boat from the time of Christ found in the Sea of Galilee







Russion Orthodox church dedicated to Mary Magdalene



Just a little camel ride



Statue of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth





Inside the Church built over the house of Zechariah



Elvis Cafe in Israel



Our last meal in the Holy Land connected to Graceland.



Jerusalem

Jerusalem, the Holy City, the city where Christ died and rose.



Fr. Phil inside the cave




 



The last four days of our Holy Land pilgrimage was in Jerusalem and the surrounding area.  The visit to Bethlehem which is under West Bank territory is always powerful.  This is one of the few early churches or shrines that the Muslims left alone.  It was not destroyed, praise God.  Here I prayed over the spot where Jesus was born.  Earlier we had visited the Shepherd's field where we were able to pray in a small cave dedicated to the Angel's visiting the shepherds while they kept watch.  This peace which I experienced here is still needed in the world, especially in the world of our tiny hearts. 



Fresco inside the small church







 Another day we walked the way of the cross.  This is unique in that we pass through the market place where everybody is shopping.  We are just part of the crowd even through we are following the Lord's journey to Calvary.  That is no different than our walk every day.  We march along in the business of life. Our friends, neighbors and associates are doing their thing right next to us.  In the midst of all this, Christ is carrying our burdens and bearing the weight of our sins. In the midst of it we are trying to follow the Lord. The final stations of the way of the cross end inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Here one can pray over the rock on which he was crucified, see the chapel dedicated to St. Helena where she found the wood of the cross, or go inside the tomb from which He rose.  It is an incredible experience to be near so much of the last days of Christ.  I pray that more will understand the depth of His suffering and thus, know the depth of His love and mercy for us.



VII Station, Jesus falls a second time





Overlooking Jersulem, Jesus wept.



Among other sites we visited were the garden of Gethsemane, the hillside of where he cried over Jerusalem and upper room.  Yet, the site where I was most moved happened to be the church of St. Peter of Gallicantu.   Maybe it was because there were no big crowds or maybe it was because here Jesus spent the lonely night in chains and in jail while his closest friends were denying him.  During the Mass here one of the powerful events was to hear the roster (the cock) crow.  It was a conscience reminder of the weakness of our faith and Lord's power of forgiveness.



My fellow priest pilgrims in the church of St. Peter of Gallicantu





There is no way, this reflection covers all the sites, sounds and movements of the Spirit experienced.  Yet, maybe it will give you a glimpse.  My last blog on the Holy Land will include a series of pictures and very little text.  Maybe they will provide prayer and peace for you. 

Land outside Jerusalem

The first half of the Holy Land journey was around the Sea of Galilee.  It included the towns of Nazareth and Capernaum with the Holy sites surrounding them.







Inside the Church of the Annunciation



Enter to Joseph's Workshop



 Nazareth hosts the church of the Annunciation where it is built over the spot they say Mary lived.  The church is very modern and contains images of Mary donated by many countries.  Unfortunately, the image by the United States was not my favorite.  Next door is a small church dedicated to the workshop of St. Joseph.  In all of Israel it is the only church dedicated to St. Joseph.  That was a great surprise.  Here I prayed for all of our Glenmary Brothers who celebrate in a special way, St. Joseph the Worker.  I also prayed for the protectors of children in any capacity.







Remains of House of St. Peter in Capernaum



The next day I had the privileged to celebrate Mass at Capernaum in the church of St. Peter built above the home of his mother-in-law.  The archaeological evidence is pretty clear that this is the house and here Jesus lived for about three years.  This alone is enough to give one goosebumps.  Yet, I take great courage from Peter as a Christian.  He was very passionate.  Sometimes he was humble, honest, and contrite.  Other times he was boastful and bold.  Yet he failed the moment of his biggest test when he denied our Lord.  Our Lord forgave him and he became our first Pope and martyred here in Rome.  So us bumbling souls in pursuit of Christ should not abandon hope when we fail our Lord by falling in sin or being inconsistent in our practice.  Like Peter the Lord is redeeming us every day and will bring us to eternal life.

One of the highlights of my time in this area was the visit to Mt. Tabor.  In my backpack I carried the names of the parishioners of St. John and Elizabeth Catholic Church, Grayson, KY, the Glenmary directory with the names of all our students, members, co-workers and employees.  I also carried the list of all the people I promised to pray for in this pack.  My prayer was to carry these to the Lord at Mt. Tabor where Jesus was transfigured while speaking with Moses and Elijah.  So I hiked the three mile walk all up the mountain.  It was not an easy walk, but I felt every step was the same step Peter, James and John took as they followed  Jesus and witnessed his transfiguration.  I even brought the T-shirt to remember the Lord has heard the prayers of the many I love and beyond.  We are all transformed by His great Love. How good it is that we are here.


Priests of the Holy Land Pilgrimage





Multiplication of the bread for the 5000



We also visited the two spots of the multiplication of loaves, where Jesus feed the five thousand and where Jesus feed the four thousand.  The feeding of the five thousand is honored by a beautiful church with the famous mosaic of the the two fish and basket with four loaves that one sees in art around the Holy Land.  The site of the four thousand is only marked by a rock.  Even here in the center of Christ's miracles we can become lazy and forget all He has done for us.  His miracles can remain hidden.



Multiplication of the bread for the 4000



During these days around the Sea of Galilee where most of Jesus's public ministry occurred, we lodged at the hotel located on Mt. Beatitudes.  Every morning, I was able to sit out quietly on the mountain top and overlook the sea of Galilee and pray.  Blessed are the poor, the sick, the meek and the peacemakers.  Blessed are we who have seen and know our Lord.

Water

The middle of the Jordon River

The importance of water, especially, the Jordon River, became very clear during my visit to the Holy Land.  First, of all, I discovered that part of the problem of achieving peace is the water source.  The Jordon River is the main source of water for Israel and some of the surrounding areas.  Golan Heights contain the source of the Jordon, thus if they are returned to Syria, Syria controls the water.  Also, since they are draining the water from the Jordon River to make Israel green, both the sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are reclining in size.  Thus, finding new solutions for the water source for Israel will help lead towards peace with its neighbor.

The Source of the River Jordon by Tel Dan



Some one being baptized in the Jordon

 Spiritually, of course, the Jordon River is very important.  Here is where John baptized.  It was here that Joshua crossed into the promised land.  Here is where Elijah passed on the mantel to Elisha.  Here is where Jesus was baptized and then wandered into the desert.  Such a small river, but it flows with great biblical significance.

Rock in the Sea of Galilee

Also the sea of Galilee is where so much of the ministry of Jesus took place.  I took a boat ride across the sea of Galilee, which really is very small and more of a lake than a sea.  Yet, here Jesus called Peter and Andrew to discipleship.  Jesus walked on the water and Peter tried and failed.  The storm shook and Jesus calmed the sea. Jesus was in control of this lake.  Jesus is control of our lives if we let him.  He can calm our storms, increase our catch, and save us from our fears.  This little body of water is a place of great spiritual reflection and grace.

The Dead Sea (I am not visible)

Finally, I include a picture of the dead sea.  Nothing lives here, nothing can.  Also, it is the lowest point by altitude in all the planet.  So I have hit bottom and got up.  Not bad, huh?  You do really float and it is amazing.  Matter of fact, it was hard to put my feet down once I wanted to leave.  So in the midst of this deep spiritual journey, I did take time for some fun.  That too, is something for us all to remember.  Never get so bogged down in life that you forget to enjoy the beauty of it.  It is okay to float on God's love when the opportunity presents itself.

Back from the Holy Land



Star to mark the spot where Christ was born in Bethlehem



steps from the time of Christ, believed to be the actually steps he walked

 I feel alive and full of the Holy Spirit.  I have walked once again in the footsteps of our Lord.  I have prayed along the sea of Galilee, touched the spot of his birth, journeyed to the garden of Gethsemane, prayed over the spot of crucifixion and celebrated Mass where he was laided in the tomb and rose on the third day.  I entered the upper room where the first Eucharist was celebrated and Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit, blew in.  I even spent a few moments at the site of Emmaus for some final quiet prayer before our journey home.  Over the next few days, I hope to unfold these events bit by bit.  You, my faithful reader, might find grace in this, but for me, it will also help gain deeper understanding to this blessed event.









Pope Benedict XVI upon leaving the Papal Mass

 Yesterday, too, was a grace.  Upon my return, I was one of the priests to distribute communion at the Papal Mass which was held for the closing of the Synod on the Middle East.  Having just returned from Israel and the West Bank, it seemed a fitting conclusion.  I was only three rows away from the Holy Father during the consecration of the Holy Eucharist.  Then after distributing communion, us priests were ushered to another part of the church.  Thus, as the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI left the church, I could have reached out at touched him. 

Thus, I return renewed with many spiritual blessings which hopefully will help me be a better priest and a better Christian.  May Jesus Christ be praised now and forever!!

Another Church, another teacher

Today we were taught by Fr. Giertych, OP, who just happens to be the theologian of the  Papal Household.  His responsibilities are to read all the speeches of Pope Benedict XVI to assure that they are theologically without error.  He taught us on moral theology and it was a wonderful review of Thomas Aquinas.  The one thing I found most helpful was how much St. Thomas believed in the grace of the Holy Spirit.  Also, the reminder that spirit of Christ saves any one who responds to this grace, even if they do not know it.  Thus, a good Hindu or other person who does not recognize Christ but follows the grace of God is saved by Jesus Christ.  There is room in heaven for many, if not all.


Outside of the Basilica of St. Mary Major


The day before we had a tour of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.  This completes our tours of the four major Basilicas.  Mass was celebrated by a priest with a special vocation story related to the Basilica.  He was a medical doctor but was contemplating a vocation to the priesthood.  So he took a trip to Rome to pray and attended a Papal Mass of John Paul II in this very church.  During the exist procession, John Paul blessed the folks, but then paused and looked  him in the eye just for a moment longer.  For this priest, it was a moment of affirmation that he needed to change vocations and become a priest.


Inside this container is the wood from the manager of Jesus


Later we had a tour by Monsignor McInerny, one of the canonist of the church.  He explained the history of the church and took us places within the church that few visitors see, including the Borghese crypt where two Popes are buried.  Yet, the highlight of the visit was praying before the wood of the manager where Christ was born.  I do not care who believes in these relics or not; it does not even matter if it is the holy relic, but I do believe it is, either way, the focus of prayer before the manager humbles one to love God more. Just think the One who is all powerful, who died for our sins, who rose from the dead, who sends His Spirit upon us was born in a humble place, in the wood for feeding animals of poor parents who were far from home.  The depth of God's love for us is extreme.  Praise be to God.

Tomb of Pope Paul V, a Borghese

I will be leaving for the Holy Land on Friday so I will not be blogging until my return sometime around October 24th.

Peace and prayers until then.

Three Masses



Courtyard of St. Paul's Outside the Wall

 In four days, I attended three Masses with special meaning.  Thursday 30 seminarians from the North American College were ordained transitional deacons in St. Peter's.  This was a very powerful Mass to concelebrate.  I was fortunate to sit three rows back under the throne of Peter next to the altar.  The men were very emotional as they received this sacrament in the midst of this center of our faith.  The Bishop did a terrific job and gave a powerful homily.  The main idea was that these men were being ordained into service for the people of God and wonderful opportunities to share Christ awaits them.

Friday I actually attended two Masses.  In the morning we held Mass in St. Paul Outside the Walls, which rests on the spot of St. Paul's burial.  In particular the Mass was in the chapel were St. Ignatius and his first group of missioners took their professions.  Thus the birth of the Jesuits began here.  Also as a missioner, the Basilica seemed very important to me.  It was destroyed twice and rebuilt each time.  Yet to pray over the tomb of St. Paul gives me hope and courage for the next steps ahead.  Kind of like our lives, we may blunder or be plundered, but through the power of Christ's resurrection and forgiveness we can be rebuilt in glory.


Ancient Statue of St. Paul in the side chapel



In the afternoon I attended the first deacon Mass of one of the newly ordained in the church of Gesu, the Jesuit church were Ignatius of Loyola is buried.  Also the Mass was said at the altar of the relic of St. Francis Xavier the great missioner to India.  He too is one of the Patrons of Glenmary. The missionary spirit continues to flow in my veins.

Then this morning, Sunday, I attended the Papal Mass.  It is the first time I was present when any Pope offered Mass.  Pope Benedict XVI opened the Mass for the Conference on the Middle East.  In the Mass program it states:  "The Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops has a two fold goal: to confirm and strengthen Christians in their identity through the Word of God and the sacraments and to deepen ecclesial communion among the particular Churches, so that they can bear witness to the Christan life in an authentic and joyful and winsome manner." All the Christian Churches of the Middle East are represented.  During the Mass prayers were offered in English, Latin, Italian, Arabic, Turkish, Farsi, and Hebrew, just to name a few.  It was a very prayerful and powerful experience. 



Pope Benedict XVI offering Mass

 I will attend the closing Mass of the synod on October 24 where I will also be one of the priests to distribute communion.  My time here in Rome is certainly a time to reconnect with the universal church, renew my priesthood, and pray for those in need.  I pray the many blessings I am receiving may flow to you in this simple journal.  May our world soon live in the true peace of Jesus Christ.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta Remembered

Monday afternoon I took a stroll through the Vatican Plaza just to take care of a few errands.  How cool is that?  Here I am doing a few small errands in front of the home of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict and walking on the place where St. Peter was crucified.  All around are people of every nation seeking to deepen their faith by visiting this holy place.  Of course, some might just be tourist.  Yet, I doubt any can leave the square of St. Peter's without being changed spiritually to some degree.

After this I went to a small place that is holding an exhibit of Mother Teresa of Calcutta's things in honor of what would have been her 100th birthday.  Now, do not quote me on that, because it might have been for another reason -- there was nothing to tell me why.  Yet, that is what another visitor told me.

This was a very deeply spiritual visit.  They had posters around the walls explaining her journey from childhood to religious life to founding the community of the Sisters of Charity.  She had three visions from God which she kept quiet about.  Only after her death was this revealed.  Imagine to be so close to God that you hear His voice!!!  Then after two years of the beginning of the Sisters (again, I did not take notes, so my memory may be faulty) she entered into a "darkness".  Her private writings indicate that she never felt the touch or voice of God there afterwards.  To the world and all her meet her, she was a happy and faithfilled woman empowered with the grace of God.  On the inside she felt nothing.  Yet, this did not stop her from doing His will and praying faithfully everyday.

There were many awards, including her Nobel Peace Prize, but the objects that touched me most of hers were two items.  First there was a small letter that she writes to an important person in India,  "Dear Friend,  We are out of rice could you lend us some until we can pay you?"  How simple is that!  How much trust in God did she have.  In the early days her sisters went to restaurants and stores and asked for the left overs.  They feed this to the poor and themselves.  Truly humble living. 

The other object was her sari and habit.  It was stitched and re-stitched over and over again.  When it tore, she just mended it.  She meet the leaders of the political world and religious world in this humble habit of the streets of India. 

When you finish the journey of her life, there is a statue of her, very life-like, squatting down in prayer with a rosary in her hands, a prayer book open on the floor in front of her and some flowers.  The eyes of the statue lead you to stop and pray before a beautiful, but simply cross and opened bible.

I have no plans to leave the home missionary effort, but this left me hungry to do more for the Lord.  Go to India, to Zambia, to some other poverty stricken place.  Yet, I know in every corner of the world there are poor including in our precious United States.  Also, I know that the United States suffers from an even larger poverty than material goods which is spiritual wealth.  What type of nation worries more about the abuse of animals than the abuse of children?  What type of people permit abortion, abandoning the sacred little ones in the womb, while spending thousands on fertility drugs?  Something is out of focus. We need to be totally consumed by the love of Jesus.  We need to do small little deeds to help people.  If anyone has fallen into darkness, have made poor choices, including the addiction to drugs or an ill advised abortion, God's love is still there.  God loves us despite our short-comings.  Imagine, no one is outside the thought and heart of God.  Through Jesus everyone is wrapped into his arms and meet with his loving eyes.  If we are afraid to go to Jesus ourselves, our Mother Mary will carry us to him.  We are never alone.  We are never without love.  We are always part of the heavenly family.

So there is no need to venture off to some far distant place.  I just need to be love to my family, my parents, my siblings, my children.  I just need to wash the plates after meal, carry someones groceries to the car, or smile at someone who makes my life difficult.  It is the small things that show our love. 

All Blessed Mother Theresa did was go in the streets and give comfort to the dying.  That is all.  God did the rest.

Finally, before I left, I was encouraged to select a message from a basket.  Here is mine, which I happily share with you:   THE FRUIT OF LOVE IS SERVICE.

Amen.

Florence and the religious art

Florence is the home of the Italian Renaissance art.  In viewing several museums and churches one begins to see not only the progression of art style, but of culture, and of the understanding of God and Person. 


Golden Doors of the Baptistery

 

A replica of Michelangelo's David in the Piazza








The city center is focused around the Cathedral or the Duomo.  The outside of the church is fantastic and awesome whereas inside it is more simply and stark.  We prayed here for our Saturday evening Mass in English.  Yet, the baptistery is far more significant.  St. John the Baptist is the patron saint of the city of Florence, home of many Popes of the medieval and renaissance times.  Inside the baptistery is a huge round ceiling full of biblical art.  There is plenty for a new Christian (or an ancient one) to mediate on.  The doors are also stories of biblical characters and recent saints.  The famous Lorenzo Ghiberti doors are now only a replica, but still very moving.  Michelangelo called them the "Gates of paradise" with the beautiful scenes from the Old Testament.



The two famous museums are the Academia which holds the original David and the Uffizi with paintings by Lippi, da Vince, Michelangelo, Raphael, Ruben and Rembrandt to name just a few.  I also visited several smaller museums including the Medici Chapel with carvings by Michelangelo and the del Bargello with carvings by Dontello and Michelangelo. How does this experience fit into a religious pilgrimage you might wonder?  Is this not just art?  The answer is that until the sixteenth or seventeenth century most art was religious art.  Just studying the sculptures of David from Dontello to Michelangelo indicates how this religious art moves into a view of how God and humans are connected.  Dontello's David is of a young boy standing on the head of Goliath, full of youth and innocence.  Michelangelo's David is a young man, strong, powerful, and ready to be king.  Both pieces of art portray the same biblical character but each says something about God's connection to us humans in different ways.



The other bit of art meditation is who gets painted into a religious painting and and what symbols.  For instance, St. Sebastian, St. Francis and St. Anthony of Padua often make it into pictures of the Nativity or the crowning of Mary or the crucifixion.  There is less worry about portraying the scene of Christ in the first century and more so on relating the story of Christ to the Saints, and through the saints, to us.  Also, John the Baptist as a child or youth is often portrayed in stories of Christ.  In one picture (sorry, cannot remember the artist) Mary has the baby Jesus on her lap and John the Baptist is also on her lap as an infant handing Jesus a goldfinch.  Rather than trying to understanding the meaning of the paintings at the time or even for our times, my meditation went a different way. 



My meditation is what type of religious art is needed to help people today understand God's love, mercy and justice for humanity?  Which saints need to appear in the scenes with Christ from his birth until his ascension into heaven? What sculptures will carry meaning for today and for centuries to come?  Here in Italy, the churches are empty of Sunday.  There seems to be only a handful of people at the Sunday liturgies.  In the United States, according to the 2000 census, only 51 % of people are connected to a church of any type.  A survey published last week, states that only 45% of Catholics realize that we believe that Jesus Christ is really present in the Eucharist.  We need not just words and witnesses of faith, but symbols and images to help people re-connect with God.  So in Florence I prayed for all Christian artists, especially those in the Catholic Church, to find the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and help a new renaissance of faith begin.

This was a pilgrimage of faith.  In the midst of these famous artists and their works, I stopped in several churches simply to pray.  I come back to Rome inspired and uplifted by the beauty of God.  May the beauty be more clearly seen in our world today and our individual lives.



Ponte Vecchio with stores built on top of the bridge