Liturgy and Other Prayerful Moments

This week consisted of three days of classes on the liturgy with particular focus on the new Roman Missal.  We also had the opportunity to visit the SCAVI below St. Peter's Basilica and this morning we will be visiting the Catacombs.

The three days on the liturgy were very helpful.  The New Roman Missal will require some time to adjust to, especially, in learning the new words of the Gloria and Creed.  Yet, in many ways, I believe it will bring us closer to the Lord in our unified prayer.  I deeply appreciated recieving the inside knowledge on the history and reason behind the decisions made in this missal.  Whatever the changes, they will not be as dramatic as the change in the 1960's going from Latin to English. 

During these days I also have attended some beautiful prayer experiences.  Tuesday night I have been attending the Praise and Worship prayer service with the seminarains.  I have very much enjoyed this opportunity and have presented many petitions to the Lord here.  Also, on Wednesday I attended the prayer service of a lay movement known as Saint Egidio.  The church was packed as the group prayed for peace and justice in the world.  It was a very beautiful prayer experience with people from all over the world present.  A sense of unity was very strong.



Statue of St.  Peter from St. John Lateran

 The highlight, however, was being asked by the group to pray in front of the bones of St. Peter in the burial site under the dome of St. Peter.  This is our first Pope, the one who Jesus gave the keys to the church.  His death in Rome was one of martyrdom.  His burial site has been the site of pilgrims from the earliest of Christian times.  There is a grafiti wall where messages were left to him in ancient days.  Here is a sense of history and the reality that the Church has undergone many challenges and trials, but it remains.  Thus, I know that the Church will be strong again and that many will reach salvation through the graces of Jesus Christ which it generously offers to all.

Today I leave for Florence to visit the art world of Italy.  Be blogging more upon my return.

Weekend of Sightseeing

On Saturday, I took a trip to Tivoli and Sunday a visit to the church of St. John Lateran in Rome.

Ruins of the Villa Adriana



  Tivoli was about an hour and half outside the city of Rome.  Our first stop was to view the ruins of the Villa Adriana which was the summer home of Emperor Hadrian.  He was considered a good emperor and ruled from 117 a.d. until 138 a.d.  It is fascinating to be walking on ruins so old.  Yet, I could not help to think instead of building a summer home on 145 acres with 300 people sharing it with him that the money might have been put to better use. I know it is hot in Rome and even the Pope has a summer home. But how much is big enough? Then again is this any different than our rich and famous with all their homes in several countries today?  Just because one has the money does not justify spending it foolishly.  We still have many poor that could benefit from the generosity of others.


The main fountain of Tivoli





After our visit of the ruins, we visited the Villa de'Este of the Cardinal Ippolito de'Este (1509-1572).  I do not know how good of a religious man this Cardinal was, but his palace and the 27 fountains or more are very impressive.  One of them even plays music.  None of the fountains are run by electricity, but all are engineered with the power of the river near by.  It is very amazing.

Front of the Church of St. John Lateran

 

 

 Today was more holy.  I visited with several other priests the Church of St. John Lateran, which served as the Pope's church until the Basilica of St. Peter's was built.  It remains the official church of the Bishop of Rome, which is the Pope.  Here you find beautiful statues and side altars.  It is here where St. Francis visited the Pope to begin his order.  Also, they claim the relics of the table of the last supper is in this church as well as the skull bones of St. Peter and Paul.  I stopped and prayed many times along the way.  On our return home I stopped in the Church of Cosmos and Damien as today is there feast day.



Overall, it was a very pleasant weekend.  Tomorrow we have more lectures for the next three days.

Thanks for walking with me through Italy and Rome.













Life, Love and Joy



Fellow priests preparing for Mass



This week Fr. John Fuellenbach, a 75 year old theologian, gave us lectures of the Kingdom or Reign of God.  They were inspiring.  There is no easy way to share 16 hours of lectures in a short blog.  Therefore, let me just summarize a few highlights and how his reflections inspire me.

One way to summarize the entire mission of Jesus can be in a two-fold message.  Jesus came to connect us with the true image of God, which is ABBA, Father.  He wishes to set us on "fire" for the Love of God which begins with God's unconditional love for us.  The second is to share in God's dream or vision for the world, which is the Kingdom of God or Reign of God.  This really makes life simple for us Christians.  We are to love God since He already loves us and to help cooperate through the power of the Holy Spirit to transform this earthly life into the Kingdom of God.  That's all.

A further clarification of who God truly is can be summed in three statements;  God is Love. God is Life. God is JOY.  The word joy appears 252 times in the New Testament.  It is one we often forget. Fr. John emphasizes over and over the JOY of the Lord.  He says peace and justice commissions need to be justice, peace and joy commissions.  If they have no joy then do not reflect the God who is.



Jesus, who is God and came to earth in the flesh, has four main characteristics.  First, He is a man born of the Spirit. Second, he is a social prophet.  Third, he is a wisdom teacher. Fourth He starts a table fellowship movement.  To unpack all of this for myself, much less for my friendly blog reader, would take too long.  Yet, what is important is that Jesus does not separate our bodily life on earth for our spiritual life in heaven.  The two are connected Now.  The Kingdom of God is already here because Jesus is here.  Yet, it is incomplete because we still have work to transform the evil of this world by love into God's creation. If we imitate Jesus then we are people of the Way and the Kingdom will more visible.



Justice and Compassion are what indicates that we are holy and purified.  It is all about the Holy Spirit and Her living presence on earth.  This love of God for us transforms us into children of God and disciples of Jesus.  This is how we will transform the world-- by love and compassion.

Maybe this is enough to give you a flavor of the dynamics.  God is all about love, life and joy.  He delights in us, His beloved creatures made in His likeness and image, male and female.  Together empowered by the Spirit we can transform the world by loving everyone as God overwhelming loves us.



So my personal challenge is to love out evil.  That means I have to love me and allow God to transform my sinfulness into grace.  I need to share that forgiving love with others, including those who do not want it or deserve it.  Then I need to help create conditions so everyone can feel and know the Love of God. Only Love and patient love, compassionate love can do this.  It needs to burn within me so I can let it fire up those around me. Evil cannot stand the heat of God's compassionate Love.  May I burn with His joy and have evil disappear like ashes against the wind. Yet, none of it is my work.  It all belongs to the work of God , the Father, in Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  It just happens the Spirit lives in me so I am a spark for the Kingdom.



I doubt the power of this message is being transmitted clearly to my faithful readers and fellow disciples, but  maybe you get a hint.  Maybe we can together create a more Loving World that reflects the table fellowship of Jesus and includes everyone.  Let us try anyway.  Live in the Joy of the Spirit and light the world on Fire with God's Love.







Sunday Walk, Monday Prayer

From the top of the Spanish Steps

 Sunday afternoon under the beautiful Roman skies, I took a walk along the river with two other priests.  Our aim was to enter the churches around the Piazza de Popolo.  There are three churches surrounding the courtyard.  One to Santa Maria dei Miracoli, which has two relics from little known saints of the 3rd and 4th century.   They are Saint Candida and Saint Diodoro.  Unfortunately, the information I have is in Italian which I am still unable to read sufficiently.  There is also the church of St. Maria in Montesanto, but it was closed.  The third church is St. Maria de Popolo.  Unfortunately, St. Maria de Popolo felt more like a museum than a church.  There is all sorts of beautiful art, but it left me somewhat disappointed. None-the-less the day was beautiful and the first church with its two martyrs gave me a chance for prayer.






Churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto

We continued our walk to the Spanish Steps.  I do not know the thrill of this popular tourist site.  The church that the steps leads to was closed.  Some folks more familiar with Rome says it is rarely open.  The area is just very crowded with lots of people sort of just hanging out.  Then we got caught in the rain, so we had gelatos.  Not a better way to finish a walk in Rome than with a gelato (Italian Ice Cream).



Statue of St. Helena with the Cross



This morning was a day of prayer.  We went to the Santa Croce in Gerusalemme which is dedicated to St. Helena and where the relic of the true cross of Jesus is kept.  This was a wonderful moment to pray.  It is beautiful.  St. Helena was the mother of the Emperor Constantine who made Christianity (Catholicism) legal.  She traveled to the Holy Land and discovered the true cross.  Part of this is still preserved in this church.  Another very unique feature is a crucifix based on the dimensions of the shroud of Turin.  I could not take a picture of it.  Yet, what stood out for me, was that Jesus was not a tall man.  It also portrays his suffering very graphically.  Here I prayed for all those bleeding from war, domestic violence and illness.  Stop reading for one moment and offer a similar prayer for them now as well. ...... Thanks.

Another feature here was a small chapel to a small girl child who died at age six.  She died in the 1930's, suffered for a debilitating disease.  Yet she wrote over a 100 letters to God, Jesus and Mary.  They consider her a mystic, but she in not canonized or anything.  Very moving remembrance.





Finally, we had Mass in the Baptistery of St. John Lateran, the oldest baptistery in Rome.  Here we prayed, renewed our baptismal promises and remembered the centuries of folks who have been baptized in the waters of life in Jesus Christ at this church.  We were to enter the Cathedral, but today the Cardinal of Rome was meeting with 300 diocesan priests of Rome.  Therefore, it was not open to the public.  Another day, I will have to share pictures with you of the inside of the church of St. John Lateran.

Thanks for walking and praying with me today.

Trip to Montecassino

Surviving Statue of St. Benedict

Overview to the countryside

Saturday, September 18, a number of us took the pilgrimage to Montecassino, the monastery of St. Benedict and the burial place for St. Scholastica.  The Benedictine sisters from St. Ben's at St. Joseph, MN taught me from 1st to 6th grade.  I remain in touch occasionally with Sr. Alice and Sr. Clare, who taught me in first, second and sixth grade.  Sr. Nathaniel, who passed away many years ago, not only taught me in fifth grade but helped me discover Christ with her kindness and holiness.  Later, I attended St. John University in Collegeville, MN.  My vocation to the priesthood was nurtured by these fine monks.  Attending evening prayer at the monastery of Montecassino returned memories of Sunday evening prayers with the monks of St. John's.  Furthermore, Glenmary seminarians now study at St. Meinrad, another Benedictine institution.

Therefore, this experience was one of gratitude for all the goodness the Benedictines have done in my life.  We had Mass in the lower crypt church where the remains of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica rest.  During this Mass, I offered it for all the Benedictines who have made my life holier and better.  I prayed in a special way for the monks of St. John's and St. Mienrad as well as the students who will be instructed by them.  I also gave praise for the Sisters of St. Ben's who taught me so much as a child and inspire me today.

The story of the monastery is a sad one.  Yet, the story of St. Benedict is full of miracle stories and a man of powerful faith.  Did you know that he was poisoned twice, but both times God intervened.  First with piece of bread, a raven came and snatched it away.  Later with a cup of wine, which broke when he prayed over it.  He returned a monk back to life who fell while fixing the church.  A dove visited him when his twin sister St. Scholastica died.  He foresaw the destruction of his monastery.  Now all of this might be legend or might be true.  Does it matter?  What is clear is that this was a very holy man dedicated totally to serving Christ.  He wrote the rule and is the inspiration for monastic life still today. 

Fresco in cell of St. Benedict

The monastery itself suffered.  It was destroyed four times.  The last time was during World War II where soldiers were thought to be in the monastery, so it was bombed.  No soldiers were inside, the monks and some civilians survived, but other civilians died.  The church has been rebuilt, brick by brick.  Yet, several things survived and are considered miracles.  The original area of the original church, including the cell of St. Benedict, a very old statue of St. Benedict, and the remains of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica all survived.  The last was the greatest miracle.  There was an unexploded bomb over the altar.  When they dug it out they found the true remains of these great saints preserved.  God is really amazing.



 The final action of our day was evening prayer sung in Latin by the monks at 4 p.m.  It was beautiful and inspiring.  It was easy to pray in such a location.  I returned to Casa O'Toole at the North American College full of joy and peace.

Via Guilia and the Roman Forum

Last night I took a stroll down the Via Guilia, one of the older streets.  We visited many churches along the way.  We also stopped at the Jewish Synagogue.  The two areas that interested me the most was the home where St. Paul was first imprisoned here in Rome.  It is now a very small chapel built over the exact foundation of the home.  Also stopped at St. Bartholomew's church.  In this church are many altars to contemporary martyrs.  For instance they had the martyrs from various African Nations, martyrs from the time of Nazism, and martyrs of Mexico and Central America.  Among them remembered were Archbishop Romero of El Salvador and Archbishop Ocampo of Guadalajara, Mexico.  Pope Benedict XVI visited this church recently, which is a high honor.

Today was spent in the Roman Forum.  There is too much history to repeat.  It is amazing to think we are walking where Julius Cesar walked.  It is also sad to think of the violence committed and the triumphs which lead slaves to Rome and stole the treasures of the temple in Jerusalem.  Now there are Christian churches everywhere.  Yet, we were told a few people still bring flowers to the temple of Julius Cesar even through it is in ruins.

However, the highlight of my day, was a visit to the Church of Saint Ignatius.  The tomb of St. Robert Bellarmine is there and today is his feast day.  I went to the tomb with a new friend and classmate to pray vespers.  Many people and seminarians were also present at various times.  Then we spent time in meditation before the blessed sacrament where two young woman were playing the bass and singing to Jesus.  It was a very holy moment.

These days here for me are filled with relaxation and spiritual growth.  I hope more people eventually find this blog and I hope my little entries and photos help share this experience in a virtual way.

Vatican Museum and opera

Two nights ago, I thought I was going to attend a small opera.  I was wrong, but greatly surprised.  Instead this was a Italian concert or musical.  I have been listening to the singers outside my window since I arrived.  Well it was all in Italian, but simply delightful.  Three singers and eight dancers.  It is hard to describe, but a lot of emotion, good humor and some unintended humor.  The unintended humor was listening to Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli songs in Italian.  However, they did do a great job with them.

Yesterday, we toured the Vatican museum for four hours.  There is more to say than I can remember.  The thrust of our tour was discovering the inspiration of Michelangelo for the Sistine Chapel and then understanding what the ceiling and the Last Judgement really mean from a Christian perspective.  We also spent time studying Raphael's work and its significance.  The main thing I wish to share with you all, is both painters were truly Catholic and Christian and their works of art still inspires my faith today.

Today is a day of recollection.  Please say a prayer for me as I will for you.

Sunday and Monday in Rome

Sunday morning we began the day with Mass with the seminarians at the North American College.  These young men from all over the United States, Canada, and Australia are really good guys.  Yet, the sung parts of the Mass were in Latin, which is new for me.

In the afternoon we walked around the  Piazza Navona and entered about five churches.  I will not remember the names of them all, but a few things I remember.  At the church of St. Agnes we saw her relic which is her head.  She was a 13 year old girl at the time of her martyrdom.  The son of the perfect of Rome wanted to sleep with her but she refused.  This was 303-304 A.D.  Therefore, she was striped naked and put on display, but her hair grew long and covered her body.  When a man tried to touch her, he died.  They thought she was demonic, so she touched him and he came back to life.  She was thrown into fire, but the spirit of God stopped the flames.  Finally her throat was pierced with a sword and she was martyred.  She is the patroness of young women and gardeners.

Next Church that impressed me was the French church, St. Luigi.  This is a bunch of tombs, but does have art work by Michelangelo.  Yet, what impressed me is this church is that they are active in helping children suffering from AIDS in Buruni, Africa.

The last church where we stopped was the church of Gesu, (Jesus).  It is a Jesuit church.  We entered only by chance.  Yet, here I prayed for all our missioners in front of the arm of St. Francis Xavier, the great missioner to India.  He is also one of Glenmary's patrons. In the same church, I prayed in front of the tomb of St. Ignatius of Loyola, another Glenmary patron.  Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be here.

This morning we had a guided tour of the inside of St. Peter's Basilica, also known as the Vatican.  The guide was wonderful.  She brought so much meaning and spirituality to the place.  Here I could not begin to explain all we learned.  The two architects of the Vatican, Michelangelo and Bernini, were devote Christians.  They work remains an inspiration to all who enter these sacred walls.

Peace everyone.

First Week of Sabbatical

After one week here, I am first trying to open a blog.  In short, I have gotten over the jet lag.  On Friday we offered Mass at St. Peter's before the tomb of St. Peter, the first Pope.  It was a very beautiful and emotional experience.  I prayed for the leaders of Glenmary and for all Bishops.  I offered the Mass for Bishop Gainer, the ordinary of the Diocese of Lexington who has been my Bishop for these last several years.

Yesterday, went for the first excursion to the  Pantheon area for gelato.  Gelato is a wonderful Italian ice cream.  My flavors were frutti de bosco (fruit of the woods), melone (melon) and kiwi.  I liked the kiwi and frutti de bosco but not so much the melone.

Today we walked another way which I cannot remember.  Too much history to absorb.  I do remember that the fountain of Pope Paul the V contains the original pillars of the old St. Peters.

I hope in the future to write more in depth and more spiritually.  This blog is my way to share the gift of my sabbatical with those who have walked with me in this life.