Aways An Adventure

It certainly has been far to long since I have made a blog post.  I do apologize.  However, there has just been a lot going on as of late.  They say that priesthood is an adventure, and indeed it is.  Never seems to be a dull moment, and the past few weeks have invited several changes for me.  

For those who do not know, I am not in Florida at present.  Bishop Dewane has given me the opportunity to participate at the ground level of a new and unique program for a postgraduate degree.  Right now, I am at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit taking classes toward an STL or a Licentiate in Sacred Theology with an emphasis on the New Evangelization.  

Which, I’m sure begs some questions, which I will attempt to answer:

What is a Licentiate?  

A Licentiate, (or a License) is a postgraduate degree offered by Pontifical institutions (certain Catholic intuitions that are directly under the authority of the Holy See.) In this case, the degree will be conferred by the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, aka, The Angelicum (though all classes will be taken at Sacred Heart in Detroit.) This degree enables a person to teach in his field  at any Catholic university or seminary in  the world.  However, I have aspirations to do neither, I just believe this study will help make me a better priest in proclaiming the gospel. 

This program will only require me to be gone for five weeks during the summer. This term, I will be gone from July 3^rd through August 9^th.  Additionally, I will be taking classes online during the fall and winter terms. The scope of this unique program is four years. 

What is the New Evangelization?  

The word Evangelize means to proclaim the gospel. Of course, there is nothing new about that, the Church was mandated by Our Lord to do that in the beginning.  However, as St. John Paul II observed:

There is an intermediate situation, particularly in countries with ancient Christian roots, and occasionally in the younger Churches as well, where entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church, and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel. In this case what is needed is a "new evangelization" or a "re-evangelization. (Redemptoris Missio) 

My own experience here as seen this need as well.  We have so many Catholics out there who do not have the first idea what the basic message of salvation is, let alone having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So many of my parishioners have asked me to pray for their children and grandchildren who have “left the Church”.  All the time when about town I meet people who “used to be Catholic”. This is a distinct audience for the New Evangelization. I will be looking at better ways to reach those who have wondered from the fold. Also with the New Evangelization comes new and more effective ways to spread the gospel in the modern world, to do as our Lord said and “Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch.” (John 5:4) The latter verse of course, is a personal motto of mine. 

The New Evangelization is new in four main aspects:

1. The Audience: We are looking at Catholics who have been baptized, yet do not know the Lord.
2. The Evangelizers themselves.  It is the duty of EVERY CATHOLIC (not just the clergy) to spread the Gospel.  The laity needs to be empowered to spread the word of God. 
3. The New Evangelization seeks to use different ardor, different methods and different approaches to Evangelization.  We cannot keep doing what we have done, we must use new ways and engage the culture.  (The use of social media would be one example of this)
4. Obviously, we live in a unique culture that must be engaged in new ways. 

In an sense, it could be said like this.  The game is the same, but the field, the players, the audience, the equipment have been changed.  And, kind reader,  hear that only as an analogy,  friends, it’s no game. It’s the salvation of souls!  As Jesus told us : “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Luke 10:2)

So, yeah, it’s a cool and exciting field!  Also, I have the opportunity to study under some of the leading experts in this field.  This semester, I am being taught by Dr. Ralph Martin and, next week will take two classes with Dr. Janet Smith. Both are incredibly well published and have served on Pontifical councils.  

On another unrelated-yet-related note, some of you may recall this image from my ordination cards:

This is the scene that features Jesus giving St. Peter and his brother St. Andrew the command to “Put into the deep.”  This phrase reminds me of my priestly mission to spread the gospel, but also, connects me with the apostles, who like my ancestors down to my father, were fishermen.  From this line, Jesus has called me to be a fisher of men. I have always felt a connection to St. Peter for this reason.  The Lord has indeed confirmed that St. Peter is one of my patrons.  I was informed shortly before leaving for Detroit that I am leaving Ss. Peter and Paul the Apostles to be appointed a Parochial Vicar at San Pedro parish in North Port.  

Though it’s sad to be leaving my first parish family, it is exciting to be starting a new adventure with a new family.  I have been praying for this new family as I anticipate my arrival there in August.  

So, as I said, life has been pretty crazy lately.  But, it’s always an adventure. And I would, not for one moment, have it any other way. 

Stop it!

Stop it!  Stop it right now!  Stop the bashing, the speculating, the twisting, the deflecting and the projecting at, on, and to Pope Francis.  I know that this is not going to work.  I know that no one is going to listen.  I mean, they don’t even listen to him, or the Vatican offices, so why would the faithful, unfaithful and ambivalent; lay, religious and clergy; conservative liberal and moderate mob listen to me?  Every time Pope Francis speaks everyone freaks out.  Stop it! At least I said it. I feel a little better now.

All of this goes to prove a point made by contemporary fantasy author Terry Goodkind who provides us with life lessons he calls “Wizards Rules” and in the book aptly named Wizards First Rule he tells us:

People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true.

I don’t mean to insult you. I don’t know that I would use the word stupid (though this has been used pastorally, see Galatians 3:1) But, I do find that most people are believing every media spin on Pope Francis because of one or both of those reasons listed above, that is to say, because they want what he says to be true or because they are scared that it is.

All of this leaves me sympathetic to whatever motivated this Papal Double-Facepalm.

Regarding the latest hubbub, it is important to remind us of a few things:

This is not the first, and surely the last, time the subject of those living in domestic unions apart from valid marriage in the Catholic Church have arisen in the pontificate of Pope Francis. This happened last October, and the Congregation of for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Archbishop Muller, under the direction of Pope Francis wrote a lengthy statement in which it was reiterated that this “state and condition of life objectively contradicts that union of love between Christ and the Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist” and further: “if these people were admitted to the Eucharist, the faithful would be led into error and confusion regarding the Church's teaching about the indissolubility of marriage”.  This, of course, comes from the teaching of Jesus who says that one who is married, divorces, and attempts to marry another commits adultery. (Matthew 19:9)

I would say a change in this teaching is unlikely.  Impossible? No.  But I would say very unlikely.  Pope Francis as of yet, has changed no doctrine, not even a discipline of the entire Church.  He has changed some papal practices, but what pope hasn't?  Pope Francis isn't changing the teachings of the Church, he is showing us how to live them. As a rule, we should apply this statement issued by the Vatican today to most of Francis’s pastoral encounters:

That which has been communicated in relation to this matter, outside the scope of personal relationships, and the consequent media amplification, cannot be confirmed as reliable, and is a source of misunderstanding and confusion. Therefore, consequences relating to the teaching of the Church are not to be inferred from these occurrences.  

He is reminding us that it is people, not ideas who we work with, and we first have to love them above all else.  While the issue of communion of those in irregular unions is difficult, it does not exempt people like me from providing pastoral care to them. All need to know that we are radically loved by Jesus Christ.  Jesus could do it and be faithful to His Gospel. Pope Francis can do it and be faithful to the Gospel.  The question I should be asking is:  Why can’t I?

The Chains are Broken

We are in the midst of the great Easter Triduum.  We began on Holy Thursday with the celebration ofthe institution of the Priesthood and the Eucharist, and the universal call to charity.  We continued through yesterday, good Friday with the Passion and burial of Our Lord.  Tonight will we celebrat the "night that even now throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones. This is the night when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld."   The night of the Lords resurrection.   But, dear Christians, let us not let this day pass us by without reflecting at least briefly on Holy Saturday.

With the sealing of the tomb of Jesus, we profess in the creed that after he was buried he "descended to hell", to the realm of the dead.   Why did he do this?  St. Peter tells us in his letter that Jesus "went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey." (1 Peter 3:19)  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this:

 The gospel was preached even to the dead."The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfilment. This is the last phase of Jesus' messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ's redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption. (CCC 634)

Many it is often seen that this is the reason for the earthquake that followed the death of Jesus. In the ancient service of tenebrae, Holy Saturday mattins, the monks would slam their Psalters against the choir stalls to recall the breaking of the bondage of death.  Christ has freed the souls of the just!

This mystery has been depicted in ancient art.

Even in his death, when many imagine Jesus in a cold tomb sleeping soundly, he went to ransom the souls of the just from the reach of Satan so that he may complete the work of our redemption.  I do believe that this is what was captured in this scene from the Passion of the Christ when we see the devil screaming furiously in an empty space.

So, spend some time today reflecting on the great work of our redemption as we leap tonight into the Glory of the Lord's resurrection.

In order to help you here is the text of an ancient homily from an unknown author that dates back at least to the fourth century:

Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear. 

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. 

For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.
See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree. 

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you. 

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

Sent From the Cross

Before departing for Assisi, I was able to celebrate Mass one more time in St. Peter's on the altar above the tomb of Pope St.Pius X.  When I arrived there, I saw that someone had left a Latin Missal on the Altar, so I decided to celebrate in the ancient language of the Church. Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I am an advocate of Mass in the vernacular, but there was something utterly transcendent being there in our! In a sense, mother church, praying the exact words that the Popes had for millennia, including the one whose earthly remains were buried underneath the altar on which I was celebrating. Each time I genuflected during Mass, I would come face to face with the enbronzed relics of a saint.  The communion of Saints seems so real to me in this place.

I spent one last time in prayer at the tomb of soon-to-be St. John Paul II. I took the opportunity to read the entirety of the homily I heard him deliver in Denver in 1993.  I could hear him speaking to me, to all of us gathered there over twenty years  ago: "At this stage of history, the liberating message of the Gospel of Life has been put into your hands. And the mission of proclaiming it to the ends of the earth is now passing to your generation. Like the great Apostle Paul, you too must feel the full urgency of the task: 'Woe to me if I do not evangelize'. Woe to you if you do not succeed in defending life. The Church needs your energies, your enthusiasm, your youthful ideals, in order to make the Gospel of Life penetrate the fabric of society, transforming people’s hearts and the structures of society in order to create a civilization of true justice and love. Now more than ever, in a world that is often without light and without the courage of noble ideals, people need the fresh, vital spirituality of the Gospel."  I was moved to tears as the words of this modern saint challenged me to preach the gospel.

Our trip to Assisi was incredible.  As impactful an experience Rome has been for me, it is, in a sense, Catholic Disney World.  As much fun as it is, and as spiritually enriching, and historically enlightening it is, the crowds, the noise, and the walking weigh on you after a while and you just need to get away.  Assisi is just the place to do that.

The spirit of Saints Francis and Clare are so thick in the air, you can more than just feel it, you can almost touch and taste it.  Many of you may know that I have a deep admiration and devotion to St. Francis of Assisi, this man who renewed the Church by his humility, his radical following of the Gospel and his zeal for souls, not by hugging trees and preaching relativism in the name of tolerance as some people paint him.  Francis embraced the Cross and preached the truth.  

We began by going outside of the city, which is nestled up in the mountains of the quaint  Italian countryside to the place of hermitage used by Francis and his brothers.  The land  is so quiet and beautiful it reminded me someone of the Smokeys- not rocky, but green hills and lush woods.  We even passed the tree where St. Francis is said to have preached his famous "Sermon to the Birds".  This place was so quite and serene that seems the three of us (Fr. Eric was gracious enough to take us and show us around Assisi) entered into an immediate silence as we wend to the place where Francis slept and prayed when on retreat.  It was just so easy to enter into prayer there in the cool of the dusk as the tones of the Stabat Mater sung for the Stations of the Cross hummed in the background. It is so obvious why Francis and his brothers chose this place to get away and pray.

The town of Assisi is quite remarkable. Little has changed in appearance.  The smell of burning wood in twilight greeted us as we first walked our way up and down the hilly, narrow streets lined by wood and stone structures that truly look like they are right out of the thirteenth century.  On the secular side, it's almost like stepping into a Renn Faire, which as we know, it right up my alley.  On the spiritual side, again, the place is just so thick with the spirit of Francis and Claire. I swore that when I closed my eyes, I could see the Friars walking the streets.

We stayed in a hotel of sorts, more like a retreat house, right off of the famous piazza where Francis renounced his father who did not understand his calling by surrendering the clothes off his back saying: "Until now I have called Pietro di Bernardone my father. But, because I have proposed to serve God, I return to him the money on account of which he was so upset, and also all the clothing which is his, wanting to say from now on: ‘Our Father who are in heaven ,’ and not ‘My father, Pietro di Bernardone.’"

Saturday morning, thanks to Fr. Eric, I had the privilege of celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Francis. This was a truly moving and powerful experience.  A privilege is granted to priests visiting this place to celebrate the Mass of St. Francis.  I was particularly motivated by the Prayer After Communion: "Grant us, we pray, O Lord, through these holy gifts we have received, that imitating the charity and apostolic zeal of Saint Francis, we may experience the effects of your love and spread them everywhere for the salvation of all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."  Again, The Lord is speaking to me about the mission spreading the gospel. 

The Basilica of St. Francis is quite a cite, going back to t he thirteenth century, it outdates the current St. Peter's in Rome by over 300 years.  The ancient frescos make the life of the Saint come alive.

We where then able to visit the monastery of St. Clare.  Here I was able to kneel before the crucifix under which St. Francis prayed and heard Christ call to him, "Francis, rebuild my Church, which you can see has fallen to ruin." I spent some time there in prayer, remembering all who have asked me to pray for them and meditating on the cross as we enter into Holy Week.  Only later in the day would I read what Pope Francis put out on his Twitter feed: "How beautiful it is to stand before the Crucifix, simply to be under the Lord's gaze, so full of love."

In this Basilica, I was able to pray at the preserved remains of St. Clare.  I was able to pray for and remember the Franciscan nuns sisters who have influenced my life, and one friend in particular who entered a Franciscan convent after college.  

There is more to wrote about in Assisi, the Portiuncula, San Dominano, and more, but words simply fall short. As I said, the place is just saturated with the Franciscan Spirit.  It's so withdrawn, even with the crowds there. My next trip to Italy will include more time in Assisi.

Our time in Rome concluded with Palms Sunday Mass celebrated by the Successor of St. Peter. I was able to distribute Holy Communion at this Mass which gave me a close seat.  Though the Mass as in Italian, the Proclaiming of the Lord's Passion, part of which was sung, moved me deeply. There is a moment in the Palm Sunday Gospel, where, after Jesus dies on the Cross, we pause and kneel.  It was so profoundly powerful to hear the square fall into silence as we all went to our knees, starting with the front, and the with everyone following. It was like a wave of reverence falling on the crowd who all knelt before the love of Jesus Christ, as Pope Francis calls us to do.

This pilgrimage has been fruitful in providing a great spiritual enrichment. I feel that has truly helped me to enter more fully into Holy Week.  I believe that it has fueled the fire within my heart for the salvation of souls.  I pray it has given me grace to share with the people whom I serve. I pray that I am able to live up to the calling that I have received and to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before.  Above all, I pray for the grace to always advance the radical love of Jesus Christ and his Gospel for the salvation of souls.

The Shoulders of Giants

We've decided to slow  down the pace a little bit here, as it seems we are getting worn out.  We've seen many of the "big things" (St. Peter's, the Major Basilicas,etc.) so now we are spending some time off the beaten path. Also in the name of slowing down a bit, we have been taking advantage of living in the Pope's back yard and  have spent some time exploring around the Vatican.

And indeed, earlier this week, we did spend time in the Pope's backyard, the Vatican gardens.  It's nice to have some inside connections. We spent the better part of the morning walking amid the beautiful lawns, wooded areas, shrines, and fountains there. After seeing the busyness of the hustle of Roman life, I can see why the popes of old, and of today, need a place where they can walk a and mediate.  Amidst the trees and the natural beauty there, one cannot help feeling a sense of peace in this space. 

I can understand why this would be the place that Pope John Paul would plant a monastery to house nuns to pray for the world within the walls of the country dedicated to the governance of the Church on earth.  The Mater Ecclesiae monastery housed different religious communities in five year rotations.  Until recently when a retired Pope moved in between rotations.  Benedict XVI now lives in this holy place, dedicating his life to praying for his successor. A very friendly and apparently cared for cat was also wondering in this area.  It makes me wonder if it was Benedict's cat.  A mystery we will never likely solve.

We were able to also travel this week to another part of town to visit Santa Maria della Vittoria which houses Bernini's famous statue of St. Theresa in Ecstasy.  This is a beautiful depiction of the famous Spanish mystic enraptured as an angel of The Lord pierces her heart with a spear, which she identifies with the Love of God.

Also housed in this Church is the preserved body of St. Victoria, a young martyr who chose suffering rather than to deny her God. Everywhere I turn in this city, as I have said before, I have been confronted with a martyr. We, as Christians, stand on the shoulders of giants.  The women and men who have given their lives that we may know  the saving love of Jesus Christ is not negligible.  To share in greater totality the defense Tertullian gave the Roman magistrate in the year 197: "Your cruelty, now matter how exquisite, does not avail you, it is rather a dare to us.  The more we are mown down, the more we grow; the blood of Christians is seed!"

I was able to attend the Papal audience in its entirety this week.  We received the blessing of the Pope. It is announced that he extends his blessing to  all our families and especially to children and those who are sick.  I thought especially of those who have asked for my prayers, in particular for my twin nephews who are suffering from kidney deficiencies and need a transplant. I've been keeping you all in prayer as well. 

Also,  Wednesday we were able to walk through the catacombs.  This is the site where early Christians were buried and were those living would gather  for the clandestine celebration of Mass.  Over half a million were buried at this site outside the walls of Rome. I recalled not only the known martyrs on this site, but all of those whose story we don't know.  Those who simply did what they were supposed to do in heeding the words of the Master "There is no greater love than to lay down ones life for a friend." This also brings to mind the martyrs of our own age who die for their belief in Christ, we forget that this happens every day. 

Near this site is a small Church known by a Latin phrase: "Domine Quo Vadis?" It is said that here St. Peter had a vision of Jesus and said to him: "Lord where are you going?" The response was "To Rome,to be crucified again." The Saint following his master, leafy he Church to go into the city to die a martyr's death. "As I have done, so must you also do." The place where Jesus is said to have left footprints is marked.

This seems to be the perfect way to enter into Holy Week, following the passion of Jesus and of the martyrs who followed him.  I have written this blog on the train to, and then from, Assisi.  I can't wait to share with you our amazing journey there and tomorrow's up coming Mass with the Holy Father.  Until then, let us pray for one another.

All Roads Lead to Rome

In the ancient world it was once penned "Mille viae ducunt homines per saecula Romam", that is "A thousand roads lead men forever to Rome." or as it is better paraphrased, "All roads lead to Rome."  This saying spoke of how Rome was theological, commercial and social hub for the western world for centuries.  Well, it would almost seem if the same is true today as here in Rome. Saturday, I was  able to meet with Msgr. Michael Carruthers, a priest of the Archdiocese of Miami, on a brief sabbatical studying here in Rome, and Matt Cullen a friend of mine from Seminary who is now a lawyer who spends much of his time in Zürich, yet is from the Tampa area.  It's amazing that we are able to meet halfway around the world and share memories and fellowship.  We did mostly touristy things that day, though we did stop into a few Churches to pray.  One of which houses the skull of St. Anges who was martyred at the age of twelve in 304.

This Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone is located right off of Rome's famous Piazza Novona. This place is your stereotypical Roman Piazza, with street performers, artists, beautiful statues, fountains and an ancient obelisk.  We enjoyed some food, wine, laughed and fellowship while taking in the picturesque surroundings.

A perfect way to end a day which had begin in St.  Peter's Basilica with Mass at the a later dedicated to Mary Mother or the Church, orMater Ecclesiae this image, which is attached to a column from the original basilica built in the fourth century.  This image was replicated in St. Peter's square under the direction of Blessed Pope John Paul II who found the square to be lacking an image of Our Lady the day he was shot.  

On Sunday, we were able to see the Pope again.  We heard the Sunday Angelus address of Pope Francis and received his blessing. Pope Francis also had pocket-sized editions of the Gospel distributed, however me missed out on getting one because of my less than proficient Italian. 

After this, we took a cab out to St. Mary Major Basilica.   This is a magnificent Basilica whose gold-gilded ceilings are made from the first shipment of gold from the New world. Also, buried here are Ss. Mathias, Paul VI and Jerome.  I spent some time in pray in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel which contains an image of Our Lady attributed to St. Luke.  Also down in confessio is what is said to be a reliquary containing wood from the Manger in Bethlehem. 

A cite that moved me in particular was the Mamertine prison where St. Paul was kept. I remembered the people of Ss. Peter and Paul parish particularly as I prayed there in this place where St. Peter is said to have baptized prisoners, bringing them to know Christ and his saving passion.

The day ended with Vespers in St. Peter's Basilica where we experienced something extraordinary.  Every year on what was traditionally Passion Sunday, after Vespers, the people are blessed with the Veil of Veronica.  This relic, which was used to wipe the face of Jesus during his passion is kept in the basilica above the colossal satire of St. Veronica. Vespers was celebrated with an angelic choir to help emphasize the beauty and mystery as we were blessed to see this amazing sign of Christian antiquity and symbol of Faith and Charity. 

Today began with a second look at the Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs, better known as the pantheon.  This is a pagan temple, which was turned into a Church.

Today it seemed that every time we turned around, we ran into a Church...with an renowned saint buried in it. I was able to pray at the tombs of Ss. Catherine of Sienna, Aloysius Gonzaga, Robert Bellarmine, and one who I didn't even know before today, St. Gaspar who founded the missionaries of the precious blood.

A theme that has been on my heart during my time in the eternal city has been zeal for souls. The longing to bring the gospel to lost souls. This  has been the common thread throughout the experience, it was even at the heart of the Angelus Message of the Holy Father.  I pray for the grace to be able to articulate to this modern world, the life changing message of Jesus Christ.   Until next time, let us pray for each other. 

The Shadow of the Saints, the Blood of the Martyrs

Firstly,  I must say I am having some trouble uploading photos with the mobile app, however, you can now see the pictures in the original post.  They are just big.  I will edit when I get home.

Secondly, before I go any further, I must tell you, this is my view at this very moment:

In fact, the view is much better than that. It looks like I could just reach out and touch the basilica. It's just that spectacular.   

We've done so much the past three days but it's getting very hard to remember. That's why I feel that I have to do this blog. It also serves as my own personal journal in a sense.  This is just an amazing experience to take in.  I've been to Rome before, but never as a priest.  It's just an amazing place to visit and pray.

Wednesday began with a Mass at the altar under which rests the remains of St. Pius X who was pope at the turn of the century and defended the faith against the  modernism and relativism that was being embraced by other Christians at the time.  At the same time, he was also known for being a pastoral pope who cared for and loved his people and wanted to bring them to Christ.  He encouraged daily communion and lowered the age of First Holy Communion to the age of reason.  This goes to show that  there need not be the dichotomy between pastoral competence and orthodoxy that is often presented.  I pray for the grace to posses both a zeal for truth, and a zeal for souls.

Following Mass we stood in St. Peter's Square with the crowd gathered to see Pope Francis for the Wednesday audience. We were able to get pretty close to see the Holy Father pass by twice! I could almost touch him. Pope Francis is drawing record crowds, but he likes to move among the people.  It was quite an experience. I can't wait to see him again.

The Venice seminarians and I then had lunch with a priest of our diocese who is working in one of the Curia offices and studying here in Rome. On the way there, I was able to catch a brief look at the Basillica Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of the oldest Churches in Rome, in what was once the Jewish section of first century Rome. The church has absolutely beautiful mosaic work.

In the afternoon, we picked up Brett and ventured out to Tre Fountani.  This is the place were St. Paul was martyred. Pious legend has it that when the Apostle was beheaded, his head rolled downhill and bounced three times, a fountain springing fourth in each place. The cite also houses the pillar at which the Saint gave his life, and his prison cell.There is also a Trappist Monastery where St. Bernard of Clairvaux was abbot.  There are many stories associated with this site.

But one that has fascinated me since childhood is the story of a Marian apparition. Now, many of you know that I am usually not to keen on following visionaries and apparitions. Private revelation is sketchy business.  However, this story is amazing and is personal to me for so many reasons.  The story is that of a man named Bruno Cornacchiola.  Bruno was baptized and received his first holy communion but later became Protestant, and then eventually an Adventist.  As Adventists have historically been, he was a vehement anti-Catholic.  He blamed the pope for all the problems In the world,and had even brought a dagger with which he intended to kill the Pope. On his way to this park near Tre Fontani, he wrote graffiti on a statue of Our Lady staying "you are neither Virgin nor Mother".  He was known to be foul mouthed and abusive to his wife and children. Basically, Our Lady knocked his socks off.  Upon going into a small cave (there were many there used for immoral ends) The Blessed Mother appeared to him holding the scriptures.  He had a conversion instantly.  There, of course, is more to the story, you should looking up.  I bought a statue of Our Lady of Revelation to come home with me.  Here is the statue that stands in the grotto today.

Yesterday began with the famous Scavi tour which takes you through the ancient burial grounds underneath the basilica.  This is the tour of a nine (1940-1949) year excavation done under the basilica under the reign of Pius XII to confirm what we had known all along, that the tomb of St. Peter is under the main altar in the basilica.  There are ancient tombs, a whole necropolis, a city of the dead with both Christian and pagan tombs. We were able to see the other side of the wall which we faced for Mass on Tuesday and see the actual bones of St. Peter.  Again, I was able to pray for my parish who calls on his patronage and all of you who asked for my prayers.

We then visited the Cathedral of Rome. Unlike many think, this is not St. Peter's, St. Peter's is not a Cathedral.  The Pope's cathedral is St. John Lateran.  This is where his chair, his cathedra rests.  There are many ancient relics contained here including a table contained in the altar where it is believed Peter and several of the first popes celebrated Mass and major relics of Ss. Peter and Paul (portions of their skulls). On of my favorite features of the Basilica are the huge, I mean colossal statue statues of the twelve apostles that line the nave.  Here is one of St.  .  Pictures cannot do any of this justice as you just cannot grasp there size of this.  We were able to spend quite a bit of time here in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Next to the Basilica is a chapel containing the Holy Stairs. These are stairs that are believed to have been moved from Pilate's   Praetorium in Jerusalem to Rome by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine.  The custom is to climb these on your knees. There are 28 of them.  This was painful, but moving.

Meditating on the experience of Our Lord's Passion confined as we ventured to the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem.  In this Church is contained what is believed to be the finger of St. Thomas that probed the words of Christ, the sign that hung above Jesus on the Cross, two of the nails from the Crucifixion,  and a piece of the cross of St. Dismas (the good thief), among others.  I sat in this chapel for a while recalling the passion of the Lord, I also prayed, of course for all who have asked for my prayers, in particular a friend who's patron is St. Dismas.

Meditating on the experience of Our Lord's Passion continued as we ventured to the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem.  In this Church is contained what is believed to be the finger of St. Thomas that probed the words of Christ, the sign that hung above Jesus on the Cross, two of the nails from the Crucifixion,  and a piece of the cross of St. Dismas (the good thief), among others.  I sat in this chapel for a while recalling the passion of the Lord, I also prayed, of course for all who have asked for my prayers, in particular a friend who's patron is St. Dismas.

Today were were able to the basilica of San Clemente.  This site dates to 64 A.D. The current basilica was built in 1120, but it stands over an older Church built in the forth century, connected to that is a. Domus Ecclesiae a home which was rendered secretly for Christian worship prior to Constantine's edict of tolerance. Beyond that, are the remains of a pagan temple.  We prayed here for a bit, I reflected on St. Clements Letter to the Corinthians. St. Ignatius of Antioch s said to be buried in this Church as well.

One thing this visit has done is to remind me not only of the Rock on which the Church was built, but on the blood of the martyrs that went before us.  As St. Tertullian said: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians." We praise Christ because  others have died to hand this faith to us.  I pray that I may always persevere in this.

Reflecting on martyrdom, we moved to the Colosseum a place beloved by some, yet debated among historians to be the place of many Christian Martyrs. This is still where the Holy Father does the Way of the Cross  every Good Friday.  Whether it was Christians who died for their faith or simply those whom we know died for entertainment.  It stands as a reminder of humaniy's need for salvation. 

After this, Brett and I were able to take a long walk through Rome to meet up with the Venice  Seminarians for Dinner (which, by the way, was an amazing pizza with Gorgonzola, pairs and walnuts) as we prepared to cross the Tiber, we came across  another historic Church  San Giovanni Battista which houses a relic of t he foot St. Mary Magdaline.  We were able to stop here and pray for a brief moment.

Well folks, theses are just the highlights.  I can't fit it all here.  The good the laughs, the art, the amazing foos, those are here too.  But among all of this, stands the faith and the saints who gave themselves to it. It's amazing to be chatting and laughing, and then...Boom a historic Church, let's pray.  This is an amazing pilgrimage.  Know of my prayers for you.