Synod of Concerns

From Yahoo News:

Benedict's No. 2, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, opened the meeting by thanking the pope for seeking the advice of the cardinals, saying it "shows us the importance your Holiness places on the votes of our college."

The daylong session came on the eve of Benedict's first ceremony to elevate 15 prelates to the top tier of the Catholic hierarchy — additions the pope has said reflect the global reach of the church.

The agenda of Thursday's meeting appeared to be fairly open. Cardinals have said they expect the discussion to include relations with Islam and the Orthodox Church, international terrorism and the reform of the Vatican hierarchy.

Daily Audio Lenten Post

From the book of Lenten meditations written by me:

The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life

Clarification on Title "Patriarch of the West"

And why it isn't being used anymore. From the Vatican Information Service:

"From a historical perspective," the communique reads, "the ancient Patriarchates of the East, defined by the Councils of Constantinople (381) and of Chalcedon (451), covered a fairly clearly demarcated territory. At the same time, the territory of the see of the Bishop of Rome remained somewhat vague. In the East, under the ecclesiastical imperial system of Justinian (527-565), alongside the four Eastern Patriarchates (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem), the Pope was included as the Patriarch of the West. Rome, on the other hand, favored the idea of the three Petrine episcopal sees: Rome, Alexandria and Antioch. Without using the title 'Patriarch of the West,' the Fourth Council of Constantinople (869-870), the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) and the Council of Florence (1439), listed the Pope as the first of the then five Patriarchs.

"The title 'Patriarch of the West' was adopted in the year 642 by Pope Theodore. Thereafter it appeared only occasionally and did not have a clear meaning. It flourished in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in the context of a general increase in the Pope's titles, and appeared for the first time in the 'Annuario Pontificio' in 1863."

The term 'West' currently refers to a cultural context not limited only to Western Europe but including North America, Australia and New Zealand, thus differentiating itself from other cultural contexts, says the communique. "If we wished to give the term 'West' a meaning applicable to ecclesiastical juridical language, it could be understood only in reference to the Latin Church." In this way, the title "Patriarch of the West," would describe the Bishop of Rome's special relationship with the Latin Church, and his special jurisdiction over her.

"The title 'Patriarch of the West,' never very clear, over history has become obsolete and practically unusable. It seems pointless, then, to insist on maintaining it. Even more so now that the Catholic Church, with Vatican Council II, has found, in the form of episcopal conferences and their international meetings, the canonical structure best suited to the needs of the Latin Church today."

The communique concludes: "Abandoning the title of 'Patriarch of the West' clearly does not alter in any way the recognition of the ancient patriarchal Churches, so solemnly declared by Vatican Council II. ... The renouncement of this title aims to express a historical and theological reality, and at the same time, ... could prove useful to ecumenical dialogue."

Islam and Freedom of Religion?

Not to mention, didn't we overthrow the "extreme" version?

In Afghanistan, from CNN:

In the days of the Taliban, those promoting Christianity in Afghanistan could be arrested and those converting from Islam could be tortured and publicly executed.

That was supposed to change after U.S.-led forces ousted the oppressive, fundamentalist regime, but the case of 41-year-old Abdul Rahman has many Western nations wondering if Afghanistan is regressing.

Rahman, a father of two, was arrested last week and is now awaiting trial for rejecting Islam. He told local police, whom he approached on an unrelated matter, that he had converted to Christianity. Reports say he was carrying a Bible at the time.

Monk's Suicide Linked to DaVinci Code?

From The Telegraph:

A monk may have leapt to his death from a monastery after reading The Da Vinci Code, it emerged yesterday.

Abbot Alan Rees, 64, a revered figure in the Benedictine community, fell 30ft from a second-storey balcony at Belmont Abbey in Herefordshire last October.

The Swansea-born monk had suffered from depression for the past 12 years.

Pope' Wednesday Audience (Today)

Pope Benedict XVI:

In our catechesis on Christ and the Church, we have seen how the Church is built “on the foundation of the Apostles”. The Gospels show how Jesus, at the beginning of his public ministry, chose the Twelve to become “fishers of men”. Saint John in particular presents the calling of the Apostles as the fruit of a life-changing, personal encounter with the Lord. More than just the proclamation of a message, the preaching of the Gospel is seen as a witness to the person of Jesus Christ and an invitation to enter into communion with him. Jesus sent his Apostles first to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”. This prophetic act should be understood in the light of Israel’s messianic expectation, according to which God, through his Chosen One, would gather his people like a shepherd his flock. This “gathering” is the sign of the coming of God’s Kingdom and the extension of his saving power to every nation and people. After the Resurrection, the universality of the mission entrusted to the Apostles would become explicit. The Risen Lord would send them forth to make disciples of every nation, even “to the ends of the earth”!

Daily Audio Lenten Post

From the book of Lenten meditations written by me:

The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life

From the Comments

A request:

Everyone who knows about St. Rita and her devotion to Christ, please ask her to pray for my daughter. Thank you. Mar

Daily Audio Lenten Post by Michael Dubruiel

From the book of Lenten meditations written by me, The Power of the Cross.

Update 2012:

The link to the mp3s is dead - I have no idea where to find them. But there is a complete series of discussions Michael Dubruiel had on The Power of the Cross with Bruce and Kris McGregor of KVSS in Omaha.

You may access the podcasts of that series here.

All of Michael Dubruiel's books on Amazon

The Stations of the Cross - version by Michael Dubruiel

Apologies on the Comments

I just figured out that I have to personally aprove comments now, so that's why they haven't been appearing.

Roma Locuta Est (March 6th)

It was raining hard enough that I ran back up the stairs of the apartment to get an umbrella the final morning in Rome. Then I made my way to St. Peter's that now seemed almost like an old habit. A few nuns, also with umbrellas were in line with me. We made our way into St. Peter's. First, I made my way to the tomb of St. Gregory Nazianzen and in doing so found one of the kneelers where the conditions for receiving a plenary indulgence were listed--confession was one of the conditions, so I found an confessor who could hear confessions in English and made mine, then went back to the kneeler and said prayers for the intention of the Holy Father. Then I attended a Mass in Italian at the tomb of Blessed John XXIII. Then a visit to the tomb of Pope John Paul II where I prayed the Joyful mysteries of the rosary. Then to the Blessed Sacrament chapel to pray Morning Prayer. Then a rush out of St. Peter's and back to the apartment. When I got back there, the cab driver was already there (although it was about fifteen minutes before we had told him)...more rush to finish taking trash to a dumpster two blocks away, and then to bring the baggage down and take a final look around. Then through the streets and out of Rome through fogged up windows. That was two weeks ago today, but seems like a distant dream already.
When I took Latin over twenty-five years ago we learned a saying, Roma locuta est, causa finita, "Rome has spoken, the case is finished," meaning that the Pope had given the final word on some case of speculation, after a novena of full days in Rome it means something else to me now--a witness of history, martyrs, relics, art and a even a baby. Indeed Rome has spoken.

St. Helena and the Cross (First Sunday of Lent, March 5)

On Sunday morning, I made my way to Saint Peter's not to attend Mass (we would do that later as a family), but to visit the various tombs of the Saints, Blesseds and soon to be (think Pope John Paul II), praying the Office at the various altars and then the rosary. It is interesting to me that yesterday morning I awoke in the middle fo the night and watched a live Mass from the St. Peter's and it looked so different to me that at first I thought the Pope was at some other church (this is just the opposite of what I expected would be the case from here on), but I think when you only see a small image of something that is so massive it has that effect.
These early morning mini-pilgrimages had become a good way to begin the day and to keep the focus on Christ. In some way my infant son had set the tone on the very first visit to St. Peter's a week earlier when the two of us (he on my back in a baby carrier) had ducked into the Blessed Sacrament chapel and knelt in a back pew and he had spoken one word, "Christ." Like the children that St. Augustine heard saying "Tolle et lege," his simple "Christ" echoed in my ears as the proclamations of St. Peter inscripted in Latin and Greek on along the walls of St. Peter's visually confirmed the basis of the epicenter of the Church that Christ founded on Peter after he proclaimed with Divine insight "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
The bodies of incorrupt popes, that dot St. Peter's point to the awaiting of the resurrection but also speak of the sleep that all followers of Christ long to be awakened from--just as the oversized cross of St. Helena, spear of St. Longius, cloth of St. Veronica and cross of St. Andrew all hover toward the the altar where the pope alone says Mass--amidst the glory of the papacy, I doubt anyone serving in that office could not be reminded everytime that they mount that sanctuary that "here we have no lasting kingdom."
One morning remained on this trip to make this morning visit, it would be a hasty one due to our morning departure.
Making my way back to the apartment, everyone was beginning to pack what wasn't needed beyond today and there was a large bag of garbage needing removal (it is amazing how much garbage we Americans can produce on a continuous basis--of course having a baby in diapers produces its own gross--in every sense of the word). Everyone gathered what they would need and we headed the several blocks back to St. Peter's this time to the long line that circled the piazza to go through security. The church was filled with tourists, mass goers and seekers as well as the ever present saints, angels and monuments of popes. Once we made it clear that our intention was to attend Mass we were allowed into that area, taking seats right below St. Helena holding the cross, near where the relics of the cross are kept, over which angels hold the sign of the cross with a sign proclaiming "by this sign conquer" that led to Constantine's conversion--this image framed with columns that are from the original Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem--heady stuff and the foder for much meditation.
The Mass, celebrated in Latin was the same Mass that you attended that Sunday in whatever language you heard it in--certian parts stood out to me, because I have been studying the differences between the Latin and the English translation that we hear every time we go to Mass. In this mass of people from every continent and who spoke every language the Latin provided a common language (for this reason I applaud Benedict's decision to include the basic Latin prayers in the Compendium of the Catechism and hope that religious educators will make an effort to teach them).
I'm going to include a few photos of the Mass from fellow Catholic blogger Gashwin of Maior autem his est caritas who was at the same Mass. The first is of the procession and the second is of the chanting of the Gospel:

At Communion, the barriers around the high altar were opened up and we received Communion from one of the Canons of St. Peter's. I still marvel at the lack of order or even the thought that maybe their is an orderly way of doing this. At the conclusion of Mass we made our way with the throng out into St. Peter's square for the Sunday Angelus (our second on this trip). The wind was blowing the banner hanging from the Pope's study pretty steadily.
At noon the cannon on the nearby hill went off (this happens everyday at noon) and a second later the Pope appeared at the window. I'm going to use some Yahoo photos of this event from that particular day.
When he speaks, as I've mentioned in another post, his voice fills the piazza leading Joseph to conclude that the Pope is a loud talker, "He has a big voice," I believe were his exact words.

On the First Sunday of Lent he said in excellent English:

To all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors I extend a warm welcome. In a special way I greet the students from Trondheim Katedralskole in Norway and those from Duquesne University in the United States. As we begin this holy season of Lent, I pray that Almighty God will continue to bless the members of your communities with a vigorous faith and a generous spirit. Upon all of you, I invoke the abundant Blessings of Almighty God.

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good Lent!

We then made our way to the ever present taxi's nearby and inquired about the price of having one of them take us to the airport in the morning. Someone was found who was available and he agreed to pick us up at our apartment in the morning and to take us to the airport for about 5 euro less then we had paid to get to the apartment. We then stopped to eat at a place very close to our apartment and had an okay meal. Amy went to the apartment and ran into the Roamin Roman who talked with her for a bit and told her that we must visit Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, I was more than happy to hear this as this was a Church that we hadn't visited yet and I wanted to see the Titulus that I had read might very well be the actual sign that hung over the cross because it didn't have the accuracy with the Gospels that one would expect a forgery to have. So as soon as lunch was over, we loaded up for the trip and set out without Katie who had reached her limit of force marches (she stayed behind and slept).
We took a cab to go directly to Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. Taking a cab is a quick way to get there, but with few exceptions, once you get there trying to find a cab that will take you back was more of a challenge. Anyway, we got there and went in and began our look around.
This is a church that could be said that St. Helena brought back with her...soil from the Holy Land was laid at the base of the church and some is visible under a glass, where for some reason people like to squeeze money to obscure the soil...which if not removed will one day become one with the soil.
The relics are not in the main church but in a seperate chapel through which a Cistercian monk who I asked to bless Michael and Joseph gave us a tour. He told us that Joseph was his baptismal name, but now in religion he was known as Michael...a happy coincidence.
The description of what we saw I will take from Churches of Rome, the images are mine:

Two thorns from the crown of thorns. The plant they come from has not been identified. They agree with other thorn relics.

(click on image for larger image)

The 'Titulus', part of the Title of the Cross bearing the words "Jesus of Nazareth, King...". It was found on 1 February 1492, built into the wall of the basilica behind a mosaic that was being repaired. The brick which covered it was inscribed 'TITULUS CRUCIS' - it can be seen in the outer relic chapel, together with a reconstruction of the whole Title. The relic was unknown at the time, but there are sources indicating that such a relic was venerated in the courtyard on Calvary in Jerusalem. The pilgim Aetheria (c. 385) mentions this, as does the pilgrim Antonius of Piacenza two centuries later. St Helena is said to have divided the relic into three parts, giving one to Constantine, keeping one in Jerusalem and sending the last to Rome. The relic was allegedly hidden in the wall c. 455, when the clergy needed to protect it from the attacking Visigoths. It is unknown why it was left there, and forgotten, until 1492, but it might simply be because the cleric responsible for hiding it was killed or displaced during the sack of the city. The workmen found a lead coffer sealed by Cardinal Gerardus, later Pope Lucius II. It is said to have been in quite good condition at the time, but Bosio wrote 60 or 70 years later that the red paint on the letters had faded and that worms had eaten away the words 'Jesus' and 'Judaeorum'. The words are cut from the right to the left, leading some scholars to believe they were cut by a Hebrew used to writing in that direction. It does seem unlikely that a medieval forger would do such a thing.

Splinters of the True Cross.

(again, you can click on the image for a larger image)







The finger of St. Thomas (the Churches in Rome site doesn't mention this but Father Michael did, saying that it was the index finger of St. Thomas that would have touched the wounds of Christ).









Leaving the Church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, we took out the ever used maps of Rome and discerned the direction of St. John Lateran's where we also knew we could catch the Metro train back toward the Trevi Fountain and another destination for this final day in Rome, the tomb of St. Gaspar del Bufalo ( a Saint that I had been telling Joseph was the real Superman...and when we returned from Rome we found the book that details the saints life, complete with illustrations one of which has a bandit shooting his gun at St. Gaspar and the bullets falling to the floor!). There was a park along our path with some children's rides and we stopped to allow Joseph to ride one (the plastic and the massive city wall behind is a nice contrast between ancient and modern I think).

Here we also came upon St. John Lateran in a new way, seeing it from a different approach and witnessing the statues of St. Francis and his companions facing the huge Church and thanks to Zadok who returned and took a photo of the images you now can see how they appear to hold the church up (based on the Pope's dream at the time):

In the bowels of the Metro station we bought a Metro pass (our week passes had expired the previous evening)and boarded the train heading for the Trevi Fountain for St. Gaspar's tomb. When we arrived at the Trevi, it was crowded and there was a church there that we went within. It was Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio,what I witnessed but didn't know at the time was the "hearts and viscera" of more than 22 popes...hmmm, but this wasn't the church of St. Gaspar. Walking out I asked two Italian police (one male, one female) in non intelligible Italian where St. Gaspar del Bufalo might be? They both shook their heads. "Santa Maria in Trivio"? Again, they had no idea, but pointed me the opposite direction of where the Church actually was, but this gave me the opportunity to see where several priests I know live in Rome and Santa Casa Maria at the old North American College. Then taking a left we passed another church which I we also stepped into, still no St. Gaspar, then took another left and we were back at the Trevi.
And there to the left was Santa Maria in Trivio and here the resting place of St. Gaspar in a bronze likeness that held its hand out so if you were kneeling you could grasp the hand of Gaspar as you prayed. I came late to even knowing St. Gaspar discovering him one day when traveling through Ohio and coming across the old Precious Blood Seminary that now serves as a retirement home for the Precious Blood priests and brothers. There is a relic of St. Gaspar's leg there and on a number of occaisions I have experienced the powerful intercession of St. Gaspar.
It is interesting to note and there were holy cards at Gaspar's tomb that just before the start of the Second Vatican Council that Blessed Pope John XXIII came here to this Church and the tomb of St. Gaspar to pray for the success of the Council. A fitting Church to put the cap on our pilgrimage (although I would still return to two others before leaving Rome).
We all knelt before St. Gaspar and offered private intentions and thanksgiving. Then rewarded Joseph with a trip to Burger King (might he have prayed to St. Gaspar for this treat?)before catching a bus that took us back to St. Peter's.
It was evening and we all set out for last minute souvenir shopping as well as a more practical concern of getting enough euro to pay the cab driver in the morning (this brought on some panic because the usual ATM's I used all weren't working for some reason).
But first I went to Santa Maria in Traspontinawhere I prayed the Evening Office and Compline,saying the Salve Regina kneeling before the brilliant image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Evening came, the Ninth Day!

Solemnity of Saint Joseph

From the Office of Readings:

Remember us, Saint Joseph, and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen.

Image of Saint Joseph with the child Jesus overlooking the Monastery of Our Lady of Gethsemeni in Kentucky.

Solemnity of St. Joseph Audio Post

Update 2012:

These audio files are no longer available.

For a set of interviews and podcasts with Michael Dubruiel about various topics ranging from Lent to the Eucharist, go here.

For more about Michael Dubruiel's best selling book, The How To Book of the Mass, go here.

For more about Michael Dubruiel's book, The Power of the Cross, including a free download of the book (.pdf file) - go here.

Divine Mercy Image (Rome March 4th)

I took this picture on March 4th at St. Peter's in Chains (in Rome, not Cincinnati as someone thought). It looks as though there is fire emiting from the rays of Divine Mercy (that wasn't why I took the photo, but it's the way it turned out on my digital camera): Click on image to enlarge.



I was in Rome on pilgrimage. If you read what happened earlier in the day under the post "Mass with Cardinal Ruini" I wonder if this were not a sign? The anniversary of Pope John Paul's last nine days are coming up this week. Last year on Good Friday the live Vatican feed showed the Pope watching the Via Dolorossa from his private chapel, this would have been the day that the Novena of Divine Mercy began...nine days later he died just as the novena concluded and as Evening Prayer I for the Feast of Divine Mercy was beginning. May all who see this image, confess their sins and spend the remainder of this Lenten Season learning about the great Mercy of Jesus Christ!

Let me also recommend the book Mercy Minutes: Daily Gems from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalski which gives a few lines of St. Faustina's diary for meditation for everyday (edited by Father George Kosicki)

From Bones to Chains (March 4th Rome)

The first stop was the Capuchin Crypt in the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione de Cappuccini. A rather macabre collection of the bones of friars arranged in various postures to, well attract tourists and deliver a message read in the last of the five or six rooms, "where you are, we once were, where we are you, you soon will be." After our visit here, we did walk into the Church above. The body of St Felix of Cantalice lies under one of the altars and it didn't strike me at the time, but does now this is the very St. Felix for which St. Felix Friary in Huntington, IN was named after. This Friary is where a very young Albert Groeschel came and received the name Benedict (after Benedict Joseph Labre) and as a novice witnessed the ecstasy of one Venerable Solanus Casey. The Friary was sold some years ago, but the building remains and I often walk its grounds. This past December I was blessed to take Father Groeschel back to the friary of his novice year and to walk the halls and hear fantastic stories of what he witnessed while there. Today I prayed at the tomb of the St. Felix!
We next stepped into the church of Sant'Isidoro for a brief look around. I believe that we also stopped into a store for some snacks as I don't believe anyone had eaten breakfast on this particular morning.
Next we crossed the street to Santa Maria della Vittoriawhere the famous "St. Teresa in ecstasy" (a theme going here with Solanus) by Bernini. This church once housed a miraculous image of the nativity, but it was destroyed by a fire and a replica now replaces the original but enshrined in a "gloria" similar to the enshrinement of the Chair of St. Peter in the Basilica of St. Peter's. I include pictures here of this "replacement image" as well as evidence that Amy, Katie and half of Joseph saw "St. Teresa" (Michael the baby on my back and I were taking the picture).

Next we crossed the street to the Paulist and American Church of Santa Susanna. Amy recognized that pastor as someone she had met as a seminarian many years ago. It was kind of neat being in the American church and seeing everything inside aimed at us but one of the most interesting things inside the Church that I could have easily missed had I not been so nosy was The Cistercian Monastery of Santa Susanna, I purchased an Agnus Dei at their store (Agnus Dei: A sacred wax object blessed with a prayer of exorcism. Wear it in faith to protect yourself from evil). They also had water that the Sister said you could drink (the one working on the day I was there spoke almost no English) and I don't see any reference to it on the web site (I didn't drink it).
Next it was on to the Diocletian Baths and what now is the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. by now the transfer of the baby had taken place.
I think we missed out on some good stuff in this church, but as I learned too late there really isn't a good tour book when it comes to churches. The links that I've provided throughout this commentary would have been invaluable in book form (now there is a thought(and I probably should go back and check the accuracy).
From here on to the Termini to catch the B Train to St. Paul's Outside of the Wall. We had been on this train back on Thursday and it had been packed, today it wasn't that bad, in fact it was very roomy and there were small family bands entertaining and passing the cup which made the trip to St. Paul's very enjoyable. Being preoccupied with preventing pick pockets I didn't take a picture of them which is too bad. At the end when the youngest child was passing the cup he said "gratzie" to everyone who donated until he got to me, he said "thank you." I got this treatment throughout my time in Rome save on one day in St. Peter's square while waiting for Amy and Katie to return from the scavi tour when I was approached by a photographer who came at me speaking rapidly in Italian. When I told him I did not speak, he pointed at my unshaven face (one of the few days that I didn't shave) and he said in English "you look very Italian"...I think by then the sun had also darkened my very white Northern Indiana face a bit.
Arriving at San Paolo fuori le murawe were a little disappointed to find that there appeared to be no place to eat anywhere nearby (it was well past noon by now). The outside courtyard of St. Paul's was very nice and had a tropical feel about it with palm trees centered by a large statue of St. Paul with a sword. There was a Spanish group playing a guitar and singing as processed around the courtyard and then into the Church. Under the entrance was another large statue of St. Paul, again with a sword (and when blogger's picture thing starts working again I'll post a picture of Joseph standing near the statue so you can see how large it was).

There was another Holy Door (sealed off course). What I remember most about the inside of the Church besides how large it was, were the images of the popes (lots and lots that gave the impression that they were running out of room). It took awhile to find Benedict, but not too long because his image was the only one illuminated. Another very memorable site was the large Easter candle holder and its many images. In the Blessed Sacrament chapel we saw the mosaic that Ignatius and his companions first took vows before when the Jesuits were in their infancy. We saw the cloister through the door and visited the gift shop where I inquired about the whereabouts of a Trappist monastery, which after hearing where it was decided that would have to wait for some future trip.
Back to the train station and some moments of disorientation as to what direction we were headed in--but the right train finally came and we were entertained by a different family band and got off at the Coliseum. Here checking the time and realizing that San Clemente (our next stop) was closed for the afternoon siesta we headed in that direction and ate lunch.

Here there was a young child that was both entertained and entertained Michael Jacob and Joseph. There was also a fish tank in the window of the restaurant (we ate outside) that entertained both for a bit when only bread was forthcoming.
This was one of those typical Roman days when the weather seemed to turn abruptly colder for awhile, but thankfully once the food came it seemed to warm up again. Enough time had passed that we made our way up the street to San Clemente. This was another one of those church's that many had told me was a "must see" and I can understand why...this church gave the perfect perspective on what Rome and the history of Christianity is all about. Built on what originally was a pagan Temple Mithras, in San Clemente you can still see it by traveling through the layers of history.
A beggar was begging at the door where St. Servulus once begged and Gregory the Great preached a homily about it:

For I remember that, in my Homilies upon the Gospel, I told how in that porch which is in the way to St. Clement's Church, there lay a certain man called Servulus, whom I doubt not but you also do remember: who, as he was poor in wealth, so rich in merits. This man had long been afflicted with sickness: for from the first time that I knew him, to the very last hour of his life, never can I remember but that he was sick of the palsy, and that |195 so pitifully, that he could not stand, nor sit up in his bed: neither was he ever able to put his hand unto his mouth, or to turn from one side to the other. His mother and brethren did serve and attend him, and what he got in alms, that by their hands he bestowed upon other poor people. Read he could not, yet did he buy the holy scriptures, which very carefully he caused such religious men as he entertained to read unto him: by means whereof, according to his capacity, though, as I said, he knew not a letter of the book, yet did he fully learn the holy scripture. Very careful he was in his sickness always to give God thanks, and day and night to praise his holy name.
When the time was come, in which God determined to reward this his great patience: the pain of his body strook inwardly to his heart, which he feeling, and knowing as his last hour was not far off, called for all such strangers as lodged in his house, desiring them to sing hymns with him, for his last farewell and departure out of this life: and as he was himself singing with them, all on a sudden he cried out aloud, and bad them be silent, saying: "Do ye not hear the great and wonderful music which is in heaven?" and so whiles he lay giving of ear within himself to that divine harmony, his holy soul departed this mortal life: at which time, all that were there present felt a most pleasant and fragrant smell, whereby they perceived how true it was that Servulus said. A monk of mine, who yet liveth, was then present, and with many tears useth to tell us, that the sweetness of that smell never went away, but that they felt it continually until the time of his burial.

I gave Joseph a euro to place in the person's cup. If Joseph learned one thing during all these visits it was the joy of giving alms and of lighting candles while offering a prayer; a subtle lesson but one that probably will live long after his mother and I are gone.
It was here that we met up with a servant of God who had given me a ride from Charleston, SC to Myrtle Beach, SC last Fall where I was giving a talk. Amy is giving several talks in South Carolina next month and had been in touch with Gaurav and we knew that he was coming to Rome towards the end of our trip but never thought we would actually cross our path, but there he was in the courtyard of San Clemente. I went over and faked some Italian accent asking him if he were an American, at which he recognized me and laughed. We then hunted up Amy who was in the gift shop and took some pictures.

I spent time in prayer at the tomb of St. Cyril which is on the older level of the Church and didn't know until right now that St. Ignatius of Antioch was entombed at the main altar. The image of the cross on the apse of the Church is truly a beautiful piece of art that incorporates the image of Jesus as the Vine.
From here it was on to the great search for San Pietro in Vincoli. We walked a great deal, stopped and asked for directions. Came upon the Church of San Martino ai Monti (I think..somehow this is the right location, but it seemed like it was a different church). Going on a bit further we came to a street where looking left we saw Santa Maria Maggiore, much to our horror. We took out the maps again and tried to figure out where we were or more specifically where San Pietro in Vincoli was (there came a point where we were just kind of goofy--I look at the maps now and it all seems so clear but trying to find street names and asking directions sometimes seems of little use when actually in Rome). We headed back in the direction we had just came, followed a sign and then panicked again because we were almost at the Coliseum and still no San Pietro in Vincoli. We headed in another direction, no signs but just a hunch and finally there it was with a fairly good crowd around. I think Mass was going on in a side chapel, so we were still able to go in and look around to see the chains in the reliquary and Michelangelo's Moses.

Once outside of St. Peter in Chains we walked down a descending stairway and to the Metro Station Cavour where we boarded the train back to the Termini, there we caught a bus that we took back as far as Piazza Navona to see the French Church San Luigi dei Francesi where the altar of Saint Matthew is decorated entirely with three very famous Caravaggio paintings--including one that graces the cover of my favorite commentary on Matthew's Gospel by Frederick Dale Bruner. But first since we were in Piazza Navona and there was a church that we hadn't noticed before we stepped into the Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore. Then on to San Luigi dei Francesi which we had been to on Thursday (but it was closed), tonight there was a fairly good crowd, mostly around the Caravaggio section. Someone had to put in an euro in order to keep the images illuminated but there seemed to be no shortage of generous souls present.
Almost as soon as we exited I spotted a taxi, which I hailed and we piled in. He started animatedly speaking to me in broken English something about the feet and an extra charge. Finally I discerned that he want the baby out of the carrier and into Amy's arms and I'm not sure if Joseph had put his feet up on the seat too, but anyway we spent most of the short drive with him reiterating his anxiety over a dirty taxi--I was glad to be let out at St. Peters and not charged extra (no tip for you!).
I'm sure we grabbed something to eat, but I have absolute no memory of it now.
Evening came, the Eighth Day!

Mass with Cardinal Ruini ( March 4th)

I had bought an alarm clock about four days into our trip to insure that I would get up and make it over to St. Peter's in the morning when it opened up. On Saturday morning I was up bright and early and made it over to be one of the first in line. "The line" was for us commoners, there were always people and priests already in St. Peter's that obviously entered from another place, another "gate" if you would.
This morning I headed right for the grottoes as they had become my favorite places to pray the morning office and attend Mass if possible. I passed a number of Masses being said already in several of the chapels, none in English. Then I arrived at the Clementine and there was a small group following me there: several older Italian women, two priest vested in purple and a cardinal. They went into the Clementine Chapel--so I followed them in, when the cardinal turned around to begin the Mass I recognized him right away, it was Cardinal Ruini, the vicar of Rome (in some way the de facto bishop of Rome). I decided to stay. The Mass was said in Italian and I could follow most of it, even make out the Gospel reading and that it was the Feast of St. Casmir (a saintly king of Poland). I was struck by the humility of the cardinal who when he preached kept his eyes closed for almost the entire homily. He mentioned Pope John Paul (I presume in connection with the day's feast). It was a very reverential and spiritual Mass. At the conclusion the cardinal accompanied by the two priests paused and the tomb of Pope Pius XII (in a direct line with the Clementine Chapel and said a short prayer, then they went out the way we had come in, I went in the other direction. When I emerged at the tomb of Pope John Paul II, I found that Cardinal Ruini along with the other two priests were there on their knees. Cardinal Ruini with hand to his eyes seemed be sobbing. They stayed there for some time before getting up and exiting the grottoes. I stood with the group that always seems to be present there,praying the rosary.
This morning the Basilica was even less crowded than usual for this time of the morning and I found that there was no Mass being said at the Chair of Peter, so I settled into one of the pews to pray the office. I think I had reached the First Reading in the Office of Readings when a Basilica aid told me that I couldn't pray there (this is only for Mass). I tried to protest, but he spoke no English and I decided to go to the Blessed Sacrament chapel. On my way I stopped at the tomb of Blessed John XXIII and sat in a pew there. When I finished, since there was no Mass being said I went up and prayed close to the glass tomb and peered in at the face of Blessed John, I was somewhat still marveling at the face of St. Joseph Maria Tomasi who has a visible beard on his face even though he's been lying in rest since 1713. Blessed John had on beard (I guess the pope's have better razors).
Back at the apartment, Amy was waiting on another filming apointment which was suppose to happen at 9:00 a.m this time at our apartment. It was 9:15 when we decided to go (given that we were down to our final two full days in Rome). We had reached the end of the Borgo Pio when the film crew spotted us from the Porta San Ann. They took Amy from us and we resorted to visiting gift shops and then going into the Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri (said a prayer for my sister Ann)(the link will tell you this church--the parish church of Vatican City isn't open to the public--I went into it at least five times while I was there and it seemed very open to me), just in Vatican City and saying a few prayers. When we came out Amy was heading back to us--we made our way to the tram, and then to the Metro for another heavy day of pilgrimage stops.

Aventine (March 3rd)

Amy and Katie went shopping after we returned from St. Peter's and the brothers and I rested. At some point we set out again for a taxi, this time to take us to Santa Sabina where the Pope had said Mass on Ash Wednesday. The driver (the only one like this) was very anti-Vatican and almost immediately launched into an attack on the Church's money etc.--all in broken English.
First we made our way to Santa Sabina, which was right where the cab driver let us out. We saw the orange tree planted by St. Dominic through the hole in the door.
Next we visited Sant'Alessio all'Aventino, I'll have pictures of some of these places as soon as blogger's picture poster thing starts working again.The shrine of St. Alex under the staircase was very interesting. There were several young women gathered at the doorway of the Priory of the Knights of Malta, we waited our turn then looked through the keyhole at St. Peter's Basilica--very impressive. There were also parks and gardens that we walked through in this area before heading to Sant' Anselmo all'Aventino the Benedictine monastery. There was a wedding going on in the Church, so we weren't really able to see much there, but did spend some time in the gift shop which had an interesting collection of all things Benedictine from different monasteries around Europe. The monk in charge wasn't too keen on children being in the store though.
We then walked down the beautiful path Clivo D. Rocca Savella toward Santa Maria in Cosmedin. We stopped at a convent of the Daughter's of Charity to ask directions from the porteress, which she happily gave. Unfortunately the Church was closed when we arrived, but a crowd was gathered to view the Bocca della Verità, 'Mouth of Truth'.
From here we caught a cab and returned to St. Peter's where Monsignor Stephen Bosso had said he would meet us for dinner at the obelisk. We met up and went to a place where we had eaten on the previous Sunday evening. Amy and the kids left the meal when they finished and Steve and I caught up for a few hours more.
Evening came the Seventh Day.

Sistine Chapel--(Friday March 3)

I didn't take any pictures, because first I didn't bring my camera along with me on this day (because I didn't think you could take pictures inside the Vatican Museums--while you can't in the Sistine Chapel, you can in the rest of the complex). However there are plenty of images online, so I'll make use of them--including this one of the Prophet Jonah (of Whale and Nineveh fame) who is hangs over the front panel of The Last Judgment of Micheangelo in the Sistine Chapel. More on that later.
We walked past the long, long lines waiting to get into the Vatican museums (past the gate that recently opened into Vatican City that bears the present Pope's name over it. Every work done in the Vatican always has the pope who was reigning at the time's name attached to it--P. JPII is everywhere--a lot of work was done in his twenty six years!
Unlike the poor souls waiting, we didn't have to, thanks to the generousity of Elizabeth Lev who had told Amy the night before that she could give us a tour of the Sistine Chapel (and also wanted to interview Amy for Zenit--for that interview click here).
Once we were inside what I remember first was the Gallery of Tapestries (although this wasn't the first thing we saw, but I believe it was the first time we stopped on our way to the Sistine Chapel). Here was a hallway lined with floor to ceiling tapestries. I believe it was here that we encountered the tapestry of the resurrection where the stone felled by the emergence of Jesus from the tomb followed you in whatever direction you were at the time.
Next through the Gallery of Maps (which were mainly large maps of regions of Italy). Next I think anyways(kind of like when you are being driven somewhere and you don't remember the exact route--so too when you are being led by someone who knows where they are going)after going down a flight of stairs we found ourselves in the Sistine Chapel pretty much alone. Wow!
I'm sure the Sistine Chapel evokes a number of memories for many people. For people older than me, my guess is that they immediately think of Rex Harrison as Pope Julian barking orders up at Charleton Heston as Michangelo in The Agony and the Ectasy. This wasn't my thought...my thoughts were less than a year old when the television cameras for the first time positioned within the Sistine Chapel showed the cardinals walking in procession to the chanting of the Veni Creator Spiritus entered the conclave that would elect Pope Benedict XVI--I thought if these walls could speak!
Of course the walls do speak, the thousands of words that art tells us. Elisabeth told us that Italian artists always positioned paintings in such a way that what was on one wall was speaking to the other. I found myself intrigued by one of the paintings on the wall done by Botticelli The Punishment of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Why this image?
One of the key phrases to come out of the Second Vatican Council was the Biblical image of the Church as "the People of God." A recent interview says that this image can be traced back to Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. Now, anyone who has had first hand dealings with "the People of God" since the Second Vatican Council knows how that image and term is often used, specifically to pit the populace against the institutional Church. I can imagine in the last conclave the cardinals looking up at that image during a break in the proceedings and asking some of the more Biblically savy to explain the story behind the painting, which I now present to you from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible:

Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abi'ram the sons of Eli'ab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben,took men; and they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them; why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" When Moses heard it, he fell on his face;and he said to Korah and all his company, "In the morning the LORD will show who is his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him; him whom he will choose he will cause to come near to him.Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company;put fire in them and put incense upon them before the LORD tomorrow, and the man whom the LORD chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!"And Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, you sons of Levi: is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;and that he has brought you near him, and all your brethren the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also?Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together; what is Aaron that you murmur against him?" And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abi'ram the sons of Eli'ab; and they said, "We will not come up.Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us?Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up."And Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, "Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one ass from them, and I have not harmed one of them."And Moses said to Korah, "Be present, you and all your company, before the LORD, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow;and let every one of you take his censer, and put incense upon it, and every one of you bring before the LORD his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer."So every man took his censer, and they put fire in them and laid incense upon them, and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron, "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment."And they fell on their faces, and said, "O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be angry with all the congregation?"And the LORD said to Moses,"Say to the congregation, Get away from about the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abi'ram." Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abi'ram; and the elders of Israel followed him.And he said to the congregation, "Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins." So they got away from about the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abi'ram; and Dathan and Abi'ram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.And Moses said, "Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord.If these men die the common death of all men, or if they are visited by the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD."And as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split asunder;and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men that belonged to Korah and all their goods.So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. (Numbers 16)

Now, what is the image that this painting depicting the rebellion of Korah speak to? Christ's Charge to St. Peter by Perugino. Amazing how the papacy has survived through countless forms of governments ruling the nations of the earth--and one might counter how those who have broken away have often been swallowed up not so much by the earth but by the culture they exist in to the point that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is lost in the process. It is an ever present tempation for the people of God to think that they don't need the structure that God has put in place. This was one thought, again obviously affected by the thought of how this Chapel is used when it isn't a museum piece.
What struck me about the familiar images of the Sistine Chapel. Several things:

1. Of the Ceiling images, Michelangelo's interpretation of the "Creation of the Heavens and Earth" surprised me and in trying to search for the image online I can see why. I can't find the other half of the image--the one that shows God's rearend (as if God were mooning the crowd below). This was a surprise.
2. The second was how Michelangelo uses the prophets and has Jonah (pictured at the head of this post) as the prophet that comes closest to Christ and suspends right over the image of Jesus in the Final Judgment. This is another 3-D image where Jonah's feet literally seem to be hanging over the edge.
3. The whole panarama of revelation from sin to restoration, from first creation to new creation. One could present the entire teaching of the Catholic Church by viewing the images on these walls and ceiling.
   

While we were viewing and listening to Elizabeth explain various elements of the art we were experiencing several Vatican workers were shuffling in Chalices and other Mass vessels that she explained were for the Pope's private chapel-they get a very good polishing job.
We left the Chapel and headed back to the beginning of the Vatican Museums where we retired to the Museum cafeteria where Elizabeth conducted her interview with Amy and I chased the baby around until I tired and then Katie chased him around. After the interview we made our way back to the beginning minus Elizabeth. We first went to the Pinacoteca gallery then to the Pio-Christian museum (I think Joseph and I were the only one's to venture to the end and witness the ancient image of Christ as the Good Shepherd). Then we made our way with the mass of humanity through the Sobieski Room, Raphael's Stanze, Sala dei Chiaroscuri, Raphael's Logge the Borgia Apartment and then back into the Sistine Chapel which was packed with people. We worked our way through the crowd and exited the door toward St. Peter's which put us on the staircase leading away from the Apostolic Palace and out along St. Peter's Basilica where there was a very good gift shop with some items that I hadn't seen anywhere else in Rome. We made several purchases here before heading down the side steps of St. Peter's and through a different exit that was opened for that day. This took us right over the spot on St. Peter's Square where there is a red pophry rock marking the spot where Pope John Paul II was shot. Jeff Kirby had told us about it, but we hadn't been able to find it on any of the previous days, now we were stooped on the ground looking at it (the original stone had drops of blood and was removed, while this stone was put in its place as a marker). When we arose, there was Greg Burke and the Fox News crew getting ready to film a spot about the Italian Parliament's proclamation blaming the Soviet Union for the attach on the late Pontiff's life. "How did you know about that?" Greg asked us. "Thanks to Jeff Kirby."
Amy exchanged plesantries with Mario the Fox producer and also the producer of Rome Reports whom she had been working with through the week. We then set out for lunch.

Go here for a compilation of all of Michael Dubruiel's Rome posts.

Pope John Paul II's Way of Prayer

From his Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way:

I simply pray for everybody everyday. When I meet man, I start praying for him and it always helps in making contact (...) I accept everyone as a person sent by Christ – as the person he gave me and, at the same time, assigned.

Check out the website devoted to his cause.

On Amazon you can buy the book for a penny!