Ash Wednesday Humor

As we begin Lent today, I offer the following cartoon that has been circulating around the internet as a bit of diversion.

Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette

And then this sketch of what retirement might look like for Benedict...Oh that we would all be so lucky!

J.D. Crowe, Mobile Register

Ciao!

That was unexpected...

A few people have asked what life is like in Rome these days....

All eyes will be focused here in the next several weeks.

To start with, I’ve never said that I’m the quickest when it comes to comprehending things.  So, this is how the “big news” unfolded for me…

On Monday a little after noon, as I usually do, I returned home from school and plopped on my bed to rest a few minutes before pranzo (lunch).  As I was (somewhat ironically) looking at the news on my cell phone browser, there was a knock on my door.  In came Fr. Pachi, the rector, who asked (in Italian) if I had heard the news.  I said no and so he continued to speak in Italian.  Now, I admit, that my Italian is not the best.  I understood that there was something about Pope Benedict, and (mixing up the words salutare and saluto - greetings and health) I thought that Pachi said the Pope had decided to discontinue his public appearances and greetings of individuals.  I think my underwhelmed expression surprised Pachi a little and so he left.   

Being curious, I went back to my phone and checked a few U.S. news outlets…nothing about the Pope (it was only 6 AM on the East Coast).  Then I did a quick Google search…but still, the headlines coming from several British agencies couldn’t be correct.  I chuckled as I thought of the retractions they would have to make.  

 Then, Bro. Dan next door called to me and it was with him, and his friends from Kenya with whom he was on Skype, that things started to come into clear view.  Really?  The Pope has resigned?  I ran down to our dining room (after all, it was now time for pranzo) only to be met by several brothers with looks of disbelief and awe on their faces.  Definitely not something any of us had expected.

Pope Benedict at an October mass in St. Peter's Square to open the Year of Faith.

During pranzo, about all that any of us at our table could say was, “Wow,” as we realized the unique history that was unfolding literally right around us.  After lunch, I turned on my computer only to find my Facebook page “exploding” with comments:  “Wow. You will be in Rome for a conclave.” [Still sinking in.]  “Did you ever think you would be in Rome during an election of a pope?” [No.]  “Bob Jones for Pope.” [White’s not really my color.]   

But, I think my friend Jeremy was first: “My housemate from UD is in Vatican City for the priesthood. I'm hoping Bob Jones will blog about this.”  And of course my friend Shannon added in her usual wit: “I'm hoping it spices up your blog. Haha. Jk. bring on the pictures!”  Well, wish granted, Jeremy!  And I’ll try my best, Shannon.

The next several weeks will be very interesting, and as “your Brother in Rome” I’ll try to share some thoughts and observations (and spicy pictures) as I can.  Stay tuned as I begin looking for white smoke!

To respond to one Facebook question...No this is not photo-shopped!  This is from a September General Audience which I attended at the Vatican.

Ciao!

Give me a hand...

I have a friend named Andrea who is a youth minister at a parish in Colorado.  A few months ago, she told me that her middle school students were learning about the Saints.  Somehow, they got talking about relics, and she asked if I might be able to get some pictures of relics here in Rome.  I told her that I accepted her challenge, and it actually wasn't too difficult to accomplish.  It seems that almost everywhere you turn in Rome, you are bound to see an arm bone, a piece of cloth worn by a holy person, or some other remembrance of a saint (like St. Claire's ball of yarn).  And then, there is the Capuchin crypt, where chapels are decorated using only bones of dead Capuchin Friars.  (Sorry, but they didn't allow photographs.  And, you really just need to see it to believe it.)  I was once told that in the Middle Ages, relics were a big deal...economically.  If a city could boast that their cathedral had a relic, and if the relic was purported to have miraculous powers, then the city was guaranteed to have pilgrims!  It was like the original tourism promotion :)  Anyone who has read or seen the mini-series "Pillars of the Earth" will know what I mean.

Here's the arm of a Jesuit Martyr.  I don't know anything about him, other than his arm is located in the Church of St. Ignatius in central Rome.

It shouldn't have surprised me that Andrea would ask for some relic pictures.  A few years ago, we were headed to a retreat in Connecticut.  On our way, we decided to stop at St. Edmund's Retreat Center in Mystic, Ct.  (There's nothing like visiting a retreat center on your way to a retreat.)  We stopped because we were told that it is a beautiful setting - and it is, situated on a peninsula jutting out into the ocean.  As we were exploring the area, we came across the main chapel...and the arm of St. Edmund!  A little unexpected to say the least.  However, after being in Rome now, I don't seem to be caught off guard anymore by these things.

The arm of St. Edmund in Mystic, Ct.

 In all honesty, I'm not sure how I feel about all this relic business.  I find it difficult to pray before a body part of another person, even if they are quite holy.  And, there are many relics whose history is a bit obscure and even doubted.  And yet, when I have made retreats at Gethsemane Abbey in Kentucky, I always feel drawn to visit Thomas Merton's grave - a sort of relic and what always feels like a holy place for me, even if it is just a simple white cross planted in the ground above his grave. 

Thomas Merton's grave at Gethsemane Abbey in Kentucky.

I am reminded of a sign I saw at the Church Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (it has, perhaps, the mother of all Roman relics including parts of the True Cross, a thorn from the crown of Jesus, and Doubting Thomas' finger, among other things.)  It reminded me that it is the story of the person that is of most importance for us.  The lives of the saints remind us of our own path to holiness.  And there are many saints that were like many of us, maybe not the most holy of individuals at the start, but somehow learned to follow God in an exemplary way.  St. Paul persecuted the first Christians.  St. Francis of Assisi was a carouser in his early life.  Thomas Merton struggled with his vows of chastity and obedience.  If nothing else, their lives give me hope. 

And then, a few weeks ago, I was brought face to face with a special relic.  On the memorial of of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, Founder of the Marianist Family, our Archivist brought out a bit of Blessed Chaminade's hair that has been preserved in a reliquary.  At first I kind of chuckled, wondering who snipped off the hair.  But then, as I was looking at it, I have to admit that it was pretty "cool" to be this close to a part of our Founder.  So, maybe this whole relic business isn't as far fetched as I first thought it was. 

The picture is not the best, but here is some hair of Blessed Chaminade.

The link below will take you to my Picasa photo sharing site that gives pictures of the relics that I photographed for Andrea's catechism class:

Click Here to See More Pictures of Relics

Thank you, Andrea, for sending me on this little adventure.  In doing so, I came across some interesting stories and some parts of Rome that were new to me.  It was sort of like trying to find a geo-cache.  

This picture is a few years old, but it is a typical "Andrea" picture.  I'm trying to study and she is goofing off.

Ciao!

Christmas 2012

I have been meaning to post some pictures from Christmas for a while now.  But, with exams coming up in a few weeks, participating in a European meeting of the Taize Ecumenical community (with about 40,000 young people), and the normal day-to-day life of the community….well, I’m now getting around to it.  But, the liturgical season of Christmas doesn’t end until this Sunday (with the Baptism of the Lord) so I’m really ahead of the game :)

So, here’s a slice of life from Via Latina…Natale style!  (That means Christmas)

Ciao!

Christmas festivities started a little early with "Dinner for the 'Personali'" - those who work at our house and help keep it running.  There are around 30 permanent residents and a whole cadre of guests that come through.

There were also some brothers finishing a sabbatical at dinner.

The tree in the center of the city at Piazza Venezia.  It's not exactly Rockafeller Center, but...

...Add lights and darkness, and it doesn't look too bad.  This is Fr. Jim who was in town and took me out for a nice dinner...woohooo...we like Fr. Jim.

To help celebrate, two cousins from Detroit visited Rome.  Here's Mike.

And here's my other cousin, Ronda.

A group of us went to St. Peter's for Midnight Mass (starting at 10:00).

It was a full house, but in typical Roman fashion we got pretty good seats "because we knew someone."

With my cousins Mike and Ronda before Mass started.

The Pope was the main celebrant.

There he is...

And you can't forget the choir on Christmas.

The creche in St. Peters.

Rome in a festive mood.

Now, onto Christmas dinner with our chef extraordinaire, Bro. Mike.

And then onto the Christmas party...Or as I like to call it..."Brothers gone wild."

Before we could open our gifts, we played a game where we had to guess the identity of a secret person.  My group had Goliath (that's what happens when there's a bunch of seminarians involved)...

...And if you didn't guess in time, then you had to dance!

There was a lot of dancing, even for the guests!

Of course, it's not Christmas without a rapper.  This is Lay Marianist Joe Melendrez who is a Christian Rapper.  He was visiting for Christmas and entertained us.  He is also modelling his line of clothing called "God Swag."

Not to be outdone, Bro. Dani also rapped for us.

This is Bro. Arul, my "Invisible Friend."  In the States he would have been my Secret Santa.

The Americans gave a rousing rendition of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.

More of Rome.

The Italian Marianist Sisters had us over for a Christmas party, also.

The food is always good at the Sisters' house.

And they gave us gifts...Mostly free things they had accumulated throughout the year :)

A good time was had by all.

Besides visiting the sites in Rome with my cousins, we made a day trip to the city of Subiaco.  This is where St. Benedict lived for several years (spending three years in a cave) and where he wrote the first copy of the Rule of Life for Monks.

Only in Italy.

Subiaco is nestled in the mountains.  This is St. Scholastica Monastery.

The monastery is on top of a mountain, so it was uphill all the way.  But, it was a really nice day.

Just something we stumbled upon in Rome.  They're red, so I figured it's like a Christmas picture.

After Christmas there was a meeting of European youth coordinated by the Taize Community.  It is an ecumenical religious community centered in France.  There were about 80 Marianist youth who participated from Spain, Italy, France, Austria and Poland.  They gathered at our house for prayer and fun.

Finally, the creche in our chapel.  Buon Natale a tutti e Buon Anno!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

On December 12, we celebrate Mary under the name Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Below is a reflection that I have written for our community mass and some pictures of Mary that I have taken around Europe.

 

Who is Mary?  Who is this woman to whom we dedicate our lives each day? 

For some, she is Our Lady of the Pillar.  For others Our lady of Providence.  Then there is Our Lady of Nazareth, and Notre Dame d’Afrique.  We just celebrated Mary of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Loretto.  Many titles for the Mother of God.

Today, we celebrate and honor Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Now, for those in Rome, it might not mean too much.  But for those in Mexico, the United States, and all the Americas, we celebrate her in a special way because she is the patroness of the Americas. 

In 1531, Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a humble native American, on a hillside near present-day Mexico City.  She requested that a church be built on the site.  The Bishop dismissed Juan Diego but was persuaded after he brought a bunch of roses, a rare site in the midst of winter.  Mary’s image was also imprinted on Juan Diego’s simple cloak.  

   

 These stories and miracles are probably good enough in themselves.  They have led to a strong devotion to Mary, especially among the peoples of Latin America.  And the Basilica today is a busy site for pilgrims from all over.  However, what I probably like best about the story is that Mary appeared to Juan Diego as a Native Person herself and she spoke his native language.  She was the not the blond hair, blue eye Madonna of Europe.  But, she came as one of the native peoples.  For me, and perhaps for you, this is the message of the feast for all people.  Mary comes to us as one of us.  She is like us.

Mary is first a disciple of Jesus, like we try to be.  Mary heard the call of God and said “yes.”  This is what we are trying to do, too.  Mary doubted, prayed, wept, rejoiced, believed…all things that we do on our own pilgrimage of faith.  The American theologian Elizabeth Johnson wrote a book on Mary and called it: “Truly our Sister.”  This is an apt title for Mary whom we celebrate today.  She is our sister who walks among us, who guides us, and who encourages us in our journey of faith.

In today’s readings, we hear a message of hope and of consolation.  The prophet Isaiah speaks of God who is creator of the heavens and earth.  Those who trust in this creator “will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”  The example of Mary reminds us of this promise.  She, as handmaid of the Lord, knew that God would do great things in her.  God was her strength and her energy.  As she walks among us, she reminds us to put our faith and trust in the God who made us and loves us.

 

In the Gospel we hear Jesus say, “Come to me” and “learn from me.”  Our God is not a distant God directing things from the heavens, but a God who is near to us and who is inviting us to himself.  Again, Mary welcomed this invitation from the Lord.  She wholeheartedly gave her life to Jesus and learned his way of love.  This is our call - to give our lives to Jesus following the example of Mary.

Today we celebrate Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe.  May we be reminded that Mary is with us, walking with us on our pilgrimage of faith.  As she appeared to Juan Diego so many years ago, let us pray that Mary be with us and bring to us Jesus.  And may we do the same today to those we meet.

 

Of course, for the community I will give this in Italian...Here's a little taste: 

Oggi, noi ricordiamo ed onoriamo Maria sotto il titolo di Nostra Signora di Guadalupe. Ora, per quelli di Roma, non potrebbe significare troppo. Ma per quelli in Messico, gli Stati Uniti, e tutte le Americhe, noi la festeggiamo in modo speciale perché lei è la patrona delle Americhe.  

Ciao!