Standing in Holy Ground - Assisi

He Is Risen!

Last night, we celebrated the Vigil of Easter at the Church of Santa Suzanna with the Paulist Fathers and the American Community in Rome. I had been there for Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Their liturgies are prayerful, well done and the music is fantastic.

This morning I went down to the Vatican for the Pope's Mass and then his Urbi et Orbi ("to the City of Rome and to the World"). Crowded? I am convienced that everyone in Rome was there ...

This afternoon, some of us are heading out for Easter Dinner. We have chosen a place called Ristorante Orazio and, with the weather cooperating, we will be dining outdoors. 

Easter Monday morning we travel to Assisi by bus for our retreat and will be lead by Fr. John Harris, O.P. We will be staying at Casa Papa Giovanni, and have an opportunity to celebrate Masses in all the major Churchs in Assisi. I look forward to returning to Assisi. It really is a special place to me and countless others. In 2007, I spent some time there with a group of priests as part of the Seton Hall Institute, and have always wanted to go back. The weather sould be nice this time of year in Assisi.

Happy Easter !

Good Friday Reflection



Sketch of the Chapel Wall at Casa O'Toole

Good Friday Reflection

Tree of Life

How splendid is the cross of Christ!  It brings life, not death;  light, not darkness; Paradise, not loss.  It is the wood on wehich the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but  healed thereby our wounds.  A tree has destroyed us, a tree now brought us life.

Saint Theordore the Studite

The 'Tree of Life' painting - based on that of the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome - is found int eh Chapel of the Casa O'Toole, home to the priests who attend the sabbatical program offered by the Pontifical North American College.  At the center is the glorious Cross, upon which lies Our Lord Jesus Christ, His body squeezed dry 'having loved to the end.' (John 13.1).  Beneath the cross. on the left, Mary stands with lowered eyes and hands raised in prayer.  On the right is St. John the Apostle.  The doves on the Cross represent all the apostles.  Above the Cross the Father's hand carries the laurel wreath destined for the 'lamb once slain' (Rev. 5.6), who awaits now the crown of victory.

Rooted in the earth, represented by the dark soil, the Tree extends all the way to the dome of heaven, shown in the semi-circular bands of color.  From its roots, a luxuriant acanthus vine bursts forth, which envelopes the Chapel's tabernacle; it sends its branches far and wide, covering the entire wall space.  The image is of Christ and His Church, based on the words, 'I am the vine and you are the branches' (Jon 5.5)  The curling tendrils of the vine terminate in stylized flowers pointing to the rich fruits born from remaining in Christ.  This is depicted also by birds of every kind, who find home within the vine, a sign of creation resting in the happiness of heaven.

The streams gushing forth from the base of the Tree are symbols of new life that flows from Baptism.  Two deer drink from the water; they allude to the soul that 'thirsts from God' (Psalm 42.1; 63.1), a thirst that is quenched at the Altar of the Eucharist.

Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo, Director



Today we begin the Sacred Triduum

 Today This is the most important time in the Church's calendar, and beginning last evening, we've now begun it's most important feast. The three-day Easter Triduum commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and, through him, the very mystery of our salvation. It's what we've spent all of Lent preparing for, a time for earnest prayer, consideration of what we hold most dear in our lives, and an invitation to draw ever closer to our Savior, before whom all pales in comparison. As St. Paul said, "I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Php 3:8).

On Wednesday, the day before the beginning of the Triduum, there is a tradition here in Rome of an ancient pilgrimage, and one which for me was a nice way to cap off the station church practice.  Known as the Seven Church Walk, the path was first laid out in the mid-16th century by St. Philip Neri and his friends as a way of visiting the four major basilicas of Rome(above: B: St. Mary Major, E: St. John Lateran, G: St. Paul Outside the Walls, and H: St. Peter's) as well as three important minor basilicas (C: St. Lawrence Outside the Walls; D: Holy Cross of Jerusalem; F: Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls). In the succeeding centuries, it's been a way of gathering to worship with friends, spend some time in the fresh air, and see some of the beautiful religious and cultural sights of Rome all in one day. These same things were what appealed to those of us who undertook the walk on Wednesday. Our group included priests and seminarians from the NAC, American college kids studying abroad for the semester, some lay men and women who work here in Rome, and a few other colorful individuals.

The Walk Ends ....

For the past six weeks, those of us here on sabbatical have had the opportunity of participating in the station church pilgrimage of Lent, a Roman tradition that dates back to Christian antiquity. From at least the early fourth century, the Pope celebrated Mass during Lent with his clergy and the Roman Christian community at a designated “station” church. As Christianity became a more public faith, these “stations” were often basilicas built to honor Roman martyrs, constructed atop or around a former house church. Pope St. Gregory the Great fixed the order of the Roman station church pilgrimage in the sixth century, although further stations were added later as the Roman Church began to celebrate Mass on every one of the Forty Days.

The classic station church pilgrimage died when the popes moved to Avignon in the 14th century. But strong echoes of the ancient pilgrimage remained in the liturgy, for the Mass texts and prayers of Lent frequently reflected the Roman station church of the day and the saint honored there. Those echoes continue, if in more muted form, in the post-conciliar Lenten liturgy. What has been revived, however, and in a very dramatic way, is the station church pilgrimage itself. And the revival has been largely an American affair.

In the mid-1980s, students here at the NAC, began to follow the ancient custom of walking to the station church traditionally appointed for that day, each day of Lent. The practice caught on among other English-speakers in the city, so that each morning, as many as 500 Anglophones have come to the traditional station church of the day at 7 a.m. for Mass. Many walk. Others take buses, or the Metro, or drive. But on any given day of Lent, Monday through Saturday, you’ll find hundreds of English-speakers at the station church of the day, keeping faith with the traditions of the first millennium.
I have posted on some of the churches visited, and will try to add more as I review some of my notes.  But, the opportunity to have done this is a memory I will cherish. 

2/22/2012   Ash Wednesday     S. Sabina all'Aventino 

2/23/2012   Thursday    S. Giorgio al Velabro  
2/24/2012   Friday      Ss. Giovanni e Paolo 
2/25/2012   Saturday    S. Agostino
2/26/2012   Sunday–WEEK I     S. Giovanni in Laterano
2/27/2012   Monday      S. Pietro in Vincoli   
2/28/2012   Tuesday     S. Anastasia al Palatino     
2/29/2012   Wednesday   S. Maria Maggiore
3/1/2012    Thursday    S. Lorenzo in
3/2/2012    Friday      Ss. Dodici Apostoli  
3/3/2012    Saturday    S. Pietro in Vaticano  
3/4/2012    Sunday–WEEK II    S. Maria in Domnica    
3/5/2012    Monday      S. Clemente
3/6/2012    Tuesday     S. Balbina all’Aventino
3/7/2012    Wednesday   S. Cecilia in Trastevere     
3/8/2012    Thursday    S. Maria in Trastevere 
3/9/2012    Friday      S. Vitale
3/10/2012   Saturday    Ss. Pietro e Marcellino
3/11/2012   Sunday–WEEK III  San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura
3/12/2012   Monday      S. Marco al Campidoglio
3/13/2012   Tuesday     S. Pudenziana al Viminale    
3/14/2012   Wednesday   S. Sisto   
3/15/2012   Thursday    Ss. Cosma e Damiano    
3/16/2012   Friday      S. Lorenzo in Lucina 
3/17/2012   Saturday    S. Susanna 
3/18/2012   Sunday–WEEK IV    S. Croce in Gerusalemme
3/19/2012   Monday      Ss. Quattro
3/20/2012   Tuesday     S. Lorenzo in Damaso   
3/21/2012   Wednesday   S. Paolo fuori le Mura 
3/22/2012   Thursday    Ss. Silvestro e Martino
3/23/2012   Friday      S. Eusebio all’Esquilino   
3/24/2012   Saturday    S. Nicola in Carcere   
3/25/2012   Sunday–WEEK V     S. Pietro in Vaticano
3/26/2012   Monday      S. Crisogono in Trastevere   
3/27/2012   Tuesday     S. Maria in via Lata
3/28/2012   Wednesday   S. Marcello al Corso
3/29/2012   Thursday    S. Apollinare    
3/30/2012   Friday      S. Stefano Rotondo     
3/31/2012   Saturday    S. Giovanni a Porta Latina   
4/1/2012    Palm Sunday S. Giovanni in Laterano
4/2/2012    Monday      S. Prassede all’Esquilino    
4/3/2012    Tuesday     S. Prisca all’Aventino 
4/4/2012    Wednesday   S. Maria Maggiore

St Mary Major - Christmas in March

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

The Law of the Gospel in Itself ---

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