Wednesday, March 7 - Santa Cecilia

Venerated as the patron saint of musicians, St. Cecilia is one of those many Romans who held steadfast to the faith in the persecutions against the Roman Church during its early years.  She was a Roman maiden engaged to be married to a pagan named Valerian.  After their marriage, she brought him to Pope Urban I.  Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. Through prayers and good example, Saint Cecilia converted her husband, St. Valerian, and her brother-in-law, St. Tiburtius, to Christianity. As a result, all three were condemned to death (230). They tried unsuccessfully to suffocate St. Cecilia in her own bath by steaming her alive. Witnesses heard her singing songs to God throughout the ordeal (that is why she is the patron saint of music). They then tried to behead her. By Roman law, the executioner only had three attempts to severe the head.
The executioner, unsuccessful, ran away leaving her to slowly bleed to death. During the next few days, many were converted by her preaching. She died in a pool of her own blood, her fingers outstretched to proclaim her faith in the Triune God.

The bodies of this holy family were transferred to this church in 821 by Pope Paschal I (817-824). (See the mosaic depicting Paschal (with square nibus) giving the church to St. Cecilia who introduces him to St. Paul. Jesus in the center and next to him is Ss. Peter, Valerian, and Agatha. Below are the 12 lambs approaching Christ the Lamb of God from Bethlehem and Jerusalem.) In 1599, her tomb was opened and her body was found to be incorruptible. The sculptor Moderno was there, drew what he saw, and later made the famed statue (see photo). It' is located below the main altar.

Missing in Action???? No just Spring Break

I appreciate the emails I have received -- especially the ones expressing concern over the lack of activity on the blog the past few days.   I want to assure every one that I am not responsible for any international incidents, nor have I joined a cloistered monastery.   We are on Spring break and like most students, that means travel time.  And how easy it is to do in Europe with discount airlines, hotels and the common currency, the Euro.  Fr. Andy Prachar is here for the week so we are making the best of it.  The institute offered a trip to the Holy Land, but you may recall we did a parish trip there in 2009,  so I opted a not to go.  Instead, I would see some places that I had always wanted to visit. We left Rome last Friday for Amsterdam.  Andy had some friends to visit.  Spent most of the days sightseeing lots of museums and the various districts.  Our hotel was located at Museum Square, a little off the beaten track, but easy access by tram.  And much quieter than some of the more tourist areas. We then flew to Berlin, a city still under transition from the fall of the Wall, but certainly has come along way since its reunification.  To see so much of what was studied in World History in high school.  While most of the wall is gone, it's location is marked by a simple double row of bricks in the road and I must admit that walking 'through the wall' did evoke feelings of amazement, anger and history.  We toured the city by bus, and it is utterly amazing how far they have come in 20 years.  What was East Berlin is now a booming area of commerce, industry and homes. Visited Checkpoint Charlie one of the last remaining reminders of the Cold War, along with its museum and timeline.  How easy it is to forget some of the history of our lifetime. All over the city, there are photographs of what it looked like before, during and now after World War II.  Reminders of man's cruelty to man and the danger we all face when the power of evil is allowed to take root.  Hopefully, we will always remember the lessons learned and at what a price. We are ending the week with a trip back to Barcelona.  I went there earlier in the sabbatical and I am looking forward to spending more time exploring some of the things we did not get to see last time.  We return to Rome on Friday to be there to celebrate the high holyday (St. Patrick's Day) on Saturday with dinner and a show at the Irish College (seminary). Andy leaves on Sunday.  The program resumes on Monday. Need to mention that Fr. Clatton was a big help arranging all these flights/hotels.  The parishioners reading this will remember him from his two summers with us.  He is awaiting the date of the defense of his dissertation and the will return to India about the same time Fr. Grace will be returning in May.  He sends his regards to everyone.

Monday, March 5 - Church of San Clemente

Clement was a slave owned by the cousin of the emperor, Domitian. He was succeeded by the martyr Linus (66-78), the martyr Cletus (79-91), and then Clement (91-101). He may have been a co-worker with Paul (Phil 4:3) and a witness of Peter and Paul's martyrdoms. He wrote a letter to the Corinthians (96), the first known example of a Pope intervening in the affairs of another Church and speaks of the Orders of bishop, priest, and deacon as being instituted by Christ (for a while this was considered by some to be part of the New Testament). Legend has it he was martyred by being drowned with an anchor tied around his neck. His earthly remains rest under the main altar. Saints Cyril and Methodious are also buried here.
This ancient church is living history. It was first a temple to Mithras (pre-Roman). An imperial palace was then built on top of the ruins (1st C). Clement had a house here where he gathered the faithful for Divine Liturgies. It continued to be a place of worship.

Constantine started to built a church on this site and it was dedicated in 384. This church was destroyed by the Norman invaders (1804). The present church was built on top of the ruins by Pachal II (1099-1118). The former ruins have been excavated so you can now go down and visit all four levels of history. Extraordinary!! Raphael was the architect (1483-1520).

Some notes from classes ....

I am trying to catch up on some of the classes we have had ... the schedule is a bit lighter this week and I think it is a good time to try to post some details of the academia stuff that has been going on .....

Fr. Craig Morrison, O.Carm, professor of Biblical Studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

We spent several sessions over a number of days looking at techniques for reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture using a method he refers to as Narrative analysis.

This is very different from the method I learned at my own seminary education some 30 years ago. At that time the prevalent method was called the Historical - Critical Method.  It basically means that in order to know what the sacred authors meant, one must know the history of the period. Hence, the many examples I give of the daily life in the time of Jesus. Also, understanding the meaning required knowing the history of the period in which the passage was written.

Fr. Morrison offered us a method in addition to the historical - critical method which relies on a direct analysis of the narrative of the text. He claims that if you read the text deeply and raise questions from what you read, you will arrive at a meaning that is helpful for preaching and to "open up the scriptures" for people. He is not suggesting that we abandon the historical - critical method which we learned. He believes that reading the scripture as a narrative will make the scripture come alive for the modern hearer.

The technique requires a careful reading of the text and asking many questions of what is happening: who is speaking? who is observing? what is said? what is not said? What are the questions? Are the answers true? false? unanswered? Was the question evaded? Are statements true? false? relevant? What part of the narrative are extraneous to the story? What parts move the story along? What information is omitted? withheld? delayed? Does the character know more than the listener? Does the listener know more than the character(s)?

The questions go on and on.

Fr. Morrison reminded us to be careful not to read things into the story. And to be careful not to add details that are not there. For example: No where in the story of Adam and Eve is there a mention of an apple. None of the gospels ever say that Jesus was nailed to a cross. It says only that they crucified him. The words nail or nailed never appears in the gospel. Those details come from religious art, not the Bible.

I think that I will be purchasing Fr. Morrison's books and that my preaching, certainly the content will never be the same again.

Thursday - Church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna.

 Saint Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of Rome and was martyred in 258, four days after Sixtus II (257-258) during the Valerian persecution (253-260). The emperor knew that the Christians were noted for their generosity and so he assumed the Church was rich. He ordered Saint Lawrence to appear before him with the treasures of the Church. Saint Lawrence did so. He returned with the poor and sick saying "Here is the Church's treasure." He was put to death at the site of today's Station Church by being roasted alive on a grill. Tradition says that at one point, he asked his executioners to turn him over so he could be burnt evenly.

Also inside this church is one of the crucifixes which was said to have spoken to St Bridget.

The Station Masses on Thursdays took place in the traditional diaconate churches in Rome - dedicated to feeding the poor. This is accord with the Holy Thursday, the day when we were first fed the Bread of Life and Cup of Salvation. The church of Saint Lawrence, true to her patron, was always one of the diaconate churches in Rome. That is probably were the title "Panisperna" is derived (panis - bread and perna - ham). The monks probably distributed ham sandwiches!

Wednesday Station Church - St. Mary Major

Saint Mary Major is one of the four major basilicas and the oldest church in the West dedicated to the Mother of God. In 353, a noble Roman received a message from our Lady that a church dedicated to her honor should be built on the Esquiline Hill. When he told Pope Liberius (353-366), the Holy Father asked for a sign. The next day, August 5th, it snowed on the spot designated by our Lady (August is unbearably hot in Rome). (To this day, August 5th is celebrated as Our Lady of Snows and white rose pedals are showered upon those who enter the church for prayer.) The building was dedicated by Pope Sixtus III (432-440) shortly after the Council of Ephesus, which declared Mary as the theotokos - the Mother of God (431). The photo is of the Pauline chapel (after Pope Paul V), which was built to house the ancient icon of Mary, which hangs over the altar. (Note the luminous tabernacle!)

It also contains a relic said to be of the true crib .... which is the second picture.
This day, the Wednesday of the first week of Lent, is the traditional day for scrutiny of the candidates for priesthood.

Station Church - Monday, Februrary 28

San Pietro in Vincoli. Saint Peter in Chains. This basilica in 109 by Theodora, a pious Roman lady, to house the chains which bound Saint Peter in the Mamertine prison. In 436, Eudocia, who husband was Theodocius II, Emperor of the East (408-450), sent the chains which bound Saint Peter in Jerusalem to her daughter, Euxodia Zicinia, in Rome. When Sixtus III (432-440) placed these two chains side by side, they miraculously united to form one chain. The chains are located in the confessio before the high altar for the faithful to venerate (see photo). Also under the altar are the remains of the seven Maccabee brothers (2 Macc 7). Also in this church is the famed Moses, sculpted by Michelangelo (1515), as part of a tomb for the famed Renaissance pope, Julius II, 1503-1513).