Praying to Come Home

Overlooking Assisi

 

Wow! It is almost time to come home! I am not sure that all of my stuff will fit into a suitcase that the airlines will accept nor am I sure that I can describe to anyone in a short phrase or a few sentences what the past four months have been like.

Fr. David in Assisi

As I write this, I am sitting on the terrace of the retreat center overlooking the hillside town of Assisi. We have come here for retreat to wrap up our time of study, prayer and renewal. 

While in Assisi, we will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Santa Chiara, where St. Clare is buried and where the Damiano Cross that spoke to St. Francis is kept.

San Damiano Cross

Santa Chiara

We will also celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of San Rufino (below) where St. Francis and St. Clare where baptized as well as the Chiesa Nuova which is built over the childhood home of St. Francis.

Cathedral of San Rufino

 


On our last day we will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of St. Francis in the crypt where he and his companions are buried.



During the retreat we also have had some free time. One day I hiked up to the Hermitage on top of Monte Subiaso where St. Francis would often retreat to pray. It is a tough climb up to the top, but the solitude and the view are incredible.

 





The entrance to the hermitage has two signs above it. One reminds us that "Where God is, there is Peace." The other one is very clear. "Silence!" If we want to hear hear the God who brings us peace, we have to take time to be quiet.

Signs above the Hermitage entrance

View from the Hermitage

Another great place I visited in my free time here was the Church of San Damiano where St. Francis first heard the Lord call him to conversion. It is also where St. Clare built her convent. In the wooden choir stalls is an inscription about the essence of prayer, "Not a voice but a desire - not a clamor but love - not instruments but hearts singing in the ears of God". It was great advice for the beginning of a retreat.

In addition to many Churches, it seems like I have visited a lot of tombs during the last four months: the tomb of St. James in Santiago, Spain; the tombs of St. Peter, St. Paul, and many other Apostles, martyrs and saints in Rome; the tombs of Mary the Mother of God and Jesus Christ our Savior in Jerusalem. And now lastly, Saints Francis and Clare. What is this fascination with tombs in Christianity? Why do people travel great distances and expose themselves to danger in order to see where someone's dead body was placed?

Maybe it is because we try to squeeze the divine out of things like a fruit juicer hoping that something tangible in these places will strengthen our faith and give us a reason to believe. Or maybe it is because we are bodily people who need to identify with the bodily nature of those who have gone before us in faith. Or, possibly it is because we are people who believe in the Communion of the Saints and the resurrection of the body and we do not see death as an obstacle to a relationship with these holy people.

Ultimately, it is about relationship. Jesus taught us that love of God and love of neighbor cannot be separated. So if we want to meet God, we have to meet our neighbor; especially the neighbor who is poor, weak or a stranger. The most exciting revelation comes when we realize that WE ARE that poor, weak stranger in need of love and mercy.

This week I am praying for many things. I am praying in thanksgiving for all of the people who are a part of my life. I am praying in thanksgiving for all that I have been able to learn, see and do and for the people who made sacrifices so that I could experience these things. I am praying for our country and for our diocese and for our parishes. And I am praying to come home. I am looking forward to bringing my physical pilgrimage to a conclusion so that I can continue my spiritual pilgrimage with the people that I love.

I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Peace and Goodness,

Fr. David

Wrapping Up

St. Marianne Cope

Our weeks since the Holy Land have flown by and our class schedule has been very full. We have studied the translations of the words we use at Mass and the other sacraments.


We have met with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and learned about the process of declaring a person to be a saint.


We attended Mass with Pope Benedict for the Canonization of seven new Saints, two of whom come from the United States...Sts. Marianne Cope and Kateri Tekakwitha.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

 We have spent time reflecting on different ways to pray. (See book below).

 

We have watched as the season changed and the birds migrated through Rome.

Car covered in droppings

We have studied religious art and architecture from baroque to more simple.

Baroque Art

Simple Art

The Synod on Evangelization gave us an opportunity to reflect on how we will be called to proclaim the Gospel in a new way so that those who have given up their faith might hear the Good News. At the closing Mass of the Synod in St. Peter's Basilica, I even had the opportunity to distribute communion.
 

Father David before Closing Mass

Pope Benedict at Closing Mass

The experience of the Institute for Continuing Theological Education has been amazing. It will take me a long time to reflect on all that I have been blessed to learn and experience.

Our last week in Italy will be spent on retreat in Assisi. It is one of my favorite places in the world and it is perfect that we will have a chance to prayerfully reflect on all that God has been doing with us and in us during this time away. It is time of giving thanks for the graces that we have experienced and the gifts that we hope to bring home with us.

Peace and Goodness,

Father David

The Week that Changed the World Part I

I have returned to Rome, but I want to share with you some of the highlights of our last week in the Holy Land.

Holy Week celebrates our faith in its most concentrated form. The essence of what we believe and who we are is captured in the events of that week and the Scriptures that recall them. Our time in Jerusalem allowed us to walk through the events of this most holy week.

We start on the Mount of Olives at the Church of the Pater Noster where Jesus taught his followers how to pray. The Mount of Olives, even in Jesus' time, was a graveyard and the place where the unclean lived.

People, who because of illness or other reasons that made them ritually impure, were not allowed to come into the city and would have been restricted to this area. None of the Pharisees or Scribes of the Law would have ever visited them for fear of becoming unclean themselves. Jesus came to those whom nobody considered worthy of teaching and taught them how to pray to God as "Abba" Daddy.

The Church that is built on this site has The Lord's Prayer written in almost every language known to man. Two of the priests (left) in our group are from New Zealand and they were excited to find the Lord's Prayer written in Maori, which is the native language of New Zealand.




I was equally excited to find the Lord's prayer written in Cherokee, but it was also written in the language of the Samaritans, the Basque separatists of northern Spain, Gaelic, Ojibway and even Sanskrit (see above). It seems that there is no land that cannot use these words to pray.




Assisting us at Mass in the Church of the Pater Noster was a nun who knew St. Therese of Lisieux's older sister. (Right) She has spent the last 50 years in the Holy Land welcoming pilgrims and inviting them to reflect on the words of this prayer.


It was also from the Mount of Olives where Jesus began his triumphal entry to Jerusalem that we recall on Palm Sunday. As Jesus approached the city from the east with the rising sun, there would have been great expectation that the Messiah had come to free the people from the oppression of Roman rule. He would have walked through the Kidron valley (below) to approach the gates of Jerusalem.

Kidron Valley

Instead of overthrowing Roman rule, Jesus invited his Apostles to join him in the upper room (below) of a Roman Tavern for a meal.

The Upper Room at Last Supper

He washed their feet and shared with them his body and blood.


This was the same room where the Lord appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and where St. Thomas declared, "My Lord and My God" after seeing Jesus risen from the dead.

From here we crossed back over the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed with his disciples that he might not have to undergo the suffering of the Cross.

Garden of Gethsemane

After Jesus was arrested in the Garden, he was taken by the soldiers across the valley to the house of Caiaphas the High Priest.

It was in the courtyard of this house that Peter denied that he even knew Jesus.

Icon of Peter Denying Jesus with Rooster

Statue of Peter's Denial

We celebrated Mass in the courtyard where Peter denied Jesus and recalled the times when we have denied Jesus in our own words and actions.

Altar at the Courtyard of Denial

The penitential act that we recite together at the beginning of Mass was especially meaningful this day.

"I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do..."




Peace and Goodness,

FD

Christmas in October

Wall of Jerusalem

Christmas in October is not another marketing attempt to reduce Christmas to shopping. Today we traveled through the Israeli security barrier wall (above) from Jerusalem so we could enter the majority Christian city of Bethlehem.

Cave of St. Jerome

We celebrated Mass in the cave of St. Jerome (right) who decided to take up residence next to the place where Jesus was born. As we were preparing to celebrate Mass, a group of pilgrims from Mexico asked if they could join us. It was a couple who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary surrounded by their children. It was a joy to have them pray with us.

We dedicated the Mass to expectant mothers and parents of young children.

We also prayed for peace. Bethlehem is being strangled by the "security barrier" that surrounds it. The people who live in town are mostly Christians but they cannot leave Bethlehem to work in the rest of the country because they cannot get permission to pass through the fence.  Most of the young people are leaving for other countries so that they can work and feed their families.

It is predicted that there will be no Christians left in the town where Jesus was born by the year 2020.

St. Jerome and Jesus

Chapel at St. Jerome

Fundamentalist Muslims who are financially backed by Saudi Arabia are buying the property of the Christian families.  In the last two years a large mosque was built across Manger Square from the Church of the Nativity. While we were inside Church praying, loud speakers aimed at the Church were blasting the chants and prayers of the Imam.

The Holy Land is a place most in need of our prayers for peace and it challenges us to seek peace in our own communities so that our own divisions do not destroy us.


Peace and Goodness,

FD

Water of Life

Replica of Jesus' Boat

Today was about water. Living water and dead water and deserts without water.

We started our day with a visit to the Jesus Boat Museum where we saw a model of the type of boat that Peter, James and John would have used as fisherman on the Sea of Galilee.

Then we were shown the ancient remains of a fishing boat that dates back to the time of Jesus. We also learned about their fishing technique. (See 1st century fishing boat remains below right.)

1st Century Fishing Boat Remains

No trip to the Jesus Boat Museum would be complete without a boat ride on a replica of the Jesus boat. We even took over our boat by raising the American flag.

Boat on the Sea of Gallilee

 

Father David in the Desert

The Sea of Galilee flows out to form the Jordan River which flows through the desert toward the Dead Sea and Jericho.  The primary difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is the the Sea of Galilee flows out to give life to the desert. The Dead Sea does not flow out at all. It remains to itself and it gives life to nothing.   Because of this the salt content becomes so high that life cannot survive in the Dead Sea.  It is a great metaphor for our lives. The only way to really live is to flow out of our selves to give life to others. When we keep everything to ourselves and only live for our self we become dead.

Along the way from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea we drove into the desert on the border with Jordan to a spot close to where John the Baptist would have performed Baptisms.

Father David at the Jordan River

Jordan River

It is also near the ancient community of Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

Ancient Community of Qumran

Father David in Qumran

After visiting Qumran it was time to go for a swim and a mud bath in the Dead Sea.

Mud Baths in the Dead Sea

The mud of the Dead Sea (above) is known for being full of minerals and salts that are good for your skin. Also because the water is more than 30% salt you float very easily.  I took a swim and a mud bath. I have to say that the mud stings your skin a bit, but it sure feels great after you wash it off.

Finally, we left the water and drove through the desert to take the road from Jericho up to Jerusalem. In the desert you can lose up to 2 liters of water each hour from evaporation. It made me appreciate how precious water is to us. Baptism uses water as a symbol of death and life. Death to our selves and selfishness and life in God for others. Truly, it was a day of life and death.


Peace and Goodness,

FD

Can Anything Good Come from Nazareth?

This morning we visited Cana in Galilee where Jesus turned water into wine. It is also the home of Nathaniel, who was one of the twelve that was brought to Jesus by Phillip. (John 1:45-51) It was Nathaniel who when he first heard about Jesus asked, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"


Not only did some good come from Nazareth, but something beyond our wildest imagination. It was like the wine at the wedding feast in Cana. The head waiter was surprised by the great quality of the wine that had been water. This is an image of the amazing things God can draw out of us when we, "Do whatever he tells you."(John 2:5)

Cana Church Sign

Father David in front of the altar at Cana Church

At Mass in the Church in Cana we prayed for all married couples and all couples who are preparing for marriage. In a special way we prayed in thanksgiving for our parents' marriages which have shaped us and shown us the generous love that allowed us to respond to God's call.

Front of the Church in Cana

After Cana we traveled to Nazareth to the Basilica of the Annunciation and St. Joseph's workshop.

Annunciation Church

Annunciation Church dome

The name "Nazareth" comes from a Hebrew word which means "to blossom". The dome of the Church of the Annunciation is built to resemble an upside down lily.









 

Grotto of Mary's House

Our guide explained that it is through Mary (who is sometimes called a lily) that the "Light of the World" passed through and became flesh on earth. The church has a lower level where the grotto of Mary's house has been preserved. The church is built over the top of where they believe Mary's house sat (left).


We gathered in the lower level to pray the joyful Mysteries of the rosary. We then had the opportunity to visit the rest of the upper basilica as well as the church of St. Joseph which is nearby. A few blocks away is the synagogue (see below) where Jesus first preached on the book of the prophet Isaiah. (Luke 4: 16-30).

Synagogue Icon

It was truly amazing to be able to walk through the streets of Jesus's hometown and visit the places that would have been an important part of his life.



As wonderful as the time in Nazareth was, you did not have to look hard to see the present tension between Islam and Christianity.

Islamic Sign

This sign was erected next to the Basilica of the Ascension as a challenge to anyone who did not follow Islam. Our guide has been teaching us words in Arabic and Aramaic each day of our trip. Today's word was Salaam which means peace.

After Nazareth we drove to the shore of the Mediterranean Sea where Mt. Carmel meets the Sea. Here we were able to enter the cave where the prophet Elijah hid after his confrontation with the prophets of Baal. (Below)

Elijah's Cave

This was the birthplace of the Carmelite order. In each location we have been able to read the scriptures that relate to that place and take time in prayer.

Father David in front of Elijah's Cave

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

It is hard to absorb all that we have seen in only one day. I cannot imagine what lies ahead...

Peace and Goodness,

Father David