Category: Catholic Church

Making All Things New

Using laser beams, archeologists working in Rome recently uncovered what are believed to be the oldest surviving frescoes of the Apostles Peter, Andrew, John, and Paul. Dating from the 4th century these works of art are located in the catacombs of St. Tecla. They’ve known that there were frescoes there, but they were covered with a thick layer of centuries old calcium build-up. It took specialized lasers to remove the deposits, and what was underneath was truly amazing. Making All Things New.

I know they call it the Eternal City, but isn’t it amazing that archeologists and scientists are still discovering such things? These catacombs are located below an insurance building near the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. In an article I read about the find, they said that these images might have influenced all the other early depictions of these saints.

Once, when I was on tour in Rome, our guide said something that stuck with me. As we were standing in the Roman Forum, Gino made the comment that, when you visit such places, you come to realize that “what was once old suddenly becomes new.” Everything is constantly evolving, sometimes being used for the same purpose, other times for something completely different.

As I was praying this morning, I got to thinking about these images and what they might mean to me. I thought about the tedious process of removing all that calcium. I began thinking about what might be waiting to be re-discovered in my own life.

For many people today, certainly in these tough economic times, some of their most important and precious dreams have been covered up and buried. Maybe something immediately comes to your mind? If this is the case for you, maybe it’s time to uncover them and start the very important work of making all things new.

Throughout the summer, I want to keep refining our understanding of the theme of this blog, Making All Things New. I think there’s a lot to be uncovered in each of us, and what better way to spend our summer down time than reflecting upon how it might get played out in our lives. Have a great day:)

Catholic Church Italy Papacy Travel

Corpus Christi

In the Catholic Church, today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, a day we commemorate Christ’s desire to remain with us always in the Eucharist.

This special feast began centuries ago in the Umbrian town of Orvieto. The story is somewhat lengthly, and I think I’ll save it for another time. Today, I wanted to write about the town of Orvieto and it’s great Cathedral, two of my favorite places to visit in all of Italy.

Several years ago, I was leading a tour of Italy, and many close friends were on the trip. We visited the usual tourist sites, and after leaving Assisi and heading south to Rome, I built into the itnerary a visit to Orvieto. As we were leaving, someone came up to me and said something like, “My whole life I’ve heard about Florence, Pisa, Assisi and Rome. I can’t believe no one ever told me about Orvieto.” Once you go there, you’re hooked!

Orvieto is situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuffa. The site of the city is one of the most dramatic in Europe, rising above the almost vertical faces of the tuffa cliffs. Since there is very little car traffic allowed in the city center, buses have to stay down in the valley below. To reach the city, you have to travel on a funincula, a kind of tram that hugs the mountain as it goes up to the top.

You may recall the song Funincula Funinculi. The story goes that, at one time, these kinds of trams were operated by people pulling ropes that lifted the tram either up or down. I always get it mixed up, but I think funincula meant going up, and funinculi meant heading down. I can’t imagine the strength that was necessary to get these people movers up and down.

Back to the Cathedral. To me, it’s facade is one of the most beautiful in the world. Done primarily in mosaic, the artist used a lot of glass pieces that must have been gold -leafed on the back, because when the sun hits the cathedral, it’s like a thousand lightbulbs going off. Remarkable.

The cornerstone was laid by Pope Nicholas IV in 1290, and the magnificent church was completed in the mid fifteenth century. The walls are striped in white travertine and greenish-black basalt, in narrow bands. This was the first church I had ever seen this style, and it is striking. This great cathedral was built to commemorate the Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena. The pope at the time, who verified the miracle himself, later asked St. Thomas Aquinas to write songs to commemorate the event, and he produced two pieces that are still sung on a regular basis in Catholic Churches all over the world, O Salutaris, and Tantum Ergo.

There are two main things to see in the cathedral. One is the chapel of the miracle, and the other is the Brizi Chapel, which houses one of the great frescoes of the Renaiassance, the masterpiece by Lucca Signorelli known as the Last Judgement. I think this fresco is one of the greatest works of art I have ever seen, and I could sit for hours in this small chapel and take in the artistic drama and mastery captured there. It is no wonder that historians say that this is where Michaelangelo came for inspiration before painting the Sistine Chapel.

Any photograph can’t really caputure the powerful imagery on these four walls of the chapel. One day, I hope you’ll have the chance to see it for yourself in Orvieto. In the meantime, there are Signorelli paintings in museums all over the world, including one right here in Baltimore. If you can find one, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Catholic Church Ignatian Spirituality Spirit

Pentecost

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”
They were all astounded and bewildered, and said to one another, “What does this mean?”
But others said, scoffing, “They have had too much new wine.”
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
These people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
‘It will come to pass in the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.
Indeed, upon my servants and my handmaids I will pour out a portion of my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.
And I will work wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and a cloud of smoke.
The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and splendid day of the Lord,
and it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of the Lord.’
You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him: ‘I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you (both) see and hear.
For David did not go up into heaven, but he himself said: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”‘
Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?”
Peter (said) to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit.
For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”
He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.
They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles…..

Acts 2

A blessed Pentecost Sunday to you. This reflection comes from Catherine Doherty:

The Holy Spirit is there for you under many conditions. Sometimes you are confronted with a very vital situation and you feel that you should talk to the Holy Spirit about it because what you think seems right but might be all wrong. Suppose your people want you to take a job some place and you don’t feel sure that it s a good spot to go. Well, pray to the Holy Spirit and he will give you an answer. At least he always does for me. When I was deciding to give up everything and follow God directly, it was quite a struggle, you know. So I talked to the Holy Spirit and asked him what he thought about it. At that time I had a strange answer: “Do it.” So I did it, and here I am. Yes, here I am. It is astonishing, absolutely astonishing.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit is indicated at least once a week, because people forget him. They pray to Jesus Christ and they pray to the Father, but forget the Advocate who teaches us. So pray to him quite often. It is impossible to tell you who wonderful he is, and how important. The average Catholic doesn’t think he is important, but he is very important.

We celebrate Pentecost yearly but I think Pentecost could be celebrated every day. Each day he is with me and holds me tight. All of me. He is like my cloak that covers me up and I am safe. So are you. Yes, he keeps you really safe. So I hope you are going to pray to him. It is so very important that you should.

Catholic Church Ignatian Spirituality Mind Spirit

Patient Trust

A funny thing happened last night. Someone actually called me wanting to know when I was going to post my blog entry. I would have never guessed that I’d now start getting pressure about the speed of my postings. I thought blogging was supposed to be relaxing and good therapy 🙂

Actually, that call, plus speaking to someone else today, just excites me more about this use of communication. There’s a lot to learn, and it takes quite a bit of time, but I love it. Thank you to everyone who has been following.

Now that most of my responsibilities at work will be much less pressing, I’m going to take a few afternoons off in the next couple of weeks and improve the way Making All Things New looks. I want to get many more recipes up. I want to make things clearer and more easily found.

I also want to ask you all a favor. Please post comments! One of my goals with this blog is to get people talking. We should all be helping each other, not just hearing from me.

The other night, a friend from California wrote me an email about how much this blog is helping her. Interestingly, I’ve never met her. We know each other from taking an on-line certification program through the University of Dayton. The courses are meant to help us understand how churches can do a better job teaching our faith to adults. We’re just finishing the second of many courses. Ugh.

When I was praying about making this dive into social communication, I was dreaming about what it might become. It’s been a bit overwhelming, actually. To think that people are waiting to receive a message from me is pretty amazing. I’m going to guess it’s more about the boredom in this guy’s life than it is my lofty thoughts 🙂 (just kidding. He’s busier than me).

Before I get back to my on-line course, I want to leave you with a thought entitled Patient Trust, written by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955),

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.

We are quite naturally impatient in everything

to reach the end without delay.

We should like to skip the intermediate stages.

We are impatient of being on the way to something

unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress

that it is made by passing through

some stages of instability-

and that may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you;

your ideas mature gradually- let them grow,

let them shape themselves, without undue haste.

Don’t try and force them on,

as though you could be today what time

(that is to say, grace and circumstances

acting on your own good will)

will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit

gradually forming within you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing

that his hand is leading you,

and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself

in suspense and incomplete.

Catholic Church Italy Travel

Tuscany Pt. II

At church on Sunday, a young man I’ve known for many years came up to talk with me. Seth had just returned from a semester in Florence. We had talked excitedly before his trip. I love to tell people about some of the more obscure places to visit when they’re in Tuscany. Florence is filled with them.

Seth lived and took his classes in the center of Florence near Santa Croce. Built in 1294, this great Gothic church is where you’ll find the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo. The piazza in front is where you can buy inexpensive watercolors, leathergoods, and way too much touristy junk.

An area of Florence I like to hang out in is called, Oltrarno, which means “over the Arno.” At one time, you were considered inferior if you lived on this side of the Arno, because it meant that you couldn’t afford to live in a big palazzo in the city center.

All that changed when the Medici family decided to jump over and build a massive palace in 1550. They ruled Florence from the Palazzo Pitti for the next 300 years.

When I’m in Florence, Oltrarno is one of the first places I venture to. After crossing the Arno by way of the Ponte Vecchio, where gold merchants have been selling their wares for centuries, you make a right and follow a small street which runs parallel to the river. My family and I love to visit a little art gallery on this street. Years ago, when the dollar was very strong against the Lira, we bought some paintings there. Now, I can’t imagine paying the prices that hang on the tickets.

So, instead of buying paintings, I walk down a few buildings and enter a little tiny shop where all the lady sells is gift wrap. Now, this isn’t your usual kind of wrapping paper. This stuff is hand printed and sold by the sheet. Mainly geometric designs, the paper is inexpensive and beautiful. I usually buy about twenty sheets,which can be folded easily and tucked into the suitcase. On very special occasions, my friends get their present wrapped in one of these special papers.

This side of the Arno is filled with craftspeople making all kinds of beautiful objects. Restoration studios abound as well, with artisans working on priceless objects from museums.

Obviously, I could go on and on. I love Florence, and if I were rich, I’d have an apartment here. It is simply an amazing city that I don’t believe you could ever get bored with.

I asked Seth if he had tried Cinghiale (wild boar). Yes, he had, and loved it. Good man, Seth. Unfortunately for him, it was on one of his last days. Wild Boar has to be marinated and cooked for a long time. It is one of my favorite Tuscan foods, and I promise you now that I will view eating numerous servings on my next visit as a way to remind myself just how much I gave up when I became a vegetarian 🙂

To finish up, sometimes we tourists can get overwhelmed in a place like Florence. At first, it’s almost like we’re on some movie studio lot, or at Disney World and we’re seeing imitations of the real thing. Lots of history was made in Florence, some great, some not so great.

During World War II, bitter fighting took place in the piazzas we sample our gelato. Partisans were hung from the lamp posts to warn others about the consequences of joining the fight. The fighting here was bad and street to street.

I learned a lot about all this in a book entitled War In Val D’Orcia,written by Iris Origo and recommended by Frances Mayes. I think reading this book helped me to be a better kind of tourist, one who takes less for granted, realizing how precious is the gift of these experiences.

Somehow, I’m thinking there are going to be many parts of my Tuscan tale to come….

Catholic Church Ignatian Spirituality Mind Spirit

The End and the Beginning

Post author By seedthrower1
Post date 05/05/2010
No Comments on The End and the Beginning

It’s the end of a long day, and I feel like I’ve been racing through it all. Our programs are winding down for the school year, I’ve been interviewing people for our open position, I took a group out to dinner to thank them for all their hard work, etc., etc., etc. You know how it goes. You’ve probably had the same kind of day.

I’m looking forward to heading home to get some rest. And then it will start again. But that’s o.k. In fact, it’s great. I say that because I get to see another sunrise, enjoy the gift of co-workers, thank a bunch of volunteers, plant my tomatoes, and thank God for loving me the way He does. It’s funny. As soon as I typed that last line, I realized I got the order mixed up once again.

If we want our days to go right, we need to start with God, and thank Him for the fact that we lived to see another day. What a gift! Every new day He presents us with a chance to make it a better day. It’s up to us. Think about it when you open your eyes tomorrow morning.

Catholic Church Ignatian Spirituality Italy Mind Spirit Travel

St. Catherine of Siena

Today is the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena (1347-80), a one of only three women who have the title Doctor of the Church. Over the summer, I picked up a biography of this great saint entitled The Road To Siena written by Edmund Gardener. I’ll leave it to you to find out more about Catherine. I just wanted to bring her up because, as I learned through reading this biography, she was one tough person who rose above the difficulties of her time and became a shining example of holiness.

Sometimes, actually, I think most of the time, every generation thinks that they have it worse than another other age. We wonder how we will ever survive, yet alone thrive through whatever comes our way. Reading the story of St. Catherine reminded me that we have been through worse times. Catherine lived in a time of plague, heresies, schisms, object poverty and absolute decadence. Sinful behavior seemed to reign. In the end, though, people like St. Catherine kept it together, calling people to task, challenging those in power at the time to live for holiness. Her forceful voice remains with us today, and her words speak to our time. Maybe Pope Paul VI had this in mind when, in 1970, he declared her the first woman Doctor of the Church. Read up on her. Ask for her intercession, for ourselves, and for our Church.

Catholic Church Spirit

Be Still

Several years ago, I had the chance to visit the Grand Tetons with my family. I asked “how come no one ever told me about this place?” I had never heard of this mountain range before, and it was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. It would be on my “top ten things to see before you die list.” Make the trip!

It seems like the last few days have been very chaotic. Things are just crazy, whether it be things going on in my family, the Church, our country. Will it ever end? As I was sitting at my desk yesterday, an email came in inviting me to a day of prayer. The title of the mini retreat was “Be still and know that I am God,” and within ten minutes, I had signed up.

The presenter began his first talk by asking the question, “who could have perceived the hostility we face today?” It seems we face it at every turn, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that God knows what He’s doing. He’s in control, and He’s faced similar hostility before.

In his reflection on Psalm 46, where the theme of the retreat came from, the presenter spoke of the power and majesty of the words of this psalm. The first lines, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, (v2-3)” immediately spoke to me.

Instead of going crazy and getting upset about things I have no control over, I need to turn it over to God and trust that He’s doing something, even though I may not perceive it.

Fr. Paul said that what’s often missing in us is the stillness of God. He asked us if we had ever thought about whether we were being called to a place of stillness. For some, this is where God speaks most clearly.

In order to have intimacy with God, there must be a constant returning to Him, over and over. It doesn’t matter what sin has come back into your life and alienated yourself from God, return back. Fr. Paul said a contemporary translation of this psalm uses the words, “Let go and let God” to remind us that He is in control. The extent we can let go will determine the extent He will be exalted. Pray in faith.

The next time I’m stressed out and overwhelmed, I’m going to close my eyes and visualize myself standing in front of the Grand Tetons on a beautiful spring day. No matter what is happening around me, I will be reminded that sometimes, I just need to be still, and know that He is in control. “The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge”(v.12).

On a different note, if you want to check out something really cool, click the Vatican’s newest page:

http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/index_en.htm

It will open up to a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel. Amazing! Be sure to notice that up in the right hand corner of the Last Judgement, you can see an area that was left unrestored in the 1990’s.

Catholic Church Spirit

Easter in Baghdad

The priest holding the Paschal Candle is Fr. Tyson Wood, a good friend of mine. His message to his friends this Easter was “You know, no matter where we are (dark places or times) the Church continues its faith mission of bringing people to Christ.” Amen

Please pray for Fr. Tyson’s safe return, scheduled in the next several weeks. God bless him and our troops.

Catholic Church Papacy Spirit

Holy Thursday

This image of Christ washing the feet of His Disciples is from a series of frescos painted by Giotto and found in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. I have been blessed to have seen the originals more than once, and they are precious and powerful, and the story about how they survived World War Two is miraculous. They are, however, not the main story today.

Tonight, the Church commemorates the Institution of the Priesthood and of the Eucharist. As I was praying this morning, it was hard not to be drawn into the turmoil surrounding both at this time in our history. Without a doubt, these are difficult days, but hope is not lost, the story will not end this way. Something comes after Good Friday!

Without going into a lengthy discourse, I think the answer to the present problems lies in the words of Christ spoken right after He washed the feet of His disciples (John 13:15). Jesus says “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

Could the answer to so many of our present problems be connected to the way we have lived out this model Christ gave to us? I think so. We would not find ourselves in such a mess, whether it be our country, our Church, or even our personal lives, if each and every one of us were living lives that faithfully mirror the life of Jesus.

The Lord knew at the Last Supper that the story would not end there. It couldn’t. More had to be done, because He knew we would not live up to the model He laid out that night. We’ll save that part of the story for tomorrow and Saturday.

Last April, I attended a daily Mass at my parish. In our pastor’s homily that morning, he said something that I wrote down as soon as I got home. He said, “whenever something is crazy in your life, go to the Eucharist.” I was struck by the simplicity of the message, and I think it has important relevance today.

It seems to me that there is much to be angry about right now in our world. However, instead of turning up the volume, the hostility, the downright hatred, we should turn to the Eucharist for our answers. Make a Holy Hour for our country, our President, our elected officials. Make a Holy Hour for those who have been abused. Make a Holy Hour for those who did the abusing. Make a Holy Hour for those who have harmed us in any way, and for those we have harmed.

Christ told us He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. He has the answers and the means to solve all our problems. It is Love.

We celebrate these Holy Days because of His great Love. This is the model He left us. It is the solution to all our problems, past, present and future.

May God bless all our priests, and may they faithfully follow the Way of the Master, our Great High Priest.

“When something is crazy in your life, go to the Eucharist.” Amen