April |
| April 3, 2006 |
| April 20, 2006 |
The city is back to quasi-normal after an entire night of festivities
and a
vigil in memory of our beloved Holy Father. Last night, three
of us left from
our residence to go to the Stations of the Cross, which were to begin
at 8:00
p.m. outside of St. Ann's Church. Though we arrived outside
of the Church
around 7:40, there was absolutely no way to get to the front of the
Church,
were the procession was to begin. So, we decided to go straight
to All Saints'
Square, in front of the papal window, where the procession would be
ending,
and Pope Benedict was to address the youth of Rome and Krakow at 9:37
p.m.
Arriving at the square at around 8:15, we found the place packed full
of people
already. The usual pushing, shoving, and frantic scouting for
a good spot
accompanied the vigil. It seemed like the Krakow version of World
Youth Day.
I am not sure how many people were actually there, in the end, but
the square
is quite small. It probably fit nearly 20,000 people, while
the others were
forced to stand on the streets leading to the square.
After all the stations, beginning with the eighth station, were broadcast
onto
the speaker system, we eagerly awaited the end of the procession.
Taking part
in it were students from the various parish and campus ministries
in Krakow, as
well as Cardinal Dziwisz, bishops, and the Prime Minister (who actually
carried
the crucifix himself for the last station)! At 9:30 p.m., the
procession
finally made its way to our area. However, it seemed to pass
in an instant.
Accompanying the lit candles, altar servers, and boy scouts, was a
huge group
of secret service agents, as well as soldiers, who formed a perimeter
around
the procession. I barely got to see over the tops of their heads,
through all
of the commotion. However, I finally did get to see the entire
group once they
ascended to the stage. The text used for the Stations of the
Cross was the text
that John Paul II wrote for the 2000 Good Friday procession in the
Coliseum in
Rome. Between each station, traditional Polish Lenten hymns
were sung. Upon
finally concluding the Stations of the Cross, Cardinal Dziwisz's deep
voice
came over the loudspeakers, "And now, please, a few minutes of
absolute silence
as we remember the passing of our Holy Father." The moment
was surreal. I was
overcome with emotion. I remember so vividly those last moments when
the world
kept watch, when he looked for us, and we came to him. Suddenly,
the sound
of applause broke out, and the thousands of people, who had gathered,
celebrated and gave gratitude to the Father for the gift of this saint
whom we
knew and whom we cherished.
Zygmunt, the 500-year-old, eleven-ton bell in Wawel Cathedral began
to toll, to
remember the passing of the Holy Father from this life of suffering
into eternal
bliss with the One whose road to the cross he had traveled. Joining
in a
harmonious chorus, all of the bells in the more than one hundred churches
in
the old town area, and bells in churches of the entire city, began
to ring
their bells. The chorus was a sound of bells of sorrow, yet
filled with the
joy and peace of the knowledge that John Paul II is with usand was
there in a
special way last night! Here, in the midst of the thousands
of Poles, this
family, gathered to remember him, pray to him, and pray with him,
he looked
down, from the papal window, and told us to "not be afraid."
Immediately after the bells began to ring, the Polish applause joined
that of
the 100,000 gathered in Rome, who applauded for John Paul the Great,
as his
successor, the Vicar of Christ, Pope Benedict XVI, appeared to greet
visitors
and acknowledge the immensity of the occasion. He first addressed
the pilgrims
in Italian, mentioning that Cardinal Dziwisz was connected from Krakow
live via
satellite feed. After a few minutes of listening to the translation
of the
Italian text, he began to address the Poles in their own language.
Now, I was
at World Youth Day in Cologne, and Pope Benedict's Polish was not
nearly as
clear. His improvement and our ability to understand him was
yet another
testament to this man's great intellect and amazing mind. He
reminded the
faithful in Poland of the two words that can sum up the life of our
beloved
Holy Father, faithfulness and complete abandonment. He asked Poland
to always
remain faithful, to be "strong with the power of the faith,"
citing John Paul
II's famous quote from his Krakow pilgrimage in 1979. Awaiting
eagerly his
pilgrimage to Poland, in the footsteps of his predecessor, the Holy
Father
asked Poland to always keep alive the great gifts that John Paul left
behind.
I was stuck by the absolute intensity, the greatness of the occasion,
the true,
tangible, and real presence of John Paul, who was with us! Though
he has
passed to our Father's house, he remains alive in his teaching, and
through the
witness of his radical life of holiness, of being open to the Holy
Spirit at
each moment of his life. Thousands of Poles joined over 100,000
Italians, and
millions across the world, to remember the death of one man. One
man who
captivated, yet challenged, the heart and mind of modern man, and
particularly
the minds and hearts of young people. He has left to go home,
and yet he is
even more present universally, through the power of his intercession.
People
who have never seen each other before, and probably never will see
each other
again, united together, held hands, sang, and prayed together in the
presence
of a gigantic portrait of the Holy Father the one used in Cologne
in August,
made of the thousands of individual pictures of people from around
the world.
I recalled the Holy Father's pilgrimage to Chile in 1982, when the
atmosphere
was especially tense in that country, where the Church was challenged
by a
repressive government that terrorized the people, and by liberation
theology
and Marxist movements within the Church. The power and fortitude
of the Holy
Spirit were physically, visibly manifest in the speech and demeanor
of the Holy
Father. In the front of a huge image of the Holy Face of Christ,
John Paul II
asked the people, "Who do we see when we look at that face"
Do we see a
reformer? Yes, but more. Do we see a holy man? Yes,
but more. Do we
see? Yes, but more. Mucho mas. Mucho mas. Mucho,
mucho mas! We see Life
Himself!
We can no longer see John Paul the Great the way we were so used
to seeing him,
and perhaps even too accustomed to. When we look at the face
of John Paul, on
the multitude of pictures, holy cards, books, and videos, whom do
we see? We
see a political figure who changed the history of Europe and the world
forever,
through his pressure on totalitarian systems. We see a man who
sought unity
among the many sad divisions among Christians throughout the world.
We see a
man who loved the outdoors, who felt at home, worshipping the Creator
in the
sanctuary of the natural world. We see a man who showed compassion
for the
poor and the suffering of the world, and fought for basic human rights
wherever
they were repressed. We see a scholar who was not afraid of
pursuing the Truth
through his teaching and academic pursuits. Yet, this is not
all!
When we look at his face, we can see the face of Christ Himself.
We see
humanity in its fullness. We see the "glory of God",
"man fully alive." Truly,
John Paul revealed to us the true meaning of humanity, of participation
in the
life of the Triune God, in the Father through the Son and with the
grace of the
Holy Spirit. We see a man who was not afraid to say "yes"
to Christ, without
counting the costs or calculating the necessary sacrifices. We
see a saint,
somebody who was abandoned to the Will of God. His ordering
his will to the
Will was what led him to experience the radiant joy of Christ's love.
How can
we not look to him and see the very presence of Christ emanating forth
from
him? Even the most secular person can see "something"
in John Paul II that
allowed him to be a charismatic leader and a great world figure. Christians
call this "something" the "joy and peace of Christ
Jesus. And unless we heed
this example of his, we will never truly know just what it was about
the late
Holy Father that was so inspiring. He revealed to the fallen
world the
redemptive power of the cross. He called people of all nations
to live lives
of radical holiness, in the midst of the world, transforming it from
within.
It was just this that Pope Benedict reminded us about yesterday.
We never have
to be afraid to open wide the doors to Christ, for we know, and can
see in the
life of John Paul II, that Christ takes nothing away, and gives us
gifts
beyond anything that we can imagine. As we finish these final
days of Lent,
leading to the celebration and recollection of the great mysteries
of our
redemption, let us never forget what John Paul has shown us. Let
us always
imitate his example, and embrace the cross of Christ in our lives.
Cardinal Dziwisz blessed the gathered youth with the reliquary cross,
the
crucifix which John Paul II held in his hands one last time, during
his final
days on Good Friday of last year. Arturo Mari remarked that
this was the
"defining picture of his pontificate." The suffering
pontiff united himself
with Christ, faithful unto death, on the cross that he has now entrusted
to us,
to be carried into the streets, workplaces, parishes, and all spheres
of life in
the whole world. Dziwisz reminded that the Holy Father, "both
showed us how to
carry the cross, and carried it for us. Now it our turn to answer
his call of
faithfulness to the cross."
John Paul the Great, pray for us, and continue to teach us how to
embrace the
cross in our lives. Thank you for the gift of your life of radical
holiness,
filled with complete abandonment and faithfulness to the end. Intercede
for
the "John Paul II Generation."
Scott Hahn once wrote a widely read book, Rome Sweet Home.
Well, I feel like I
can say "home sweet home," after coming back from Rome. This
is obviously not
to deny the fact that, as a Catholic, Rome is my spiritual "home,"
but rather a
sigh of relief that the crazy week of traveling and seeing the most
amazing
churches and museums that I have seen in my life has come to an end.
Now, I
will have some time to reflect upon and soak up all of the experiences
of my
Holy Week in Rome!
First of all, and most importantly, our trip was a pilgrimage,
to spend the
holiest week of the year with the Holy Father. And did we! I
went with a
group of guys from Poland to the UNIV conference, a conference that
has been
sponsored yearly since 1968, whose focus is to provide university students
from
around the world a chance to meet each other, and discuss important
topics
facing the Church. This year's focus was on the "Role of
the Mass Media in
Shaping Catholic Culture," and was very interesting. As part
of the
conference, the UNIV participants are traditionally granted a special
audience
with the Holy Father. Ok, so I won't be falsely humble:I GOT TO
TOUCH POPE
BENEDICT! I only share this because it was an amazing experience.
In fact, as
it turned out, it was one of the three times that I would be within
one or two
feet of the Holy Father, but it was the only time that I was able to
shake his
hand. There was definitely an outward "tradiation of sanctity"
which emanated
from Pope John Paul II, when I was able to be near him. This charismatic
gift
inspired many to go out and evangelize, to "not be afraid"
to "open wide the
doors to Christ," and to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
This
radiation of sanctity from John Paul was the Holy Spirit, the gift,
who then
led others to make gifts of themselves to the world. What struck
me when I was
near Pope Benedict was his simple humanity, and the silent, peaceful
longing for
interiority and contemplation. In a get-together with Bishop Javier
Echevarria,
the Prelate of Opus Dei, aware of the Pope Benedict's character and
personality,
told us that he apologized to the Holy Father that so many people were
trying to
touch him, and that he understood if he felt overwhelmed. To this,
Pope
Benedict replied that he didn't mind, because he know that the young
people
were reaching out, not to him, but to Christ, who is in their midst.
How
true:Christ is present in such a different way in this pope. One
looks upon
him, and having been sent on a mission by John Paul II, he is now reminded
of
the need for contemplation and prayer, which is the foundation of everything.
It is only through prayer, and particularly in the Liturgy, that one
can meet
Christ in an ever-new way, and be refreshed to participate in the modern
cultural dialogue the John Paul II called us to.
Of course, I refuse to play the game of "compare
the popes," and none of these
reflections are meant to somehow say one pope is better than the other.
They
are simply personal reflections of the differences I have noticed in
their
personalities, and how their personalities both show us different aspects
of
the Christian life that must be emphasized.
What I never cease to be amazed by the mind of our Holy
Father. Before the
audience, we watched a video clip of his meeting with youth, on the
Thursday
before Pam Sunday. In this new tradition, the Holy Father met
with youth and
answered their personal questions about vocation, sexuality, and the
crisis of
culture. I was amazed by the Holy Father's answers, which were
not prepared
before hand, but improvised on the spot. Or rather, they were
the fruit of
years of prayer and contemplation, as well as theological study. In
his usual
manner, he responded with flawless paragraphs of eloquent and deep prose,
and
left now question unanswered from a variety of different angles. We
are so
blessed to have a Holy Father who is a man of incredible prayer, deep
reflection, and amazing intellect and wisdom!
In addition to the audience with the Holy Father, we were
able to participate
in all of the Papal Liturgies of the week: the Chrism Mass at St. Peter's
Basilica, the Mass for the Institution of the Eucharist on Thursday
Evening in
St. John Lateran, the Good Friday Liturgy at St. Peter's, the Papal
Stations of
the Cross, as well as the Easter Vigil in St. Peter's Basilica. (Oh
yeah, and
the Urbi et Orbi on Sunday on St. Peter's Square). Though we didn't
have
tickets to get into anything besides the audience, thanks to my awesome
Notre
Dame architecture friends who just happen to "have to" study
in Rome for this
year, we were able to get into everything, and have great seats, as
well.
The week was definitely a crazy time of commuting to and
from Via Aurelia,
comparable only to the Las Vegas Strip, except with the amount of Catholic
hostels, instead of casinos. On every block, there are at least
a few houses
or hostels run by one order or another. We were able to visit
all four of the
major basilicas, as well as a number of the famous churches in Rome.
I'm sure
that I will forget some, but right now I can remember the Gesu, Santa
Maria Ara
Coeli, San Agostino, San Luigi Re Fracese, San Stanislao Kostka, Santa
Croce in
Gerusalemne, Santa Trinita dei Monte, San Andrea della Valle, Santa
Magdalena,
Santa Maria Sopre Minerva, the Pantheon, and many others. These
are most of
the churches that we visited that house the relics of great saints,
such as St.
Ignatius in the Gesu, Saint Catherine of Siena and Blessed Fra Angelico
in Santa
Maria Sopre Minerva, Saint Josemaria Escriva in Santa Maria Della Pace,
and the
relics of the True Cross and the cross-beam of the cross of Dismas the
Good
Thief in Santa Croce. I forgot to also mention Santa Presetta,
the 8th century
basilica that houses the pillar upon which Christ was scourged. Obviously,
a
lot of people argue that these relics are a fraud and that they are
not the
actual ones.
First of all, even if they are not "the real thing,"
they are places of
veneration of the Passion of Christ that have been sanctified by the
prayers of
pilgrims throughout the centuries. There are man miracles associated
with them,
so whether they are the actual relics or not, they are still places
of special
grace. Secondly, it is very likely that these are the actual relics
from
Jerusalem, since Jerusalem was under Roman control in the late period
of
antiquity. Thus, if an emperor, such as Constantine, who was
a Christian, was
in control of Jerusalem, he could have easily brought the remnants of
the relics
associated with the passion of Christ to Rome. Hence the reason
for the
existence of the Scala Santa, as well as the other "artifacts"
associated with
the death of Jesus.
In addition to seeing many of these famous churches, I
was also able to see
many cultural and historical masterpieces, both works of art and architecture.
Of course, we saw the Fontana di Trevi, which shocked me with its size.
I never
imagined the fountain to be so huge: the figures in it were at least
twice
life-size. In the Villa Burghese, a museum in the former family
mansion of the
famous Roman aristocrat Burghese family, we saw the most famous and
well-known
statues by Bernini, as well as paintings by Raphael, Caravaggio, and
other
masters of the Italian Renaissance. Bernini's expression was absolutely
amazing, particularly in his Apollo and Daphne, and in his David. Having
never
seen Bernini's David, before, I was extremely impressed, and decided
that I like
it better than Michelangelo's masterpiece. Whereas Michelangelo
focuses on the
idealism and sheer strength of man, by portraying David as a muscular
and
towering force, Bernini is more focused on the tension of the moment.
He
captures David in the split-second before he releases the sling with
which he
will slay Goliath. This produces an incredible tension and expression
that is
visible in the tense muscles of a young man, slender and realistically
built.
He is about to exert all of his strength in the one chance that he has
to
either save his people or be killed. The strength of the human
spirit, of
perseverance, will, and determination are all captured in this block
of marble,
which has been chiseled into perfection.
Of course, the Musei Vaticani also made a huge impression
on me, where I was
able to stand face-to-face with pieces of art, sculptures, and masterpieces
that I have been reading about in textbooks since at least high school.
I
realized that it is one thing to read about a sculpture, or a painting,
and
another thing to stand in front of something that is 2500 years old
(here, I am
referring to the Lacöon Group). I was struck by the way that
people more than
two millennia ago were already able to express their spirit by creating
masterpieces of art, which have lasted until today. Perhaps modern
artists
could learn something from these ancient and beautiful masterpieces,
which have
lasted for ages and are still admired for the beauty, because of their
ability
to capture and explore the fundamental truths of human nature!
It was quite frustrating to see all of the "tourists"
in the Vatican Museums
who had absolutely no clue about history or the tradition of the Church.
Until
one learns the medium, or at least about the medium, through which to
view these
works of art, it is as if he were only looking at the tip of the iceberg.
It
was sad to see all of the people who had no clue about what was painted
in the
frescoes, such as in the room with the Triumph of Christianity (I forget
the
name of the room). The most frustrating thing that I encountered
there, and
which I also often encounter here in Krakow, is when an English tour
guide who
is clearly not Catholic, and really has no clue about the tradition
of the
Church, seeks to explain to Americans or British about the art they
are looking
at, and has the job simply because he can speak English. Art is
a dangerous
thing, and one can either leave a place, having been brainwashed and
misled to
believing the half-truths which are so popular these days in pop culture,
or he
can truly seek to learn about what a painting really portrays, and the
depth and
importance of its meaning. Of course, which is easier?
In addition to seeing all of the beautiful churches and
the works of both
ancient and Early Modern Art, I was fascinated and greatly moved by
my visit to
the places of importance to the Early Christians, namely, the Via Appia
Antica,
and the Catacombs of St. Priscilla, in northern Rome. Entering
into the
catacombs, I was filled with images from the book Quo Vadis, by Henryk
Sienkiewicz, probably one of Poland's best-known modern authors, and
winner of
the Nobel Prize in Literature. In this novel, which I think every
Christian
should read, he provides a fascinating account of the life of the Christians
during the reign of Nero. Though the story is fictional, the book
and the
situations described are historical, and essentially, he was the creator
of the
historical novel genre.
As we descended into down the spiral staircase from the
sunny courtyard, I was
filled with anticipation: I would be visiting the tombs and meeting
places of
those who preceded us in the Christian faith by 1700 years! In
this huge
complex of tunnels and various levels (more than 13 km of tunnels on
all
levels!), we stopped at the tombs of various wealthier Christians, as
well as
those of the poor, who were provide graves by the Christian community.
The
rich and ancient heritage of our faith was here before my eyes. We
saw the
oldest image of Mary in Christianity, holding the child Jesus, much
like in the
images of Our Lady that we see today. We also saw one of the oldest
images of
Christ, the Good Shepherd. Accompanying the images of Christ and
of Mary, we
saw many images of Susanna, from the Book of Daniel, who was a symbol
of the
early Church. Just as she was unjustly persecuted and accused
of crime, so
were the early Christians persecuted and accused of many false crimes.
Often,
there images of the three young men, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, also
from
the Book of Daniel, who, though tried by fire by the pagan king, survived
due
to the protection of God, present in an angel in their midst. Likewise,
the
fires of the pagan Roman emperors tried the early Church, but the suffering
Christ accompanied them in their trials.
One of the most interesting places in the catacombs was
a large crypt, where
the Christians would gather around the tombs of their relatives, and
celebrate
the Eucharist. Near it, there was a niche in the wall, with graffiti
from US
GIs from the Second World War, who surely used the place as a hideout
during
the war. I was walking through history, but I was also touching
the lives of
thousands of people. Forty thousand people had once been buried
in this
cemetery, and thousands had come there before me, to be buried, to venerate
the
dead, or to seek shelter from dangers above.
In the same way, St. Peter once sought to leave the city
of Rome, because of
the persecution of the Christians. He believed that it would be
safer for him
to leave Rome and to guide his flock in safety, than to risk being killed
and
leave his flock abandoned. He decided to walk out of the city
on the Via
Appia, a seek shelter among the Christian outside the city. Here,
in the midst
of the green Mediterranean fields and the hot Roman sun, a bright light
appeared, and Jesus stood before him, walking toward the city. "Domine,
Quo
Vadis?" (Lord, where are you going?), asked the shocked and dumbfounded
Peter.
"I am going to be with my flock," replied Jesus, walking towards
Rome. At this
moment, Peter realized that he was not called to abandon his people,
but that
he was called to return to Rome, to suffer with them, and to die with
them,
should it come to this. To this day, the spot on which Jesus appeared
is
commemorated by the Capella Domine Quo Vadis on the Via Appia, near
the
catacombs of St. Sebastian. Inside, there is a rock in which are
imprinted the
footprints of Christ, to which faithful have come throughout the millennia,
to
venerate the spot which led Peter to his martyrdom for the glory of
the cross.
I've been to this spot. It is true. This is the
beauty of the antiquity of our
faith. "The Church is alive," Pope Benedict reminds
us, and her liveliness
comes from the centuries of Christians who have come before us, to witness
to
the faith and truth of Jesus Christ, and who have not been afraid to
suffer and
die for Him.
