Wow, it's been a while, and so much has happened in such a short time. There's a lot to cover, and I don't have a lot of time right now--so I'll just hit a couple of highlights. Believe you me, you won't be disappointed....unless you don't like hearing someone say, "believe you me."
On Saturday, August 25th, we were privileged to receive a tour of St. Peter's from one of our very own seminarians (they do let us off the leash every once in a while...). The tours given by these men are intended to be catechetical, and thus the information was quite inspiring--I really want to learn more about St. Peter's after this tour. We learned about the original basilica built on the vatican hill, about the necropolis that was there prior to the basilica (and even now, underneath it), about the statues of the Popes that line the walls of St. Peter's. So many of the things we heard you never get on a regular tour. And I loved that we didn't have to hear any secular speculations on how the incorrupt bodies of saints in the Basilica were actually being preserved by a wax that somehow keeps their skin from decomposing (I'm sure if this wax existed, the number of face-lifts would decline). Some people will honestly take greater leaps of faith to avoid believing the infinitely simpler explanation that God exists and that He shows this to us through miracles. Why is that so difficult? ...End rant.
Sunday, August 26th, as a class, we visited Castelgondolfo, the summer residence of Pope Benedict XVI. We went out to hear his Sunday Angelus address to the expectant crowds from many different nations. I was in eager anticipation prior to the address at noon: I have never seen this Pope in person before, as I had with Pope John Paul II in 2002 at World Youth Day Toronto. My anticipation increased due to the fact that JPII was the only Pope I had ever known prior to Benedict XVI. What was it going to be like to see a Pope other than John Paul the Great?
We were moved out of the general receiving area, a large courtyard, to wait as the rest of the crowd moved in. We had it made in the shade, both metaphorically and literally: we didn't have to worry about the heat, and when the crowd was all safely behind the barricades, they allowed us to assume our spot just in front of and off to the side of the barricades. It made for a close view of the balcony where the Pope would appear. And when he did, the air was electric.
I could just feel, in the air, the presence of God. The Pope, the successor of Peter, the first Pope, was standing there before us, robed in white, waving and smiling at all of us. I could tell, however, that unlike the celebrities whose fame makes them like gods, this man's fame came from a humility that is actually of God. He loved us from the balcony, and his words told us to seek after our salvation even though the path to heaven is a difficult one. That is true love: to tell us what we need to hear and not simply what we might want to hear. (And I could understand most of it, though he spoke Italian).
After praying the Angelus in Latin, he took the time to recognize the groups present, speaking to them in their native tongue. When he got to the English group, he recognized the "new seminarians of the North American College." Yes, he addressed us specifically. We then sang "Ad moltos annos vivas" to him (translating roughly to "Long may you live"), and he clapped for us, telling us afterwards, "I pray that your formative years in Rome may help you to grow in wisdom and pastoral charity." Yes, we got a specific prayer from the Pope. That's got to be like praying 100 times (so I'd have to sing 50 songs to get there myself).
After all of this excitement, we toured the gardens where he feeds the fish, and where he and Pope John Paul II (and I'm sure other Popes) have walked and prayed and written encyclicals and such. Following this, we had a wonderful meal and tried to take in what in the world just happened. Praise God for this opportunity! It is wonderful to be Roman Catholic!
Well, that's all I'm going to be able to get for now. I'm trying to get a video of the experience uploaded, but I keep running into problems. Don't worry, I'll get it posted somehow.
Oh, and now pictures won't work. I'll see what I can do to update this one later.
God bless you all, and you are in my prayers!
Pax Christi!
THE VIDEO!!! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4625429804690221214&hl=en
3 comments:
Paul, What kind of Blog is it with no pictures??? A picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it? Just kidding, we love reading all of the adventures you are having. Keep up the good work. LOve you, Grandma K.
Paul! Good to see that you are having fun over there. This is an eye-opening experience for me, learning about all this stuff you're telling us. I'll keep you in my prayers, as always.
Amanda
P.S. Did a talk at HNOJ on the 5th, with 2 hours notice, supposedly it went well!
Paul, I got a Skype account. It seems pretty cool. My username on skype is davidnix81 if you want to search for me. Not sure if you got a skype account yet. I think calls to other skype users are completely free. I also have a skype number, but I'm afraid to post in on the blog for the world to see. -David
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