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Some final
pilgrimage reflections
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
It was a rare privilege to concelebrate Mass with our Holy Father as he
raised Theodore Guerin, Rafael Guizar Valencia, Rosa Venerini and
Pilippo Smaldone to the altar. I wasn’t alone, of course. All five
Indiana bishops were concelebrants, along with some 35 other bishops
from Italy, Mexico, France and wherever. Cardinal George was in Rome for
the semi-annual meeting of the officers of the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops with dicastery heads. He was given the privilege of
proclaiming part of the Eucharistic Prayer. Many cardinals and bishops
were in attendance, including the American cardinals who have positions
at the Vatican. Two students from Theodore Guerin High School in
Noblesville had the privilege of acting as Mass servers: Miguel Salazar
of Kokomo carried the Holy Father’s crosier and Michael Puza of Carmel
was an acolyte. Deacon Christopher Roberts, who is a student in Rome and
scheduled for ordination in June, was cross bearer.
The piazza of St. Peter’s was crowded with pilgrims. The people in my
group stood in line for an hour and a half to get into the piazza. There
are tickets, but not to specific seats. They found themselves in the
third section away from the altar, a football field or so. However, I
was assured that the sight lines were good. The experience was judged
awesome.
Canonization festivities had begun with a two-hour vesper service held
in the Church of the Gesu on Saturday evening. That great church which
entombs the founder of the Jesuit order, Ignatius of Loyola, was full.
The Monday following the canonization there was a special Mass honoring
St. Theodore Guerin at St. Paul Outside the Walls, the basilica which
marks the burial place of the apostle Paul. Archbishop Buechlein was
homilist. Again, all five Indiana bishops, plus the bishop from St.
Theodore Guerin’s birthplace in France, concelebrated along with a
number of Hoosier priests, including Father Dale Ehrman, director of
campus ministry at Theodore Guerin High School. The choir from Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods was magnificent. In a site more intimate than the
canonization, excitement ran high as we rejoiced in the fact that we
were there and that we now have a Hoosier saint.
Much has been written about St. Theodore Guerin. I’m told the
canonization received good coverage here at home. Even I found myself
before a couple of TV cameras. Prior to leaving on pilgrimage, I had
shared with a number of people what I thought St. Theodore would say
were she to drop in for a conversation around any one of our dinner
tables. Those thoughts were confirmed by the canonization experience,
the words of our Holy Father and the cardinal prefect for the
Congregation for the Cause of Saints.
I do not doubt that she would tell us to put our trust in the providence
of God. That sounds easy, but of course it is not. Our culture is
constantly bombarding us with lies about the route to fulfillment: lies
about sex, drugs, material possessions, whatever. While some lies we are
fed are relatively harmless, many are destructive. “You don’t belong to
Caesar. You belong to God.” I believe that would be Theodore Guerin’s
theme. “Put your trust in the providence of God.”
I believe she would say: Fall in love with Jesus Christ. He is your
brother. Let him become your best friend. Let him walk with you. Let him
be the light that brightens your way.
I think she would urge us to spend time in prayer, listening for the
voice of God as he whispers to our hearts, and sharing our problems,
challenges, disappointments and joys with Jesus Christ. Prayer was part
of her life. She would, no doubt, urge us to make prayer part of our
life as well.
I think St. Theodore Guerin would advise us to develop within our heart
an attitude of gratitude to God for the many blessings we have: the fact
that we are alive in the first place. Millions never see the light of
birth. Our health, too, is something to be treasured. Loved ones whom
God has placed in our lives are yet another reason we should have an
attitude of gratitude. Our blessings are many. So often we don’t take
time to acknowledge their reality or even see them as blessings. An
attitude of gratitude is transforming.
While the better part of four days were spent in Rome, there were
precious moments outside the Eternal City. The Italian countryside, with
endless olive trees, vineyards, herds of sheep, deep valleys and
mountains, is truly beautiful. The road system, with its numerous
lengthy tunnels, is excellent. We should be so fortunate here in
Indiana.
High on my list of special memories was the opportunity to pray the
Stations of the Cross at San Giovanni Rotondo, the monastery of St.
Padre Pio. Larger-than-life bronze station figures led us to a 15th
resurrection station high on a hill overlooking the monastery and the
valley below. Quotes from Padre Pio linked the sufferings of Christ to
his own compulsion to be united with that Christ.
Lanciano is extremely moving also. Mass was celebrated in a little
chapel facing the relics of Lanciano. A priest filled with doubts about
the Real Presence experienced, at the consecration of the Mass, the host
turn to flesh while the contents of the chalice turned to blood.
Extensive scientific analysis sustains the following conclusions: The
flesh is real flesh. The blood is real blood. The flesh and blood belong
to the human species. The flesh consists of the muscular tissue of the
heart. It gets your attention.
Greccio was a pleasant surprise offering a peaceful pause from the usual
rush of pilgrimage. It is a place Francis and his followers visited with
some frequency and features multiple crib depictions. It was in Greccio
that Francis created the first creche. On the side of a mountain (one
marvels how it was built), the retreat can only be reached by foot. It’s
a challenging climb. But, the peace and quiet of the place, especially
after Rome, made one wish several days could be spent there.
Assisi, of course, is unique. Mass was celebrated in the basilica that
marks the burial spot of St. Francis. In Assisi, one can visit the tomb
of Francis, pray before the body of St. Clare, kneel before the San
Damiano cross from which Jesus urged Francis to rebuild his crumbling
Church, see garments worn by St. Clare and St. Francis (he was short,
she was tall), walk where St. Clare walked and stand at the spot where
she died. A hill town, the narrow streets of Assisi are not disturbed by
cars or busses. One either walks up hill or down hill. In spite of
numerous shops, one can easily become absorbed in prayer. It’s a place
where one doesn’t seem to mind crowds.
Our final day of pilgrimage found us in the Church of St. Mary of the
Angels, the basilica that umbrellas the portiuncula (the little church
that Francis and his brothers were given shortly after Innocent III
approved their order) and the spot where he died. It features
magnificent side altars; perhaps the most moving to me was one that
incorporated a creche. Mass was celebrated in the portiuncula and then
we were off to Orvieto, the site of another Eucharistic miracle relic
which inspired the pope of the time to initiate the feast of Corpus
Christi. It was in Orvieto that rain began to fall. Up to that point our
pilgrimage had been blessed with excellent weather. No one seemed to
mind the rain.
It was a privileged 10 days made memorable by wonderful people attuned
to the spirit of pilgrimage. It was my 12th trip to Italy, perhaps the
last. So, there was determination to climb the 300-plus steps to the top
of St. Peter’s Basilica one more time. The view, of course, is
magnificent. The fact that one can do it is the motivation, however. No
room for pride this time around, however; Will Beardmore, an
11-year-old, along with Hunter and Elaine Bedford (of comparable age)
were right there, two steps ahead of me. At the end I was winded. They
weren’t. The Bedfords left our pilgrimage for an early return to the
States so I can’t speak for them. But, I made sure Will tossed coins in
the Trevi. |
