Day 14

Day 14

Our last full day on our pilgrimage today. What a journey! We travelled from Rome to Assisi today. Spent some time in St Clare. She was a friend of St Francis and at the age of 18 she left her home and ran away to meet Francis. Eventually she set up a convent who were known as the Poor Clares.

BASILICA OF ST FRANCIS

Our last full day was complete with Mass at the Basilica of St Francis. Father Chris’ homily was again a very fitting one, as he reminded us of the importance of not believing in the great lies that often our society thrusts on us. The following statements speak of the lies that we can fall into believing and is important for all people to think about how they stop us being the ‘me’ that God wants us to be. They are;

I am what I have.

I am what I do.

I am what I look like.

I am my reputation.

St Francis knew these conceits (lies) and spent his life seeing God in others and nature. He also spoke of the importance of doing so in our own life. Father Chris encourages us to be our true self and try and follow the teachings of Christ in all we do.

I leave you with some photos of Assisi and the surrounding countryside as we were not allowed to take photos in the churches. ( I will put the photos up when the internet connections is better. Sorry)

See you soon to spread the Good News together.

Day 13

Our last day in Rome!

We started the morning with Mass in the Basilica of St Peter, in the Popes Grotto. It was tremendous and uplifting experience to celebrate mass in front of St Peter’s tomb. This tomb encases the bones of St Peter.

Father spoke to us about the importance of remembering that Christianity is not about the relationship between just us and God but a relationship between ‘we and God’. It is through communion that this can occur. He also reminded us that the ornate, beautiful churches we see are not meant to be a sign of power in the church but should be seen as a sign of mystic power. As we enter the church or in your case look at the photos it is important to remember all of the artists, architects, builders and writers that worked together to create the churches as this is a sign of community and also shows the ‘we’ element of our faith.

He also spoke of the sign of the cross being a great symbol reminding us of the community within our church. When you make the sign of the cross the vertical part is about God and me and the horizontal part reminds us of the God and us. Where we meet is at the heart.

When Mass had ended we were able to spend some reflective time in the basilica. To be given the opportunity to spend time in the presence of our Lord without the crowds that consumed the church later in the day was breathtaking. 

St Peter's Basilica

The Nave of the basilica

Michelangelo's -'Pieta'

All artwork are glass mosaics not paintings

Vatican

In Roman times the area where the current church sits was a hillside. It was used as a raceway. The obelisk once stood at the centre of the area but was used and can now be seen at the front of the basilica.

When St Peter was crucified and killed he asked to be hung upside down as he didn’t want to be crucified the same way as Christ. His body was placed in a grave in the hill. Over two hundred and fifty years late Emperor Constantine built a enormous wooden basilica which held the remains of St Peter. Unfortunately it was not very stable and seventy three years later it could not longer be restored so was demolished. A succession of architects contributed to the designing and building of this spectacular building, including Michelangelo. It took 176 years to complete and is the greatest church to Christianity.

Today the Vatican museum holds many beautiful pieces of artwork and tapestries which stand as a testament to the dedication and hard work of the many people involved in building the church and working in community to celebrate their faith.

The Sistine Chapel is one such area. I remember studying the great work of Michelangelo when I was at school, especially the creation of Adam which depicts God reaching out to Adam and giving him life. Today my dream of seeing this remarkable artwork came true. We were not able to take photos of the painting as the flashes can ruin the artwork. I stood staring upwards and although many other people crowded me I truly felt as if I was alone thanking God for this wonderful opportunity. I will let the pictures of the rest of the area speak to you. Take some time to think about the question found in Luke 9:20 He said to them, But who say you that I am?

Vatican gardens

Can you see the peacocks?

Do you remember what they represent?

This statue was made from marble

Although this looks three dimensional it is actually a painting.

A cat on a tapestry

The beautiful gardens surround the vatican

 

Day 12

POPE FRANCIS

There can not be a better way to start the day then standing in the middle of St Peter’s Square and witnessing Pope Francis give his Sunday reflection on today’s readings. Although I could not understand his address due to a language barrier just being in the square with all of these believers was amazing.

Basilica of St John Lateran

After this we visited the one of the earliest churches in Europe. It became the Pope’s own cathedral and was at one stage the Pope’s residence. Today it is known as the Cathedral of Rome.

In St Peter's Square

Pope Francis comes to the window at tweleve

It is believed that some of St Peter's bones are encased in the obelisk

Pope Francis addresses the crowds

Scala Santa and Basilica of Santa Croce in Jerusalem.

Opposite the Basilica is the Holy Stairs. It is believed that St Helen, mother of the Emperor Constantine collected the staircase and relics. Being covered by wood carefully preserves the marble stairs. Their are twenty eight stairs and although no special prayer is obligatory a short prayer for each step was written in Rome for each of the steps. You are not allowed to walk on the stairs with your feet so move forward on your knees. Once you start the prayer you need to complete the whole staircase. It is an amazing way to praise our God and remember our faith.

We also visited the relics of the ‘Shroud of Turin. The real shroud has just been placed on display again after five years. The church also houses relics relating to Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. I will ad more information about this tomorrow as I need to read more information regarding what I saw and it is nearly twelve o’clock here. Tomorrow is an early day as we have to be at ST Peter’s for a seven o’clock mass which means we get up at five.

This Pope ordered the church to be built

Old fashioned confessional

Jerusalem Cross

Replica of the shroud of Turin.

Day 11

Rome

Father Chris kept telling us that Rome will have a different feel and it does. During the reflection today Michael reminded us that the church has two lung one is the traditions and the other is the scripture, I feel the same can be said about Jordan and Jerusalem and Rome. Our faith was born in The Holy City however Rome continues to give it life.

Colosseum

A place so deep in history you feel and see the growth of our faith all around you. Today was a great introduction to this land. Starting in the morning with a trip to the Colosseum. This amazing monument was completed in eight years. Prisoners under the rule of Vespasin and his son, Titus, built it. A new learning I have today is that it is commonly called the Colosseum but its real name is ‘Flavian Amphitheatre’. As we participated in a guided tour of it we were told of horrific acts of violence that happen for 100 days a year. It was built to house the games where the rulers of the time pitted exotic animals against each other or against people. It was also where people came to see gladiators fight each other.

Today a section of the Colosseum is a chapel and mass is said daily. It has become a blessed space where we can come to pray for those who are persecuted around the world.

St Paul’s outside the wall

My connection with Australia felt the strongest today as we visited this beautiful basilica. It is built over the tomb of St Paul and was built by Constantine. Although it was destroyed by fire in 1823 today it stands a monument to our patron saint –Saint Paul the Apostle.

During his homily Father Chris referred to it as the most significant church because St Paul was buried here. In one of the photos are some of the remaining links to the chain that was used to chain him when he was imprisoned.

Today Father spoke of the importance of listening and how hard it was to do so. It is not the first time he has spoken of this during my journey but the more he speaks of it the more I realise how hard it is to do it but also how important it is for us. He further explained ‘when we keep our eyes on Christ we are living and being the best we can be. However when we take our eyes off the Lord is when we start to fret and loose sight of our gifts and how to use them in our life. By listening to Christ and keeping our eyes on him we are able to stand with Peter and Paul and spread the Good News to all.

Christ asked Paul ‘Why are you persecuting me?’ And as Paul reflected on this question he developed the theology of Church as the body of Christ. How are you the hands of Christ to the people you meet, to members of your family?

 

St Paul's outside the wall

The tomb of St Paul

Statue of St Paul

The door to the basilica

Mosaic in the basilica

 

Day 9 and 10

Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given

I have decided to combine day 9 and 10 as we spent most of day ten in an airport or flying from Jerusalem to Rome. I am unsure of how many photos I will be able to add whilst in Rome because we have limited GB available.

Two main areas today – Stations of the Cross leading to Golgotha and the Resurrection and  Jericho.

We awoke this morning to rolling thunder, lightening and rain. Fitting weather for the day we were about to embark on, following in our Lord’s footsteps on the Via Dolorosa.

St Anne’s church and the Pools of Bethesda

Before we started the Stations of the Cross we visited the Church of St Anne. The site of this church is situated over what traditionally Catholics believe was the home f Anne and Joachim. They were Mary’s parents and Jesus’ grandparents. The crusaders built the church standing today. Although it was simplistic in design the vaulted ceilings have wonderful acoustics as was noted when the group sang a lovely hymn. A section of it can be heard on the video.

The church was surrounded by beautiful gardens and a had a deep sense of calmness to it.

POOL OF BETHESDA

Close to the church are the ruins of he Bethesda pool. John 5: 2-15 refers to the time when Jesus healed a paralysed man. It is believed these are the pools where this story took place. Can you imagine how strong this man’s faith must have been to wait for thirty eight years to be healed.  When Jesus healed him it was the beginning of the end for Jesus, as it gave the people a reason to persecute him. The interesting facts we need to consider when reading this story is that it occurred on the Sabbath and healing is not allowed on the Sabbath. In the Jewish law any form of work on the Sabbath is seen as breaking the law. Not only did Jesus heal on the Sabbath he also directed the man to pick up his mat and walk. A mat during Jesus’ time was also seen as a piece of furniture so for the man to pick up his mat and move it , he too was breaking he law. When asked the man did not deny that Jesus had healed him in fact he pointed Jesus out. How courageous was he to follow Jesus? I wonder are we as courage as this man?

Stations of the Cross.

Our prayers were answered as we left the Church of St Anne, the rain cleared and we started on the journey with Jesus. In groups of three we carried a large cross through the streets of Via Dolorosa. Starting at the First stations: Jesus is sentenced to death by Pilate to Station 8: Jesus consoles the women. Each member of the group prayerfully carried the cross from station to station as we prayed together as we remembered Jesus’ suffering and humiliation. It was the first time I realised how narrow the street were and how he must have been pushed and pulled on the way to Golgotha.

Station 9-14 are said in the nearby Coptic chapel of St Helen. 

When Stations concluded we walked into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Within the church we touched the ground where Jesus was crucified. During the time of Jesus only dangerous criminals were crucified and normally they were not nailed to the cross , however their hands were bound and they were tied to it. The crosses they used were not the smooth crosses and well built ones we imagine sometimes they were just large branches from trees. All prisoners had to carry their own cross up to the place of crucifixion.   Rami described today a game the soldiers used to make the prisoners play. It was called the Kings game, he was not sure how the game is played but the winner was treated like a King for a day. He could treat the other prisoners like slaves. This also meant that the winner would be crucified at the end of the day. It was yet another way for them to mock and humiliate these people. They did not ask Jesus to play this game because they were already mocking him by calling him the King of the Jews.

The stories just continue to reinforce the richness of our faith.

Within the church we also went into the tomb where jesus was layed. My new learning for today was finding out there were two rooms in the tomb. The first room is called the weeping room as this was the room that the dead were layed to rest and anointed and left for three days. The reason why they were left was so to make sure they were truly dead. You need to remember that modern medicine was not available during Jesus’ time and sometime people were just in a coma. After three days the women would return and if the person was really dead they would be moved to a tomb. The tomb is normally situated underground.

Two storied make more sense to me now. One the story of Lazzareth  and of course the story of Jesus being placed in the tomb. I will speak to you about these upon my return.

The resurrection of our Lord is a glorious event and it should invigorate us to want to spread the good news to all we meet.

THE ROAD TO JERICHO

Although it was Rami’s day off he took us to Jericho. Within thirty minutes we were at Jericho, looking at the change in landscape you would think it was further away. The story of the Good Samaritan was set on the road to Jericho. Look at the isolated mountains it is easy to recall the Parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:30-37) Can you imagine the robbers hiding there? I wonder why the Samaritan stopped to help? When are we Samaritans in our lives?

 

Day 10 Good by Jerusalem hello Rome

Our time in Jerusalem has come to an end. This place has touched more than my heart it has touched the soul of my being. Today ended perfectly with a beautiful mass from Father Chris. He spoke about the fruits of Resurrection and that the first fruit is peace. He asked us to reflect on the meaning of gifts, by recalling our favourite gift. What is your favourite gift?

He made the point that a gift is not really gifts until we use them. He referred to the gifts of the spirit as well as gifts from others. By reminding us of the importance of using our gifts we can truly serve God and spread the good news. It is when we compare our gifts and want the gifts others have rather than using our own that we can forget that the Lord has given us all different gifts and wants us to spread the Good News by sharing them. When we use these gifts we have the courage to and strength to be our true selves.

He ended his homily today by reminding us that every time we celebrate Eucharist we are using the language of love.

During these days in the Holy City my faith has been made stronger by the sites, words and people I have met along the way. I hope you have enjoyed walking with me and may you continue to do so as I head into the land where our Catholic Church stands strong today.

 

Day 8

Today I walked where Jesus walked and prayed where he prayed.

Words fail me today Year Five. We moved from one uplifting moment to another. I cannot believe I walked in the Garden of Gethsemane today and felt the Lord’s presence, walking alongside of me. It was the most powerful day I have yet to experience. Today was all about asking and receiving forgiveness of our sins.

Church of the Pater Noster (Our Father)

We started the day at the Mount of Olives, where we visited the Church of ‘Our Father’. This church commemorates the site where Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s prayer. The main lesson of today for me was the importance of the opening line – Our Father. It shows us how much Jesus loves us every time we utter these words because he was willing to allow us to refer to his Father as if he is our own. The prayer will mean so much more to me now.

The Our Father in Hebrew and Aramaic

The Our father in Latin

Jerusalem as seen today

 

Dominus Flevit

A short walk from the Church of the Pater Noster was Dominus Flevit. It is a Franciscan church and is situated on the upper slope of the Mount of Olives. Dominus Flevit means ‘the cry of the Lord’ and it believed to be the site where Jesus wept over the destruction of Jerusalem. The reading associated with this is Luke 19:41-44. Father Chris celebrated Mass with us today and reminded us to allow Jesus to save us. This is a harder task then anticipated. Rather than tell us how this should be done Father Chris left us with questions and some statements worth pondering over; Can we allow Jesus to be our Saviour?, The Garden isn’t a sorrowful event it is a victorious one. Our King was not a beautiful king he was one covered in bruises, he was not adorned in ornate garments, his clothing was ripped and stained, Am I still trying to tell God what to do?

These are things I am still grappling with and just make me realise how much I still need to let go and allow God to save me.

The dome of the church is in the shape of a teardrop and at the edge of the roof are decorated jars. Wives of men who went away to war used these jars. When the men were away the women would cry into the jars so upon the men’s return they would show the men how much they wept for them. The architect used the symbol of the teardrop and jars as how much we weep for Jesus.  

Part of the roof shaped like a tear  drop

Walking along the way Jesus walked.

 

Garden of Gethsemane 

As we made our way down the hill it seemed as of Jesus was walking alongside of me. I cannot explain the feeling that overcame me as I walked into the private area of the garden of Gethsemane. It was as if I was walking along side Jesus and experiencing his agony. We were given time for silent reflection during the visit to the garden and all I could think was ‘Today I walked where you walked, prayed where you prayed’. It was such a powerful site and still now words cannot do it justice.

Church of the Agony 

Across from the garden was ‘Church of the Agony’. This church was funded y 12 countries and was originally called the church of ‘All nations’.  The atmosphere of the church appropriately fitted the feeling of the area as the only light source came through violet and blue windows.

Matthew 26:36-39 refers to Gethsemane and the betrayal of Judas, within the church in front of the altar is the ‘Rock of Agony’ where Jesus prayed in the garden before he was arrested. The mosaics in the church represent the following moments, The kiss of Judas, Christ in Agony being consoled by an angel and the arrest of Jesus. The front of the church has the most beautiful mosaic.

Church of St Peter In Gallicantu

Within this church it was the first time I can truly say I thought about what happened to Jesus between his arrest and his crucifixion. Outside the church Rami was telling us how usually when people were arrested during Jesus’ time they were given twenty four hours to defend themselves. However due to Jesus being arrested on Thursday night he was not given the same amount of time because it was the day before the Sabbath and no work is done on the Sabbath. Leaving it to the Saturday night was not acceptable because that would give him 48 hours so they rushed his arrest through. We all recall he was taken to the high priests house but toady I was informed and shown the prison in which Jesus would have been kept. During this time the prisoner’s hands and feet were bound together and a harness was tied around their body and they were lowered into a hole in the ground. The hole was completely black and whenever the priest wanted you, you were pulled back up through the hole. During this time you were beaten. Even as I write this down the image of how dreadful this must have been for Jesus comes flooding back into my mind. Yet again I am reminded of the great LOVE Jesus has for all.

Looking down into the dungeon

Peter denies Jesus

The guards quarters

The hole in which they would have lowered the prisoner though

The mosaic shows how Jesus was tied and then lowered into the dungeon.