The Feast of All Souls and First Vespers with the Pope

On November 2nd our community here at the General House traveled to St. Lawrence outside the walls to Campo Verano, probably the largest cemetery in Rome which adjoins the Basilica.

The cemetery itself is actually divided into sections: one section being Jewish, the other Christians and another where victims of WWI are buried. It is interesting to remember though that back during early Christianity it was next to impossible for a christian to be buried in a Christian Cemetery as the land itself cost money that most of the practitioners didn't have so most of the time early Christians were either buried in Jewish cemeteries or pagan cemeteries. It wasn't until the beginning of the 2nd century when Christians finally had a plot of land to call their own which is now called St. Callistus.
November 2nd being All Souls Day, a Catholic Memorial where we commemorate the faithfully departed, is the busiest time for the cemetery where many of the memorials and graves are adorned with flowers. Statues can be seen holding roses and you see in the photo to the left, sites are adorned rather bountifully. 
 A rather amusing part of the trip was the aerial attack and invasion of thousands of starlings. They came out of nowhere and screamed across the sky until they claimed refuge to a poor pine tree that sagged at the amount of weight it had to support. I saw them again the next day circling my room at the General House. I think it's an omen or Michael Bay is in town filming Transformers 4. Nature can sense a disaster.
Finishing my day at Campo Verano I stopped by the statue shown on the right adorned with candles and flowers.

Last Friday, the Pope held a first Vespers for the start of the Academic School Year for Pontifical students in Rome. Vespers started at 5:30 and I arrived at 4:00 was still in the back of a rather long line. A friend of mine apparently arrived 30 minutes earlier and was much further along however still not able to get front row or at least near the front row once inside. I was pretty much near the back when I finally got to my seat. I unfortunately couldn't understand a single thing he said during his homily as I unfortunately still need to brush up on my Italian. Hopefully the next Vespers I attend I will be able to glean a bit more, perhaps one day even understand the whole thing. *gasp*.

Homily For 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 8/28/2011

Has there ever been a moment, an event that seems impossible to bear, too difficult to continue or endure, or something to which we make difficult to even start? Have we placed obstacles in front of us, talked ourselves out of such an event or action, made excuses. We then look back at our missed opportunities, did I really make the right decision? But to question every decision only leads to neurosis. God allows our will to be our own, to make decisions for our own, right or wrong we live, decide, lament or rejoice and repeat the cycle. But when we place ourselves into the hands of God, when we surrender our wills to God’s will, when we take up the Cross that Christ took up knowing in our hearts this Cross is our symbol of self-sacrifice, there we find eternal happiness.

Christ’s command seems impossible, to deny ourselves, to sacrifice our lives to gain eternal life. To deny our will and turn to a will that is mysterious and ominous. One can only imaging Peter battling his inner demons when Christ rebukes him for standing in the way of God and realizing he is powerless to transform it according to his will for it is the will of Peter that Christ live, that Christ remain with him. But in Christ’s response we cannot feel but confounded like Peter. How are we to deny ourselves? Are we to truly sacrifice our lives for the sake of the Kingdom?

In our second reading from Corinthians we find our answer and a proper response to God’s grace. In a world that is shaped by self centeredness we find in the Cross of Christ that we are to follow a path that goes against the grain of the world. It is this way of life that brings us mockery, derision and rejection from those who insist their actions are “good enough”. But the actions we make not only shape the world around us but they shape our relationship with God as well. If we deny in ourselves the will of God we lose the grace of the Holy Spirit and the dream that God has for us but if we allow God to seduce us, if surrender to his will, allow ourselves to be lifted up and moved by His grace we gain eternal life. This form of love is called Agape or God’s love. Human love is imperfect, it can be manipulative, envious, expecting, violent, but God’s love is indiscriminatory, generous, merciful and never changing. Do not fear to pick up your Cross for this Cross is perfect love. This cross transforms us forever into this love that is agape and with this cross we should never fear the future, the unknown, persecutions and rejection and that we might suffer for our faith for God is always there as are the graces that are abundant and unfailing.