How To Be A Living Stone

For a homily on how to be a living stone, click on this image.

What is the Mass: A Meal That Seals a Covenant

In addition to being a memorial of Jesus sacrifice on the Cross, and He being truly present among, the Mass is also a communal meal, wherein we share in the sealing of the new and everlasting covenant made in the Blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God.  To hear a homily on how that is so, click on the image.

What is the Mass: Jesus Truly Present

Jesus promised not to leave us orphans, but to be with us until the end of the world.  Yet forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father.  Does he keep his promise to his disciples from the Apostles until now?  Is Jesus truly present in the Holy Mass?  If so, how?  Click on the image below to hear a homily about Jesus present among us.

What is the Mass: Sacrifice of the Cross

This is the first in a series called Mass in Slow Motion, homilies explaining the various parts of the Mass. This podcast explains one of the three main aspects of the Mass that we keep in mind in order to understand the very nature of the Mass itself.  Click on the image at the left to hear this homily.

2016 Roman Pilgrimage Day Three

October 24 – St Precede, St Mary Major, Holy Cross of Jerusalem, St John Lateran, Lunch, St Paul’s without the Walls

Dear Readers,

I am chaplain to a group of 25 pilgrims on a Jubilee Pilgrimage to Rome.  I have decided to document my pilgrimage on my blog with an online journal with pictures.  I think the best way to document this pilgrimage is with my camera.  This is somewhat new for me.  I am not a great photographer, I mean, I have to consciencely remind myself to open the shutter.  I motivate myself by saying I’m looking for photos that will inspire me to paint.  So here goes my attempt.

8 AM we gathered in the chapel of Casa per feria Santa Lucia Filippini, Largo Santa Lucia Pilippini, 20, to sing Lauds set to music by Fr Samuel Webber.  The chapel is gorgeous.  I will post a photo, but you can see info about the convent at http://www.gliarchipisazzavenezia.it.

After a bus ride we arrived at St Precede to venerate the pillar at which Our Blessed Lord was scourged for our sins.

Although I lived in Rome for two years, I had not visited this place.  The chapel has a ceiling adorned with the most fabulous ancient mosaics featuring especially Christ and the blessed apostles Peter and Paul.  Sorry I didn’t take any picture of the mosaics.
Here is the high altar of St Precede.  I really like the baldacchino over the altar.

 

Next we perambulated towards Saint Mary Majors, which contains many notable thing, like the wood of the manger in which our Blessed Lord was laid when just born.   

The interior of the basilica is decorated with wonderful mosaics up and down the nave on the triumphal arch of scenes from the history of the salvation.

It is there that we entered into the first holy door for this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Our next stop was the Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem.  This bascilica houses many relics of the Passion and Death of our Blessed Lord, most notably the largest piece of the cross on which he was crucified.  

Then  we passed theough the Holy Door at Saint John Lateran.

The high altar here is also protected by a frescoed medieval baldacchino.  After visiting this, the cathedral of Rome, the Pope’s Cathedral and mother of all churches.  

Tired and hungry, we broke for lunch near St Paul’s without the Walls.   Over the high altar here there is another medieval baldacchino over the high altar marking the place below where the tomb of the blessed apostle Paul was entombed after having been beheaded.  Our day of touring ended about 6 PM.  We then went for a wonderful dinner at the Ristaurante Abruzzi.  The day ended with sung compline in the chapel of the convent.  Good night till the next post.