Christmas

Merry Christmas! i just got back from midnight Mass with the Pope, the best part was the focus on slowing down and stopping ourselves to meditate on the silence in the heart of the night where Christ is born. we waited in the piazza from about 8pm to get in, it was a calm and very still night, cool but not cold. a slight haze hung in the air until the moon peeked out over the center of the square and cleared the clouds and mists away. it was a beautiful Mass, i wish i could enter into it more deeply again.

tomorrow is the Pope's address "to the city and to the world" (Urbi et Orbi) at noon. i'll go to that, then on the 26th to Krakow. i will pray for you all there, keep the 7 of us in your prayers. i'll be back after the new year to post again and share any insights the Lord offers to me. Merry Christmas!

rome notes:

if you want to come to Christmas Mass with the Pope, thats great, just make sure you get a ticket, no one gets in without a ticket.

pictures:

1- the nativity scene in St. Peter's Square (most nativity scenes are based off of Luke's Gospel, but this year the Pope specifically asked to go off the Matthew account to focus on St. Joseph, so the scene is of St. Joseph's workshop)

2- the nativity scene

3- a picture from my seat before Mass

4- a littl nac holiday cheer

St. Paul's Outside the Walls

today i went with my Jesu Caritas fraternity group to St. Paul's Outside the Walls. its one of my favorite Churches in Rome. we went to Mass, prayed before the tomb of St. Paul and spent some time talking and reflecting on Scripture. it was freezing.

this is the time of year where we are all tired and unmotivated. i can't complain that its too much when i watch how much effort it takes and challenges one faces everywhere else. whether single or married, old or young, rich or poor, i can see that most everyone has to work harder and deal with more real stresses and worries than we do. in one sense, it is puzzling how a seminarian in Rome could find any possible reason to feel bad or overworked, or overwhelmed--we all go through our ups and downs no matter what our vocation in life is.

we have 1 week left of classes, then we get two weeks of vacation for Christmas, then its back to school for 3 weeks, then 3 weeks of finals. i hope to keep up throughout this week. i will stay in Rome for midnight Mass on Christmas eve with the Pope, then on the 26th a few friends and i will go to Krakow, Poland until the 2nd of Jan. we will go to Auschwitz, the Divine Mercy shrine, JP2's hometown, and to Our Lady of Chestahova as well as a salt mine. this time of pilgrimage is much needed and i hope to better know our Lord's coming to us, to know that "God is with us" in all these various ways. when finals come, if things work out right, i will take 2 finals a day and be done by feb 4th, then i'll get 2 more weeks off. i'm thinking of going to Medjugorje with another friend, but we'll see. may God bless you with an extra pause this week so that you can have a chance to see how He is coming to you with joy and expectation. please pray for me, my family, and my classmates; pray for our conversion.

rome notes:

St. Paul's Outside the walls - from the nac take the 23 bus right to St. Paul's (20min ride, buses come once every 30min). its free and you can rest and pray there. they have frescoes of the life of St. Paul up high and a gift shop with good magazines to explain it all. there is a giant crucifix that once spoke to St. Brigid of Sweden and an icon of Mary before which St. Ignatius took his solemn vows and started the Jesuit order. definately a must visit place.

pictures:

1- the entrance courtyard to St. Paul's

2- the original doors to St. Paul's built at the time of Constantine (4th century)

3- a picture of the memorial cover over the tomb and altar and one of the mosaics

4- the tomb of St. Paul, under the main altar

5- the little courtyard of many types of pillars next to the monk's monastary

6- an icon of St. Joseph by Br. Claude OSB at Mt. Angel, OR. maybe it can aide your prayer too this advent.

Immaculate Conception

happy feast of the Immaculate Conception! today 2 cardinals celbrated Mass with us on this special feast as the Immaculate Conception is the patron of our college. we had a huge pranzo (lunch) for which i was a server; i dropped the plate of ravioli and splattered it all over. being only 10 ft. from the head table, i was a little embarrassed, but then again, it reminded me that i have much to learn about serving well. it has been a busy week, so i'll hit the highlights for you.

-our NAC soccer team is now 2-0 in the "clericus cup" tournament with the other religious schools here in rome. at the last game Jeff tied the game with a header and in the last 2 min we scored again to win the game.

-new updated blog which has my address and phone number for your quick access if you ever want it, hope you like it.

-went to the Papal "Wednesday Audience" with the soccer team. the Pope gave us a blessing for us and all our family and friends back home, so you all are sharing in his Apostolic Blessing.

-the Popes new encyclical came out: "Spe Salvi" (by hope we are saved). you can wait to buy it, or download it for free from the vatican [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html]. its around 30 pages in ms word. i am 1/3 of the way through and it is good so far. if you make the investment of 5 pages per night you'll finish in a week and you'll give your faith a good chance to grow. its time for evening prayer with the community so i got to run, but i did want to share one more thing...

-insight of the week: God gives Himself fully, He doesn't take back His gifts depending on our behavior.
He wanted even to give His own Self to us, He became incarnate, to show Himself to us. i was amazed at this total commitment, that He would give, even when He would "loose out" on us. He gave Himself to be with me so fully that He gave Himself up to death so that i might be with Him. the cross and the Eucharist came quickly to mind, i hope i can be quiet now and listen. please pray for me, my family, and the other guys here, pray that we might encounter Jesus ever fuller. happy Advent, may the joy of Jesus touch your hearts as you wait for Him with anticipation.

more pictures from Siena:
1 - a lighter moment at the town square
2 - the "duomo" cathedral at night
3 - the duomo during the day