Firmum Est February 22, 2014 Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter 1
The Comeback Kids Rome is a wonderful place to visit the tombs of the Saints. But to whom are we praying when we venerate their tomb? What was their path to sanctity, their life and their death? Dive below a few layers of history, and one runs into people with heads chopped off, upside-down crucifixions, and gladiatorial consumption by savage beasts. All these martyrs had to be buried somewhere, and many can be found in the catacombs, which is a network of underground tunnels that housed the dead. There are an incredible 375 miles of catacombs in Rome! These catacombs are anywhere from 7 to 20 meters below the surface, and with so many miles of catacombs, one can easily be walking in the city without knowing that 10 meters below is a martyr. Rome is literally built on the tombs of the Christian Dead. There is one Saint here in Rome who has preeminence over all the others: Peter. Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, when we celebrate the authority entrusted to Peter to be the one leader of Christʼs One Church. You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. 1 It is fascinating to celebrate this feast here in Rome, where every visitor, whether they know it or not, are immersed in the consequences of the life and faith of Peter. Just as the catacombs are a place to remember our many nameless ancestors in the faith, there are four special places in Rome that remember the end of Peterʼs life. First, there is the Church of Domine Quo Vadis, which is latin for Lord, where are you going? When Nero began a major persecution of Christians in Rome, Peter chose to flee the city, and history records that Peter encountered Jesus on the way out. Peter asks Jesus, Lord, where are you going? Jesus says, I am going to Rome to be crucified. Peter realizes that Jesus was calling him to follow in His footsteps, to return to the city to be crucified, and the Church is built on this spot of the encounter between Peter and Jesus. We can only imagine the gut-wrenching pain that Peter may have felt, knowing that Nero would not spare him as the leader of the Christians. The decision to turn around was a decision to accept martyrdom. And we know that Peter did turn around, and that he returned into the city, and that he was indeed martyred. A second place of interest is the Mamertime Prison. It is a dark, wet, and cavernous dungeon that held prisoners of high political interest, including conquered kings and treasonous Romans. It is also the prison where Peter was kept before his execution. I visited it this past semester, and I read the letter of Peter while sitting hunched over my little light and had water drip on my head from the top of the aqueous cavern. I was particularly struck when I read these words: Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christʼs sufferings. 2 We do not know how long he was kept there, but this dark and craggy dungeon is where Peter lived the last few days or months of his life, and one only wonders at what sort of prayers were said, what his heart was feeling. Did he wish he had ignored Christ and 2
kept walking out of the city? Did he regret ever following Christ, wishing instead that he had remained in his boat in Galilee and continued life as a quiet, unknown fisherman? Or did he rejoice because he was able to share Christʼs sufferings? The third place of interest is Saint Peterʼs Square. These days, the Square is surrounded by the Bernini Colonnade, an elaborate ellipse of massive stone columns three layers deep. But 2000 years ago, Saint Peterʼs Square was the location of the Circus of Nero, the place where Saint Peter was finally martyred. He was crucified upside down, considering himself unworthy to be crucified as Christ was crucified. While you cannot see the Circus today, there are several preserved Roman Circuses still in the city. They are large, elliptical structures that resemble what a football field would look like if the field was below ground level. Large, slopping fields of grass cover the outer seating, giving all spectators a good view of what is happening on the field. Were crowds jeering at Peter just as they jeered at Christ, daring him to pray to his God to save him? Did they spit at him and mock him, only to return two hours later to their own homes and cook dinner, forgetting the foolish Christian who would not pledge allegiance to the Roman Gods, to the Roman Emperor? The fourth place of interest is the Basilica of Saint Peter. While many people have seen either the inside or outside of the Basilica, beautifully decorated with elaborate and sacred art, fewer people have seen underneath the Basilica. There are daily Scavi Tours that explore this underground world, as it was only recently discovered. There, one finds a world of tombs and monuments, a literal City of the Dead (called a Necropolis) where loved ones could visit the graves of those who had died. The current Saint Peterʼs Basilica is built on top of this city, which was filled in to make the foundation for the Basilica. One can go to the very end of the tour and find the grave of Peter himself, an incredible archeological discovery of the 20th century that confirmed what recorded history had told us, that Saint Peter is buried underneath Saint Peterʼs Basilica. Directly above this tomb, about 20 feet up, is the altar inside the Basilica. One can visit this tomb and pray to the Apostle, the one to whom it was promised that the Gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church, a Church to which Peter had been entrusted with building and leading. Which brings us to today. 2000 years after the brutal death and martyrdom of Peter, 2000 years after the decisive and somber 180-degree turn on the road exiting Rome, 2000 years after captivity in a dungeon, 2000 years after being led to the Circus of Nero for his final moment of death, when all seemed lost, all seemed abandoned, when it seemed that hell had indeed prevailed over the Church to which Peter was entrusted, what do we find? We find a city with over 900 Catholic Churches, each reposing the Body of Christ in tabernacles both great and small. We find paintings, fountains, piazzas, catacombs, and crucifixes, all marked with the signs of the Catholic Church. 3
We find Pope Francis, the successor to Saint Peter, proclaiming the Gospel and carrying on the apostolic mission of building up the Catholic Church. We find a city with over 50 seminaries and houses of formation, preparing future priests and religious, and numerous Pontifical Universities charged with expounding and teaching the Gospel. We find anxious, nerdy, holy, sombre, arrogant, humble, athletic and poetic seminarians trying to follow Jesus Christ, preparing to serve their Bishops who are successors to the apostles, and growing daily in their love for Pope Francis. We find a seminarian looking out his window, looking at the Basilica of Saint Peter and reflecting on Domine Quo Vadis, the Mamertime Prison, Neroʼs Circus, and the tomb of Saint Peter, reflecting on the beauty of the worldʼs greatest comeback, and a joyful member of a Church made up of Comeback Kids. Christianity is a story of Comeback Kids, and it has been that way from the beginning. The chief priests and the Pharisees had Jesus Christ crucified, mocking him at the crucifixion with the words, If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. 3 They watched Jesus die and breathe his last, they watched a sword pierce his side, they watched him be taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb, after which they returned to their own homes and ate their dinner, forgetting the foolish Galileean who called himself the Son of God. But if only they had waited! If only they could have been at the tomb 3 days later, they would have seen a sight that would have baffled their eyes. Though this Man did not come down from the cross, he exhibited a frustrating little habit of not staying in his tomb. It was the greatest Comeback in Human history. And the Comeback continued. Thirty years after the death of Jesus Christ, Peter was in an equally desperate situation. He was lead to crucifixion amid a jeering and arrogant crowd, his only hope being his hope in the promise of Jesus Christ. And the hammer did fall, the nails pierced his flesh, and he was killed by crucifixion and died a violent death. The promise seemed to die with his last breath. But today, as I walk the streets of Rome, I bathe in the Comeback. I go to mass with a priest who recites the words of Institution, repeating words that Peter himself heard. I eat His Body and drink His Blood, just as Peter did at the Last Supper. I go to mass with Pope Francis, and I watch the successor of Saint Peter lead and guide the Church, the living and vibrant and the never-stay-dead Church that has a frustrating little habit of flourishing precisely where she has most suffered. And I write this update to friends and family back home, baptized souls who have graciously been turned into adopted sons and daughters of God and who drink from the Rock of the Church and who gain sustenance from the Word of God proclaimed in their homes and in their Church. What the Pharisees sought to destroy, what Nero sought to persecute, I see before my eyes as a living, vibrant, efficacious, and noble institution that continues to carry out its 4
mission of bringing salvation to us sinners by means of Jesus Christ and His Sacraments. We are members of a Church that is full of Comeback Kids, and the more one looks around, the more can see the signs of the Comeback. A month ago, I was able to visit the tomb of Saint James, who is buried in Compostela, Spain. I spent a wonderful week on pilgrimage with my Dad, journeying to his tomb on the Camino de Compostela. On Friday, the day we arrived, I read the following passage in the breviary: Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you; consider how their lives ended, and imitate their faith. 4 This verse was of particular importance to me, as we were journeying to the tomb of Saint James, who is the only apostle whose death is recounted in the scriptures. We read, Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the Church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword. 5 That day, my father and I were going to the tomb of a man who was one of the earliest leaders who taught the word of God, and his life had ended in decapitation by means of a sword. And we went there joyfully. This is no different than what Christ has already told us. If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospelʼs will save it. 6 We are called to follow Jesus Christ, and we follow him to the cross. Not to look at it, or to admire it, or think about it, but to live it. Jesus was the first to go, and the rest follow. James followed, and he lived it by being decapitated. Peter followed, and he lived it by being crucified upside-down. We are told to consider how their lives ended, and the end was violent. But the end was not the end. The end was only the beginning. On this Feast of the Chair of Peter, I rejoice in the paradox of the cross. I rejoice in a history of courageous and loving men and women who gave their life for the Gospel, who showed us how to follow Christ to the end. I rejoice in Saint Peter, who speaks to us today and encourages us, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christʼs sufferings. I rejoice in the living witness of the Church, a Church which has undergone 2000 years of fiery ordeals, fires which do not kill Her but only help spread the Gospel. I rejoice to study in a city where countless martyrs give evidence to the central truth of the Christian message, that whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospelʼs will save it. Today, February 24, 2014, Saint Peterʼs Square was packed with thousands of souls receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. I think Saint Peter considers this result well worth the investment of an upside-down crucifixion. Peter was not surprised at this fiery ordeal, and he likely even followed his own advice, rejoicing in the fact that he could share in Christʼs sufferings. On this feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, we pray that 5
we may not be surprised at any fiery ordeal that comes across our path or across the path of the Church, because for Christians, death is never the end. It is the start of the Comeback. P.s. I have always wanted to explain why this update is called Firmum Est, and given the subject matter of this update, now is the opportunity. Saint Augustine explains that Psalm 57 tells of our Lordʼs passion. And what do we find in this psalm? We find the following: Steadfast is my heart, O God, steadfast is my heart. I will sing, I will sing your praise. Awake, my soul! Awake, lyre and harp! I will awake the dawn. The phrase, Steadfast is my heart, O God is a translation of the latin, which reads Firmum est cor meum. If you look at the picture on the first page of the update, you will see a crest which reads at the bottom, Firmum est cor meum. Steadfast is my heart. This is the motto for the Pontical North American College, and this also happens to be one of my favorite bible verses (perhaps also the inspiration for Mumford and Sons song, Awake, my soul?), so you can imagine my excitement when I discovered this in my first day at the NAC Firmum Est. It has been a central theme of the Christian Tradition, a group of people who remain steadfast in the face of suffering and death, even death on a cross. It is something you have to repeat to yourself when you go to mass everyday with the visual reminder of the death and crucifixion of the one you profess to be God, when you go to cramped prison cells and read letters that say to rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Christ, when you walk by a Basilica buried on top of an upside-down crucified Apostle, when you go with your dad to the tomb of a man whose head was chopped off while also prayerfully reading something that says you must remember how the lives of your leaders ended and also to imitate their faith. Steadfast is my heart before the face of such mysteries, or so I pray. While Peter was not always steadfast (he denied Jesus three times, he was fleeing the city to avoid persecution, etc), we know that he died steadfast. Today, we can travel through the city of Rome and see the dawn which his fidelity awoke. Firmum Est. It is the theme song for the Comeback Kids. 1 Matthew 16:18 6
2 1 Peter 4:12 3 Matthew 27:40 4 Hebrews 13:7-9 5 Acts 12:1-2 6 Mark 8:34-35 7
On December 8th, we celebrated our collegeʼs Matronal Feast Day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We always give three toasts at the end of our meal: a toast to our native land the United States, a toast to the Holy Father, and a toast to the college. Every year, the Orientation Chair gives the toast to the college at this banquet, which was a role I had over the summer. For those of you who have made it this far and are still reading and want to read even more, I am attaching the toast to the end of this update. It was a wonderful evening, blessed by the presence of several Cardinals. However, the highlight was having my vocation director there, Father Eric Augenstein, along with Father Martin Rodriguez and Matt Tucci. This allowed us to form our little corner of Indianapolis pride in the sea of various American dioceses. In the words of Father Martin, Archindy represent! And the Saltimbocca was delicious. 8
During Christmas break, I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I never wanted to go there before (seemed like a big sand pit to me), but I suddenly wanted to go. I realized I knew more about the land of Mordor and the location of Helmʼs Deep than I knew about the land of Jesus. Probably about time to even the imbalance! It was a wonderful spiritual, intellectual, and historical event, deepening my heart, mind, and soul in its love for the person of Jesus Christ. Pictured here was one of the many highlights, which was mass at the foot of the cross, where Christ was nailed to the cross. It is depicted in the painting in the background. Just to the left of this picture is Calvary and a massive set of boulders where the cross was placed. To be at the foot of Calvary, to celebrate the mass, to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, to contemplate the Mystery of the priesthood, and to contemplate God calling me to this Mystery...to experience this all at once was an ineffable experience, so Iʼll stop trying to put words to it. 9
We have had some unique meteorological phenomena as of late, including the dome of Saint Peterʼs Basilica being struck with lightening. Pictured above was a beautiful double rainbow over the city, taken with my cheap ipod camera. The inside rainbow was landing right on top of the church San Andrea. This church celebrates the life of Saint Andrew, who was an apostle and a brother of Peter. How did his life end? He was crucified on an x-shaped cross. Consider how their lives ended, and imitate their faith... I have more pictures, but I am still waiting on cataloging them and getting them uploaded. It was a busy few months, as I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, on pilgrimage to Compostela and hiked the camino for a week, and spent a week of true vacation in Iceland. There are some great pictures, but I havenʼt had time to compile them. Iʼll send a link in about a week. 10
Toast at Immaculate Conception Banquet A toast to the Pontifical North American College No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. This college has formed men to be priests for many years, and all men here are training to be like our teacher, Jesus Christ. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, We must never forget that the only legitimate ascent to the ministry of the pastor is not that of success, but of the cross. The cross hangs over this refectory, it hangs on our walls in our rooms, it thrusts itself before our eyes in every chapel. Everywhere we go, the suffering and death of our Teacher is before us, and we know that when we are fully trained, we will be just like him. But this college is not a morgue! Yes, it is full of men preparing to ascend the cross, but we are not dead. We have a baptism with which we are to be baptized, and how we are constrained until it is accomplished! How our souls squirm in anticipation and anxiety, the anxiety of love, the anxiety to be with our Beloved, the anxious anticipation of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. How constrained we are until that day, that day of passion and death, that day of eternal life! The chalice we seek to drink we will indeed drink, and it will carry us off to our Beloved. While we wait with constrained hearts, we grow in gratitude for this college, this fortress of training, which continues to prepare us for the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. If you have ever been thankful for what this college has done for you in your life, if you have ever been thankful for the opportunity to celebrate mass with the Holy Father, if you have ever been thankful for the gift of the Eucharist and the bread of life given daily in our chapel and for the holy priests who gave up their home and diocese to come and train us, if you have ever been thankful for a delicious four course meal of lasagna and saltimboca and profiterol and red wine, while sitting next to good men who also desire to give their lives for their Beloved, if you have ever been thankful for any of these things, I ask you to please stand... And let us toast this training ground, this college of constrained and anxious men who desire with burning hearts to one day partake in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Ad multos annos! 11