Tu es Petrus (You are Peter)

I had a very moving visit to the tomb of St. Peter on July 2. Although I have been to St. Peter's Basilica before, I had never seen the “backside” of Peter's tomb. It was amazing to learn that an entire necropolis lies beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, and seeing it unearthed was an absolute eye-opener regarding the history of the place. The ongoing debate over whether or not the bones found there are actually those of Peter was also quite thought-provoking. However, this experience serves as an analogy for the nature of faith, as it reminded me that faith is essentially believing without seeing. The visit strengthened me spiritually, and I felt a different spiritual power emanating from that place. The fact that the entire Catholic bureaucracy and the Popes are all buried in that crypt only strengthens my conviction that those bones are indeed St. Peter's! God bless us all!

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The Messengers: Prophets, Martyrs, Saints and Us - and Palm Trees

Reflecting on Messengers as the Sun Sets Yesterday's lecture about Islam provoked me to think deeply on the idea of messenger. We often hear the phrase, "don't shoot the messenger" and may even use it ourselves. Sometimes we don't want to hear the message. It may be inconvenient, controversial or contrary to our own understanding. It can challenge and provoke us and be unsettling. We do have a choice, and can act or not act according to the message. I found myself reacting to the teaching from Islam that describes the Prophet as the last messenger, but after considering the course in its entirety - many faiths believe different things about their messengers. In Christianity we do not agree on many of the qualities that define prophets, martyrs and saints. As those participating in faith, we are all messengers. How we are remembered as those messengers is more about those that follow after our time. Persons of Faith 'Remembered' in Bronze Our Tour of th...

Walking on Holy Land

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18 Synagogues, all Orthodox, is Unsettling

Visiting the Great Synagogue of Rome was unsettling. It's a beautiful building with a fascinating history, which amazingly survived both Fascist Mussolini and Nazi occupation remaining intact for 120 years. The building's interior is unlike any other synagogue I've seen before, with its fantastic museum and centuries old collection of Judaica (including textiles) only contributing to its beauty and spiritual significance. There's also a small Sephardic Synagogue located in the basement, roped off, where only Jews are permitted access (according to another group's guide). I was unsettled. During the building tour our group was brought up to men's section of the main synagogue, where Maureen asked a wonderful question about tradition practiced in the synagogue and was told they were Orthodox, and neither Ashkenazi nor Sephardic (even though there was a Sephardic Temple in the basement) but practice their own historic rite. A further question followed about other ...

Rome Ecumenism Course 2024

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