Sermon: Our Pilgrimage to Italy

Sermon: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, April 9, 2016 

Fr. David, my friend and our parish priest, asked if I would preach on my pilgrimage to Italy, that my friend Scottie and I made during Lent/Holy week. Since returning I have been rereading our blog, looking at pictures and reading the book "The Art of Pilgrimage." I have been foraging for the nuggets in our experience that I hope will be meaningful to those  reading this blog and/or listening on Sunday.

Many, many, years ago I became interested in pilgrimages after reading an article and then a couple of books.  You might say the books spoke to me or called to me. I wanted to go on pilgrimage.  In truth, I had never been around people who went on pilgrimage.  I knew I wanted to do this, but didn't know how or when.  But then I learned, once you set you heart or soul on pilgrimage, the time will come that you must go. My first pilgrimage was to Ireland to see where my great grand fathers had come from, where we still have family, and to learn more about my favorite saints, Patrick and Brigid. At the time I called it a vacation, only later did I understand that this vacation had all the markings of a pilgrimage.

My second pilgrimage was walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the 500 mile walk in Northern Spain. This walk was with the full intention of being a pilgrim.  It felt a little silly calling ourselves pilgrims or being on pilgrimage..  Our culture does not use these words. But about a week into the pilgrimage my daughter and I were a bit lost and trying to find the path, when Angie said “Look, there are the pilgrims, we need to be over there.” The pilgrimage had sunk in, we now identified ourselves as pilgrims. We had found our people and needed to be one with them.  

In European countries it is not unusual to go on pilgrimage.  It is understood that at some time in your life and perhaps many times in your life you will feel called to go on pilgrimage. In reading "The Art of Pilgrimage"  by Phil Cousineau, I have learned much about pilgrimage and found my experiences validated by the experience of many others.

Phil Cousineau tells us that when we are going on pilgrimage we are seeking something deeper.  It is trans-formative travel to sacred places.

Here are a few quotes from his book.

" Pilgrimage is a way to prove your faith and find answers to your deepest questions".

He tell us:"Something ancient and holy was unfolding all around me.  It was what the wandering pilgrim-poet Basho called a glimpse of the under glimmer of an experience of the deeply real.

And then he says:

" The pilgrim is a wayfarer who longs to endure a difficult journey to reach the sacred center of his or her world, a place made holy by a saint, hero, or god.  Once there the desire is to touch a relic, have a vision, hear an oracle to experience what psychologist Stephen Larsen calls the "irruption of the divine in a three-dimensional place." 

And so it was, we left for pilgrimage: to touch a relic, here an oracle, have a vision and experience an irruption of the divine in a three-dimensional place.  Little did we know that this would really happen.

As all of you know who have spent 20 hours flying by plane, crossing many time zones, not sleeping and then trying to find your hotel in a strange city, that t this is indeed a challenging and exhausting experience. By the time we landed in our hotel, like a true pilgrims, we were weary, hungry and searching. After a rest we left the hotel in search of dinner, but found all restaurants closed, it was siesta time and so we continued in search of the Vatican.  Imagine my surprise when we found a blue sign for pilgrims with a yellow arrow pointing the way to the Pilgrims Office and to the Holy Doors. It was the same kind of sign that guided Angie and I on the Camino.  I had no idea that we would find a similar sign in Rome or that we would be called pilgrims. It was not just my name for this trip anymore we were official pilgrims. Suddenly energized, we followed the signs.  At the pilgrims office we received our tickets for Palm Sunday and were given a leaflet to prepare our hearts to enter the Holy Doors the next day.

A couple weeks before I left two friends, Sue and Ludee told me of the opening of the Holy Door in Rome. Pope Francis has declared this year a Jubilee year. Jubilee years may happen every 25 years or so at the discrediting of the current pope. Pope Francis has declared this Jubilee year a year of Mercy. Pilgrims are told they should make their way to a Holy Door. There are four Holy Doors in Rome where it is traditional for Catholics to make a pildrmage.

By being in Rome this year we were able to participate in the Holy Door sacred ritual.  The leaflet we were given at the Pilgrims Office instructed us to prepare our heart and soul, to be intentional in our act of pilgrimage.  We were to be open to an encounter with the Holy as we approached the Doors.

As we made our way to the Vatican plaza there were yellow arrows pointing us to the beginning of our path. We began the path by going through metal detectors, which seemed a bit unusual.  We stopped to pray for all those we carried with us in our hearts for which we ask for Mercy and healing. As we approached the basilica we were told we could step in to pray where it is quiet. We walk up the ramp, step in front of the Pieta, the statue of Mary holding Jesus by Michelangelo. We prayed the Magnificat and then gaze upon the statue. We then move with the crowd further into St. Peter's. I was confused. Where is the Door? I asked an attendant and he pointed to the glass doors at the ramp where we entered. I turn to Scotti and began to laugh. We had passed through without knowing!  All that preparation, all that anticipation and we were in before we knew it. We quickly went back to the door and started to go out so that we could enter again. The guardian at the Door said “No there is no exit once you are in.”

Inside the door, we are on the verge of giggles.  Scotti, thinking pilgrimage should not mean struggle, says to me “See, no struggle.  That was easy!”

It reminded me of my time in Spain in the beautiful cathedrals. We were told that they were created to give the people the sense of what it would be like in heaven. 

I said to Scotti, perhaps this is the true story. Perhaps when we die we will cross over without even knowing. After all Jesus did die for us so that we are reconciled to God forever. And how easy was that? We crossed over and were surrounded by beauty and there was no going back. 

We spend so much time preparing, trying to be worthy and anticipating union with God.  And yet the door is always open we just have to walk through it. The rest of the day we just kept smiling at our experience and our pleasure.  I think this qualifies as an “irruption of the divine in a three-dimensional place.”

Next we were to touch a relic.  The bones of the disciples St. Peter, Simon the Zealot and Judas Thaddeus are all entombed in the crypt at St. Peter's Basilica.  Praying to the saints or believing that special blessing may come to us when we pray at the bones/ relics of a saint are not part of our tradition.  But after having walked 500 miles to Santiago to end with touching the relics of St. James I have gained appreciation for tradition.  I have become more interested in where the other disciple’s final resting places are and the lives that they led after the death of Jesus. They suffered much to spread the word that we might believe today.  And so I told my friend Bev before leaving, that on this pilgrimage we would be going on a relic tour. 

After spending time marveling at the great basilica, Scotti and I descended into the crypt where many other faithful saints rest, and we took time to pray and to give thanks. This was not the end of our relic tour though, we continued on to Venice where we prayed at San Marcos Basilica and St. Francis Basilica where St. Mark and St. Francis lay.  I don't know if I can explain the feeling or the experience of standing next to these disciples.  It is like bridging time. I was thinking about their life with Jesus and afterward his resurrection. I wonder at all the believers still following in their footsteps after all this time.  Without them, there would be no church today. We were indeed standing on holy ground.

Next we hear an oracle.

If you Google oracle this is what you will find.

1. a person or thing regarded as an infallible authority or guide on something.
2. a response or message given by an oracle, typically one that is ambiguous or obscure.

Palm Sunday we waited with a great crowd of people to worship at the Vatican and to see and listen to Pope Francis. We don't know how many people were there but we heard the plaza of the Vatican can hold 80,000 people.  There were people everywhere, excited, cheering and ready to celebrate Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, to share in prayers and communion and hear the words of the Pope. All was quiet as Pope Francis preached about Jesus and the relationship Jesus desires from us. He said:

"The first sign of this love “without end” (Jn 13:1) is the washing of the feet. “The Lord and Master” (Jn 13:14) stoops to His disciples’ feet, as only servants would have done. He shows us by example that we need to allow His love to reach us, a love which bends down to us; we cannot do any less, we cannot love without letting ourselves be loved by Him first, without experiencing His surprising tenderness and without accepting that true love consists in concrete service."

And then he broke from his prepared words and reminds everyone of the need to love and reach out to the refuge.  For the refuge is the stranger that we are all called to welcome.  This message is so relevant with the controversy of the refugees flooding into Europe and our own country from war torn lands in the Middle East, such as Syria. 

To be in the congregation that morning was like being in the presence of a celebrity.  There was so much enthusiasm, with people hanging on his very word.  The crowd was yelling out "We love you papa!” After the service he took off his robes and his miter and descended the steps and stepped into his Pope Mobile, gathering several children with him. He rode through the isles greeting his people over joyed to be with him.  I found myself standing on my chair waving and smiling like the throng of others. It was wonderful to be with so many believers and to witness a great oracle.

And then we experienced the oracle of St. Francis as in his Simple Prayer

Make me a channel of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

We of course were fairly well versed in St. Francis’ life and works, but were not prepared to have an experience of his life and work from the moment we stepped into the monastery where we stayed in Assisi to the moment the taxi driver dropped us at the train station to leave. The experience of peace and love in that small monastery and in the great Basilica was palpable. The kindness of the inhabitants of the town and the prayers that permeate the very walls provide a visceral level of peace.

The work of our Brother Francis continues in the hearts and minds of the faithful to this day. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit Assisi each year and the spirit of the saint continues to speak and call us to love and care for all of God's creation.

Lastly, let me talk about Vision. Our vision, what we saw,  was God made manifest in the work of God’s people.

From the moment we entered the Vatican to boarding the plane for home, our senses were flooded with the images, sculptures, mosaics, Basilicas, tapestries, precious metals shaped into communion vessels, sacred writings, and faithful people making pilgrimages to these holy sites. During our time on pilgrimage we carried with us prayers for people who had lost their faith or who believe in God but not in the divinity of Christ.   Being in a country that is 88% Christian that is rich with shrines and antiquities that bare witness to the life of Christ is like being swaddled in the love of the faith of our fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers.  My friend Scotti says the only way that a 23-year-old Michelangelo could have sculpted the Pieta, (Mary holding Jesus) is to have been inspired.  

 

Everyday the creativity, talent and faith of those who have come before us overwhelmed us. The great basilicas with grand frescoes told the stories of our faith. God made manifest in the works of his people.

My prayer in returning home and my intention in this sermon is that you will find your own pilgrimage.  Allow yourself to see beyond what is directly in front of you. Look more deeply to see what glimmers underneath.  The work of God in the world is everywhere if we have eyes to see. Allow yourself to dream and to search for more meaning. Because the God you are reaching out to, is reaching out to you.

March 20, 2016

We have looked forward to this day, Palm Sunday, as a highlight in our journey. Before leaving home I requested tickets to attend Palm Sunday Mass with Pope Francis presiding. The letter from the Vatican, acknowledging the request and telling us where to pick- up our tickets reminded us how privileged we are to be a pilgrim during Holy Week. 

Mass is at 9:30. We must be up early, checked-out of our hotel and in line for Mass. St. Peter's square holds 80,000 people. While we have tickets we don't have assigned seats.  We arrive in-line an hour and a half before the service. A large crowd is already waiting . We are squished between people of all languages, colors, ages, lay and clergy. Some are holding olive branches, flags and banners. All are excited to be here.  Small groups at a time are slowly let through to security scanners by the armed guards.

Once through, we are excited to find seats near the front. There are large screens on the sides so that everyone can view the service. Palms flank the great Basilica doors. The service begins with a great procession of Palms, followed by throngs of clergy and finally the Pope. An orchestra plays in the background. I look around. Huge numbers of people are in the square. I have never been in the midst of so many Christians. The service is in Italian and Latin. While I don't know what is being said, I know where we are at in the service. 

The difficulty with not speaking the language is that I feel more like a spectator than a participant. Worship means the work of the people. I know I will want to spend some time reflecting more on this later.

The Pope preaches. People listen in silence. At the end of the service the Pope takes off his robes, comes forward and gets into the Pope Mobile. He invites a half dozen children to ride with him. The crowd cheers. People yell out, "We love papa." We are in the midst of a celebrity. You can tell he eagerly wants to be with his people. The car moves through the isles. He smiles and waves. I find myself standing on my chair smiling and waving. I too am caught up in the moment.

After the service we take a high speed train to Venice. After finding our bed and breakfast we hook-up to Wi-fi and quickly find his sermon. The link is below. We wish we had understood the words in the moment. He breaks from his apparent prepared words to welcoming the refuge. 

These words speak to us:

"We are called to choose His way: the way of service, of giving, of forgetfulness of ourselves." Jesus, he concluded, "invites us to walk on his path. Let us turn our faces to Him, let us ask for the grace to understand something of the mystery of His obliteration for our sake; and then, in silence, let us contemplate the mystery of this Week."

His sermon:http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-homily-for-mass-of-palm-sunday

Lessons Learned: "choose His way: the way of service, of giving, of forgetfulness of ourselves."

March 26th:  Scotti's Reflection

One day after returning from my Pilgrimage with Eileen to Italy.

I was originally accompanying Eileen on this "Pilgrimage"  just to enjoy being with her and not to interfere in the least with her "RN" experience.  Well it turns out, it was a Pilgrimage for me as well - truly an "RN"  experience for me.  I felt I had a strong faith in God, and for me a Pilgrimage wasn't necessary.  And I guess it wasn't really "necessary", but it was beautiful and reaffirming and awe-inspiring and ... no words really  express it.  What an affirmation of my faith it was to see over and over again in every place we went, every church, every museum, every town, the stories of our Lord and the saints being told over and over again down through every century since before and after his birth.  

People want proof of the existence of God. The proof is in the masterpieces of architecture, frescoes, marble statues, mosaic ceilings and floors, all telling the same stories over and over.  It is history being told by human beings who have gone before us.  It is real. It is God inspired.  It is tangible.  Even the peace enveloping us in the cathedrals as we prayed was tangible.   We could feel it all around us.  A 23 year old Michelangelo could not have carved the Pieta out of a block of marble without God guiding him and inspiring him.  Once again, no words to describe the feelings that washed over me and moved me to tears as I stood in front of this holy work in St. Peter's Basilica.

Over and over again we saw, no we experienced the stories told through miraculous art works inspired by God.  God making himself tangible through the the work of his children. I didn't need proof, but it was reaffirming over and over and over again. It deepened my faith and inspired me to work harder to be  "a channel of His peace".  For me, it truly turned out to be a Pilgrimage.  Praise God!  Amen!!

March 25, 2016: Good Friday: The long flight home

Morning came early with a wake-up call at 3:00 and the taxi arrived at 3:45. It was a very short night. When we arrive at the Air Terminal it is very confusing. There are no agents at the KLM check-in. An Italiano Air employee tells us to go to baggage. We are confused but they push us through only to learn we have to go back out to check our bags. 

We finally found someone who can help us and he told us to check in through Italiano Airlines. Who knew? After much stress we have gone through baggage 2 times, had our passport checked 3 times, had our yogurt taken away along with Scotti's peanut butter and string cheese!

When we arrive in Amsterdam we stop briefly to pick-up chocolate for Easter. We make a beeline for the gate and find a long line and 3 addition security checks. We are getting nervous. We finally make it through the line with  3 more passport checks and they tell us to hurry to the gate. We are almost running.

When we arrive in Seattle it takes an hour and a half to get through customs. It is a total zoo. Our passports are checked 3 more times. We realize that the world has shifted since we left. We are now living in the aftermath of the killing of people in the Brussels airport and train stations. It is very sad. Amazing the people waiting in lines are very patient and willing to do what is asked. 

We are now on the flight to Boise and it is time to reflect back on this Pilgrimage. To be a Pilgrim is to seek God. We traveled to an ancient Pilgrimage site to seek and to be found. In each site we encountered the incarnate God in the creative works and acts of service by other followers and seekers. We experienced a deep connection to those who came before us and in some ways a smallness to the grand and awe inspiring work that has been done in the name of Jesus. 

Over the years Scotti and I have shared many experiences, some joyous and some deeply challenging. Life, is the the real pilgrimage. It is a blessing to have traveled this pilgrimage together. 

Lessons Learned: To be on pilgrimage...

Affirming and honoring our true feelings means that we listen to and honor as well as follow our true feelings, knowing that they are answers to our prayers.

March 24, 2016: 8th day: Maundy Thursday

We awoke early this morning because we needed to be checked out by 9:30. After breakfast we spent a few minutes visiting with Laura the clerk. She tells us that she lives outside Assisi. Assisi is expensive to live in and it is difficult to live here because of the hills and narrow streets.  She also tells us about St. Mary of the Angels church near the train station. She says we must visit there, it is very special. It is where St. Francis worked and where he blessed St. Clair for  her vocation and her new order of the Poor Clair's. As we leave we stop in the Chappel. We meet Sister Colette. She is very kind. She tells us that there are only 10 sisters left at her Monestary and that 2 of the sisters are in-firmed. She asked us to pray for them. Scotti and I talked about how sad it will be for this way of like to die out. 

We walk up the hill to the church where Francis declared his vocation to his father, by taking off his clothes and claimed he was leaving all his riches.  He was immediately covered with a robe by the bishop acknowledging his life now is given to God. 

Next to the church are the remains of the home that St. Francis grew up in.  We sit and reflect for a few moments in the small Chappel now there. 

We then walk to St. Rufino Church. This is the church that both St. Clair and St. Francis were baptized.  Outside the church are 2 large lions. They represent how people in the early church needed to be courageous to be Christian. There is one lion with a half eaten Christian in his mouth. 

We find that this church also has been designated as a Holy Door site. We go to the visitor center to the left of the church to find the doors.  It is confusing because the woman does not speak English. She tells us by pointing and showing us that they are downstairs in the museum of the church. The woman at the desk there can help us because she speaks English. After finding the crypt and the Museum the woman who speaks English tells us that we came through the Holy Doors when we came into the church. Like in Rome it is easy to slip through the Holy Doors.  😊

Time is running short. Next we look for the Roman Amphitheater but after some amount of wondering we cannot find it. We decide we must head back across town to stop at a gift shop and have lunch before our taxi arrives at 3:00. We find a wonderful restaurant with a patio overlooking Assisi and the beautiful green pastoral Umbrian country side. We enjoy our last Italian meal. Tonight we will be on a train to Rome. 

After being dropped at the train station by our taxi driver, we store our luggage and walk to Mary of the Angels church. The tiny church that Francis once rebuilt and worked from now sits inside the large church that was built to house all the pilgrims coming to Assisi. The small church sits directly in front of the alter of the new church. We stop to pray in the small church where Francis served and made God known to so many people.

We arrive on the train at the airport a little after 7:20 We plan to catch a shuttle to our hotel at 8:00 and as we arrive the shuttle is just leaving. The next one did not show up until 9:30. It was near 10 by the time we checked-in and near 11 by the time we printed boarding passes. The taxi will arrive at 3:45 to take us to the airport for a 6:00 flight!  Whew! I am exhausted just thinking about it!

Lessons Learned: Master grant that I may never seek so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to love as to love with all my soul.

March 22, 2016: 6th Day

We decide to wake early so that we may enjoy our last day in Venice. We must catch the 1:30 train to Florence and then on to Assisi arriving at 7:00.   We enjoy a nice breakfast of croissants, Nutella, yogurt, blood orange juice (that looks like tomato juice), and hard boiled eggs and then out we go.

Our first stop is to ride in a Gondola. How could we come to Venice and not ride a gondola? Our Gondolier tells us about the buildings as pass through the canals. We see the difference in when the tide is in and the tide out. We learn that some of the buildings are old palaces. Most of the buildings are between 400 to 700 years old. We are enchanted by the history of the city.

After wandering the twisting, turning streets and shopping on the water front for gifts for a couple of hours we catch a water bus down to the Grand Canal to the train station. We visit with a lovely older lady from Germany who is here to hear the opera and planning a trip to Cuba. She wants to see it before too much changes from the reign of Fidel Castro. 

We arrive in Assisi at 7:00 and take a taxi to the San Colette Monestary. The streets are very dark and the wind is blowing ferociously.  We cannot figure out how to get inside the Monestary. There is no obvious opening. Finally a car pulls up and parks. We ask for direction and a woman takes us up the hill a bit further and we find a call box and are buzzed in, much to our relief. The stone buildings of the Monestary are made of the rose colored stone that Assisi is known for.  There are gardens behind and below the buildings. We are taken to a building next door. Each of our rooms have our own baths. My room has a small balcony with a view of the valley below. It is getting late and we are hungry. We walk down the cobbled road to a restaurant. The menu is all in Italian and a little unusual. They serve wild boar and pigeon. I decide to try the boar and I must say it was delicious. Scotti sticks with a sure thing and has fettuccini with a meat sauce. 

We get back to the Monestary around 10:00. We have no wifi here so it will be difficult to post the blog and be in contact with home. It isvery quiet and peaceful. We are very tired and quickly drift off to sleep.

Lessons Learned: Surrounded by prayer, wrapped in care, we rest.

 

March 21, 2016: Day 5

We arrived in Venice last night and took a water bus to our bed and breakfast near San Marcos square. We are staying in a lovely little Bed and Breakfast recommended by Rick Steves. After breakfast we venture out to see the sights. We are delighted by the canals, gondolas, variety of shops, and food. Venice is charming! We are allowing ourselves to thoroughly immerse in the Venetian experience.  Rick Steves says "Venice is a medieval cookie jar and nobodies looking".  

I told my friend Bev that we are going on a tour of relics as part of our pilgrimage. This is something I never dreamed of doing. When in Santiago while walking the Camino with Angie we prayed at the tomb of St. James. In Rome, Scotti and I prayed at the tomb of St. Peter and now in Venice we have prayed at the tomb of St. Mark.  Each time I have prayed for healing for Doug and others on my prayer list.

St. Marks' square is a very big deal here in Venice, and while looking forward to seeing the church we were very much unprepared for  the extraordinary beauty of the Byzantine architecture. The mosaics inside are awesome. I find myself comparing St. Mark's with St. Peter's and Scotti says "Well it is hard to compare paint with gold mosaic. Both churches are remarkable representations of the capacity for creativity of the human spirit. 

 We ended our day with a Vivaldi concert held in a lovely old church. Vivaldi is heard all over Venice in the squares. This concert of 7 musicians was spectacular. They were expressively playing their instruments. Everyone in the audience was captivated. 

Lesson Learned:  Drink, rest and bask in the beauty of God made manifest in human works.