An Italian Journey:
Rome, Assisi & Ravenna
September-October 2013
A Pilgrim’s Handbook Page 2
CONTENTS
Page
Map 2
Morning Prayer 5
Evening Prayer 6
Pilgrimage Eucharist 8
Renewal of Baptismal Commitment 14
A Selection of Psalms 17
Hymns & Songs 27
Page 3
WORDS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI When you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.
* * * * * * * He who works with his hands is a labourer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.
* * * * * * * The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today.
* * * * * * * Financial aid is a legacy and a justice due to the poor that our Lord Jesus Christ acquired for us. It is not a virtue for the rich to give to the poor - it is a simple act of justice.
* * * * * * * It is not fitting, when one is in God’s service, to have a gloomy face or a chilling look.
* * * * * * *
God of the nomad and the pilgrim, may we find our security in you and not in our possessions. May our homes be open to our guests and our hearts to one another so that all our travelling is lighter and together we reach the goal.
Mary Batchelor. Ed. The Lion Prayer Collection.
Page 4 MORNING PRAYER
The world belongs to the Lord, the earth and all its people. How good and lovely it is to live together in unity. Love and faith come together. Justice and peace join hands. If the Lord’s disciples keep silent, these stones would shout aloud. Lord, open our lips and our mouths shall proclaim your praise.
PSALM
READING
THE LORD’S PRAYER
PRAYER FOR TRAVELLERS
(from Common Worship)
Pilgrim God, you are our origin and destination. Travel with us, we pray, in every pilgrimage of faith, and every journey of the heart. Give us the courage to set off, the nourishment we need to travel well, and the welcome we long for at journey’s end. So may we grow in grace and love of you and in the service of others, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Page 5
EVENING PRAYER
The light and peace of Christ be with you all; And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God Who is worthy of all thanksgiving and praise.
Blessèd … Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Blessèd be God for ever!
PSALM
READING
THE LORD’S PRAYER
PRAYER FOR THE EVENING
Abide with us, Lord, for it is evening, and day is drawing to a close. Abide with us and with your whole Church, in the evening of the day, in the evening of life, in the evening of the world; abide with us and with all your faithful ones, O Lord, in time and in eternity. Amen.
or
Page 6 Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night, for the love of your only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
On our hearts and our houses, the blessing of God. In our coming and going, the peace of God. In our life and believing, the love of God. At our end and new beginning, the arms of God to welcome us and bring us home. Amen.
* * * * *
I left the fountain and walked into St. Peter’s … I thought of my own family, living and dead, of my relations, friends, acquaintances who have given me so much and I thanked God for them.
“I don’t think you know who you are”, Laura had said this to me eight years before, a comment which had disturbed and distressed me. Now at the end of the pilgrimage I could see the truth of it and thank God for it. It no longer distressed: it gave me hope and encouragement. I don’t know who I am. None of us know who we are, because God created us for himself and we shall never know who we are until we are at one with him.
Gerard Hughes, SJ In Search of a Way: Two Journeys of Spiritual Discovery (1984)
Page 7
PILGRIMAGE EUCHARIST
THE PREPARATION
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen
The Lord be with you And also with you
ACT OF PENITENCE
Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.
ABSOLUTION
Page 8 THE GLORIA may be said
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
COLLECT
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING
This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
When the Gospel is announced
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to … Glory to you, Lord.
Page 9
GOSPEL
This is the Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, O Christ
HOMILY
THE CREED may be said
Let us declare our faith in God.
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
Merciful Father Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Page 10
THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
PEACE
The peace of the Lord be always with you, and also with you
OFFERTORY PRAYERS
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
The Lord be with you And also with you Lift up your hearts We lift them to the Lord Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right to give thanks and praise
Preface
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Eucharistic Prayer continues
Great is the mystery of faith Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again
Eucharistic Prayer continues
Amen
or
Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours for ever and ever. Amen.
Page 11 THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.
THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.
Jesus, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. Have mercy on us. Jesus, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. Have mercy on us. Jesus, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. Grant us your peace.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Blessed are those who are called to his supper. Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.
Page 12 COMMUNION
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Almighty God, we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.
BLESSING
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord In the name of Christ. Amen.
* * * * * * *
Travelling with the eyes of God
Travelling - seeing new sights, hearing new music, and meeting new people - is exciting and exhilarating. But when we have no home to return to where someone will ask us, “How was your trip?” we might be less eager to go. Travelling is joyful when we travel with the eyes and ears of those who love us, who want to see our slides and hear our stories.
This is what life is about. It is being sent on a trip by a loving God, who is waiting at home for our return and is eager to watch the slides we took and hear about the friends we made. When we travel with the eyes and ears of the God who sent us, we will see wonderful sights, hear wonderful sounds, meet wonderful people … and be happy to return home.
Henri Nouwen Bread for the Journey
Page 13
RENEWAL OF BAPTISMAL COMMITMENT
I saw water flowing from the threshold of the temple. Wherever the river flows everything will spring to life. Alleluia! On the banks of the river grow trees bearing every kind of fruit. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fall. Their fruit will serve for food, their leaves for the healing of the nations. For the river of the water of life flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
At your baptism you turned to Christ, repented of your sins and renounced evil. Do you now renew your allegiance to Christ? I do, and with God’s grace will follow him as my Saviour and Lord.
Do you believe in God the Father? I believe in one God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. And will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Page 14
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit who gives life to the world? I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers? With the help of God I will.
Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and turn to the Lord? With the help of God I will.
Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ? With the help of God I will.
Will you recognise Christ’s authority over human society, by prayer for the world and its leaders, by defending the weak, and by seeking peace and justice? With the help of God I will.
May God who has inspired you to renew these promises give you grace faithfully to fulfil them; through Jesus Christ our risen Lord. Amen.
Almighty God, in our baptism you have consecrated us to be temples of your Holy Spirit. May we, whom you have counted worthy, nurture this gift of your in-dwelling Spirit with a lively faith, and worship you with upright lives; through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Water may be sprinkled over the people or they may be invited to sign themselves with the cross.
Page 15 THE PEACE
God has made us one in Christ. He has set his seal upon us and, as a pledge of what is to come, has given the Spirit to dwell in our hearts.
The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.
THE BLESSING
May God, who in Christ gives us a spring of water welling up to eternal life, perfect in us the image of his glory; and may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon us and remain with us always. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
* * * * *
We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot Little Gidding
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I... I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost The Road Not Taken
Page 16
A SELECTION OF PSALMS
PSALM 8
1 O Lord our governor, how glorious is your name in all the world!
2 Your majesty above the heavens is praised out of the mouths of babes at the breast.
3 You have founded a stronghold against your foes, that you might still the enemy and the avenger.
4 When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have ordained,
5 What are mortals, that you should be mindful of them; mere human beings, that you should seek them out?
6 You have made them little lower than the angels and crown them with glory and honour.
7 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands and put all things under their feet,
8 All sheep and oxen, even the wild beasts of the field,
9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea and whatsoever moves in the paths of the sea.
10 O Lord our governor, how glorious is your name in all the world!
We bless you, master of the heavens, for the wonderful order which enfolds this world; grant that your whole creation may find fulfilment in the Son of Man, Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Page 17 PSALM 16
Refrain: The Lord is at my right hand; I shall not fall.
1 Preserve me, O God, for in you have I taken refuge; I have said to the Lord, “You are my lord, all my good depends on you.”
2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, upon those who are noble in heart.
3 Though the idols are legion that many run after, their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, neither make mention of their names upon my lips.
4 The Lord himself is my portion and my cup; in your hands alone is my fortune.
5 My share has fallen in a fair land; indeed I have a goodly heritage. [R]
6 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel, and in the night watches he instructs my heart.
7 I have set the Lord always before me; he is at my right hand; I shall not fall.
8 Wherefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; my flesh also shall rest secure.
9 For you will not abandon my soul to Death, nor suffer your faithful one to see the Pit.
10 You will show me the path of life; in your presence is the fullness of joy and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Refrain: The Lord is at my right hand; I shall not fall.
Give to us, Lord Christ, the fullness of grace, your presence and your very self, for you are our portion and our delight, now and for ever.
Page 18 PSALM 23
Refrain: I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. [R]
3 He shall refresh my soul and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. [R]
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full.
6 Surely goodness and loving mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Refrain: I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
O God, our sovereign and shepherd, who brought again your Son Jesus Christ from the valley of death, comfort us with your protecting presence and your angels of goodness and love, that we also may come home and dwell with him in your house for ever.
Page 19 PSALM 34
Refrain: O taste and see that the Lord is gracious.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall glory in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look upon him and be radiant and your faces shall not be ashamed. [R]
6 This poor soul cried, and the Lord heard me and saved me from all my troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is gracious; blessed is the one who trusts in him.
9 Fear the Lord, all you his holy ones, for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 Lions may lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack nothing that is good.
Refrain: O taste and see that the Lord is gracious.
Send your holy angels to watch over us, O God, that on our lips will be found your truth and in our hearts your love; so we may ever taste your goodness in the land of the living; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Page 20 PSALM 63
Refrain: My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God.
1 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; my soul is athirst for you.
2 My flesh also faints for you, as in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
3 So would I gaze upon you in your holy place, that I might behold your power and your glory.
4 Your loving-kindness is better than life itself and so my lips shall praise you.
5 I will bless you as long as I live and lift up my hands in your name. [R]
6 My soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,
7 When I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night.
8 For you have been my helper and under the shadow of your wings will I rejoice.
9 My soul clings to you; your right hand shall hold me fast.
Refrain: My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God.
To you we come, radiant Lord, the goal of all our desiring, beyond all earthly beauty; gentle protector, strong deliverer, in the night you are our confidence; from first light be our joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Page 21 PSALM 67
1 God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,
2 That your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
4 O let the nations rejoice and be glad, for you will judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations upon earth.
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
6 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, and God, our own God, will bless us.
7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
In the face of Jesus Christ your light and glory have blazed forth, O God of all the nations; with all your people, may we make known your grace and walk in the ways of peace; for your name’s sake.
Page 22 PSALM 100
Refrain: The Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting.
1 O be joyful in the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song.
2 Know that the Lord is God; it is he that has made us and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. [R]
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and bless his name.
4 For the Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting, and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.
Refrain: The Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting.
O Christ, door of the sheepfold, may we enter your gates with praise and go from your courts to serve you in the poor, the lost and the wandering, this day and all our days.
Page 23 PSALM 121
Refrain: The Lord shall keep you from all evil.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer your foot to stumble; he who watches over you will not sleep.
4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. [R]
5 The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, neither the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall keep you from all evil; it is he who shall keep your soul.
8 The Lord shall keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.
Refrain: The Lord shall keep you from all evil.
Lord, ever watchful and faithful, we look to you to be our defence and we lift our hearts to know your help; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Page 24 PSALM 134
Refrain: Bless the Lord, O my soul.
1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you that by night stand in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands towards the sanctuary and bless the Lord.
3 The Lord who made heaven and earth give you blessing out of Zion.
Refrain: Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Guard all your household, Lord, through the dark night of faith, and purify the hearts of those who wait on you, until your kingdom dawns with the rising of your Son, Christ, the morning star.
PSALM 150
Refrain: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
1 Alleluia. O praise God in his holiness; praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. [R]
3 Praise him with the blast of the trumpet; praise him upon the harp and lyre.
4 Praise him with timbrel and dances; praise him upon the strings and pipe. [R]
Page 25 5 Praise him with ringing cymbals; praise him upon the clashing cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Alleluia.
Refrain: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
God of life and love, whose Son was victorious over sin and death, make us alive with his life, that the whole world may resound with your praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
* * * * * *
WORDS OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.
* * * * * * *
Preach always. Use words if necessary.
* * * * * * *
Remember that when you leave this earth you can take nothing of what you have received, but only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage.
* * * * * * *
I order the brothers on obedience to have no place of their own, neither house nor any other thing but they shall be as strangers and pilgrims and servants of God in this world.
Page 26 INDEX OF HYMNS & SONGS
Page
All creatures of our God and King 32
Be still 29
Bless the Lord 31
Brother, sister, let me serve you 32
Jubilate, servite 29
Laudate, omnes gentes 28
Let all the world 28
Make me a channel of your peace 31
Will you come and follow me? 30
Page 27
HYMNS & SONGS
Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King! The heavens are not too high, His praise may thither fly, The earth is not too low, His praises there may grow. Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!
Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King! The church with psalms must shout, no door can keep them out; But, above all, the heart must bear the longest part. Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!
Page 28
Page 29 1 2 Will you come and follow me Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name? if I but call your name? Will you go where you don’t know, Will you care for cruel and kind, and never be the same? and never be the same? Will you let my love be shown, Will you risk the hostile stare will you let my name be known, should your life attract or scare, will you let my life be grown will you let me answer prayer in you, and you in me? in you, and you in me?
3 4 Will you let the blinded see Will you love the “you” you hide if I but call your name? if I but call your name? will you set the pris’ners free, Will you quell the fear inside, and never be the same? and never be the same? Will you kiss the leper clean Will you use the faith you’ve found and do such as this unseen, to reshape the world around and admit to what I mean through my sight and touch in you, and you in me? and sound in you, and you in me?
5 Lord, your summons echoes true when you but call my name. Let me turn and follow you, and never be the same. In your company I’ll go where your love and footsteps show Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you, and you in me.
John L. Bell (b.1949) and Graham Maule (b.1958) © 1987 WGRG, Iona Community
Page 30
Make me a channel of your peace. Where there is hatred let me bring your love. Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.
Chorus:
O, Master, grant that I may never seek So much to be consoled as to console To be understood as to understand To be loved as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope Where there is darkness, only light And where there’s sadness, ever joy.
Chorus
Make me a channel of your peace It is in pardoning that we are pardoned In giving of ourselves that we receive And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.
Bless the Lord
(Taizé - from Psalm 102/103)
Bless the Lord my soul and bless God’s holy name. Bless the Lord my soul, who leads me into life.
Page 31
1. All creatures of our God and King 4. Dear mother earth, who day by day Lift up your voice and with us sing, Unfoldest blessings on our way, Alleluia! Alleluia! O praise Him! Alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam, The flowers and fruits that in thee grow, Thou silver moon with softer gleam! Let them His glory also show.
Refrain: Refrain
O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 5. And all ye who of tender heart, Forgiving others, take your part, 2.Thou rushing wind that art so strong O sing ye! Alleluia! Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along, Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, O praise Him! Alleluia! Praise God and on Him cast your care! Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice, Ye lights of evening, find a voice! Refrain
Refrain 6. Let all things their Creator bless, And worship Him in humbleness, 3. Thou flowing water, pure and clear, O praise Him! Alleluia! Make music for thy Lord to hear, Praise, praise the Father, O praise Him! Alleluia! praise the Son, Thou fire so masterful and bright, And praise the Spirit, Three in One! That givest us both warmth and light. Refrain
Refrain
Brother, sister let me serve you. I will weep when you are weeping. Let me be as Christ to you. When you laugh, I’ll laugh with you. Pray that I might have the grace I will share your joy and sorrow To let you be my servant, too. Till we’ve seen this journey through.
We are pilgrims on a journey When we sing to God in heaven, And companions on the road. We shall find such harmony We are here to help each other Born of all we’ve known together Walk the mile and bear the load. Of Christ’s love and agony.
I will hold the Christ-light for you Brother, sister let me serve you. In the night time of your fear. Let me be as Christ to you. I will hold my hand out to you; Pray that I might have the grace Speak the peace you long to hear. To let you be my servant, too.
Page 32 The Churches of Rome
In an all-too-brief visit such as ours it is quite unrealistic to try to “do” Rome! Nor can we achieve more than a glimpse of the city's many historic churches. Perhaps we should regard this as an appetite-whetter for future visits to this extraordinary treasure store of faith and culture.
We shall, however, visit the earliest of the Catacombs, those of St Calixtus on the Appian Way, burial place of at least 5 3rdC Popes and also the great pilgrimage churches; The Basilicas of St Peter, St Maria Maggiore, St. John Lateran - Rome's Cathedral, and St. Paul Outside The Walls. The three latter, though much altered over the years, still retain their 5thC Basilican form.
Some of the most historically significant of the ancient churches in the city are those whose origins are thought to be the House Churches of the earliest Christian community. They are known as The Titular Churches. One of these, St. Clemente we shall certainly be visiting. It is on three levels. The exquisite early medieval upper church rests upon a 4th C basilica which in turn rests upon a 1stC house and a Temple of Mithras. Others include St. Maria in Trastevere, St Prassede and St Pudenziana which are very much worth visiting if the chance arises.
A church which we shall also visit is St Sabina on the Aventine hill. Built in the early 5thC almost immediately after the sack of Rome by Alaric and the Visigoths, it survives today as one of the most perfect examples of an early Christian Basilica in existence
Another church, not on our scheduled list is St Maria in Cosmedin a 12thC building which is home to the Greek Catholic Community and has a wonderful floor and other furnishings which are regarded as the earliest work of the celebrated Cosmati brothers. One of the most atmospheric churches in the city, it is quite close to the Colosseum and to two little Temples which, remarkably, still have their roofs.
Page 33 We might just get a chance to look in. Last, but not least is the amazing survival from Imperial Rome, as an appetite whetter for future visits to this extraordinary The Pantheon. Built as a temple to all the gods in 27 BC during the consulate of Agrippa it was rebuilt in 125-8 AD by the Emperor Hadrian and is dominated by the largest masonry dome ever built. After centuries of disuse and much abuse , it was restored and converted into a Church dedicated to The Blessed Virgin Mary and all Martyrs in 609 AD by Pope Boniface IV. The first Temple to be converted to Christian use. A visit here is an overwhelming experience.
Prayer of St. Columba (521-597)
Alone with none but thee, my God, I journey on my way: what need I fear when thou art near, O King of night and day? More safe am I within thy hand than if a host should round me stand.
Page 34 St Francis of Assisi
Francesco Bernadone was born in Assisi, in 1181/2, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. By all accounts his early life was carefree and frivolous. However, experience of civil war, including a period of a year in captivity after capture in battle at Perugia and subsequent ill heath, had a profound effect on him and he began to seek a life of simlplicity.
In 1207 while praying before the Crucifix in the little church of St Damiano, he heard Christ saying to him “repair my church which as you can see is falling down” At first Francis took this literally and proceeded to pay for repairs to St Damiano and other local churches by selling off some of his father's cloth. The upshot of this was a complete breakdown in his relations with his father and he left home and began to live as a beggar embracing the life of a penitent.
In 1209 he heard a sermon that changed his life for ever, based on Matthew Ch. 10 v 7-9: “As you go proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out devils. You received without cost; give without charge. Provide no gold, silver or copper to fill your purse, no pack for the road, no second coat, no sandals or staff; for the labourer earns his keep”. Clad in a rough garment, barefoot and without a staff or purse he began to live by this precept, preaching on the highways and byways of Umbria. He was soon joined by Bernardo di Quintavalle, his first follower. Within a year there were 12 followers and the little community lived as “lesser brothers”, Friars Minor, following a simple life in a deserted lazar home near Assisi.
The community's first simple Rule of life was: “To follow the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in His footsteps”. Francis and his brothers travelled to Rome to ask permission Page 35 from Pope Innocent III to found a new religious order. Somewhat reluctantly the Pope at first agreed to admit them informally, but it is said that following a dream in which he saw Francis holding up the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome, Innocent formally endorsed the order to be “Roving preachers of Christ in simplicity and lowliness” in 1210.
The brothers returned to Assisi and, based at the little chapel of the Porziuncolar at Sta. Maria degli Angeli, they travelled throughout Italy. The order grew quickly with many new vocations. In 1212 a young noblewoman from Assisi named Clare approached Francis and he helped her establish a community for women following a Franciscan way of life at St Damiano. This became known as “The Poor Clares.” There were also many men and women who were unable to abandon their homes and families but wished to live a Franciscan life. For them, Francis established the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penitence.
By 1217 the movement was so extensive that it was divided up into provinces, with groups throughout Europe including England. Elias, one of the brothers had reached Acre in Palestine. In 1219 Francis and another brother travelled to Egypt to try to intercede between the Crusaders and the Saracens at Damietta. It is said that he preached to the Sultan, but to no avail. However, the Franciscan Order has been present in the Holy Land caring for the holy sites almost uninterruptedly since that time.
In 1220 at Greccio near Assisi, Francis celebrated Christmas by setting up the first known Nativity scene utilising real people and animals. 1221 saw the establishment of a revised and more comprehensive Rule for the Order. In 1224 while praying on Mt. La Verna in preparation for the Feast of Michaelmas, Francis received the “Stigmata”, the five wounds of Christ. They were to remain with him as one of the sources of pain he suffered until he died. He welcomed “Sister death” at the Poziuncola on the evening of 12 October 1226 while listening to a reading from the book of psalms.
Page 36 Francis was canonised by Pope Gregory IX in 1228, who the next day laid the Foundation Stone of the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi. He was buried there in 1230 and the building was completed and consecrated in 1253, a mere 27 years after his death.
The story of St. Francis, the movement that he set in motion, and its impact on the medieval church and world is little short of astonishing. He remains to this day one of the most attractive and revered of all those who have sought to embody the message of the Gospel in their lives. It is, of course, easy to be carried away by romantic notions of the Francis who preached to the birds and was deeply in tune with the creation, but that would be to ignore at our peril his spiritual insight and power and the radical challenge he presents to all who would claim to be followers of Christ. A challenge as radical to our day as it was to his.
Ravenna and its principal monuments
Ravenna has a somewhat complicated history.
It was the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until 476 when the Empire collapsed. In the early 400's Ravenna was under the control of Galla Placida, daughter of the Emperor Theodosius I, and her son the Emperor Valentinian III. They were Orthodox Christians and during this time The Orthodox Baptistry and Galla Placida's Mausoleum (in which she was never buried) were built around AD 430.
When the Empire fell apart it became the capital of the kingdom of the Ostrogoths and from 490 to 526 it was ruled by Theoderic the Great. He and his court were Arian Christians and in 500 AD the Arian Baptistry, and the Basilica of St Apollinare Nuovo were built.
In 540 the city was conquered by the Byzantine Empire under Justinian I and became the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna. Justinian firmly returned the city to Orthodoxy. In his time
Page 37 the basilicas of St. Vitalle 548 and St. Apollinare in Classe 549 were erected and the mosaics depicting the heretic Theoderic and his court in St Apollinare Nuovo were obliterated and replaced by mosaics of curtains.
In 751 AD Ravenna fell to the Franks and became the seat of the Kingdom of Lombardy.
The survival of these remarkable early Christian monuments and the wonderful mosaics within them through so many vicissitudes then and since is little short of amazing. No wonder they are all listed as world heritage sites.
….....and a word about The Arian Heresy
The emergence of what are sometimes called the early Christian Heresies, of which the Arian Heresy is probably the most significant, lies in the almost inevitable confusion caused by the attempt to translate the Hebrew thought forms and language from which Christianity sprang, into the Greek language and thought of the world in which it took root.
Whereas Hebrew language and thought tends to be poetic, allusive and at times deliberately ambiguous, Greek thought tends towards precision. If the Jewish Jesus says “I and the Father are one”, the Greek mind wants to know precisely how. The dogmatic battles which divided the church in the 4th and 5th C were those which raged over the relationship between The Son and The Father.
The position of the presbyter Arius from Alexandria in Egypt was that although worshipped as Son, Jesus the Christ was not eternal like the Father, but a created being through whom the rest of creation was brought into existence. Although fundamental in God's plan of creation and redemption he was less than fully Divine. It was an attractive and persuasive way around what seemed then and to some still does seem a logical impossibility.
The Orthodox Catholic position was and is that The Father and The Son are of one being from eternity, and that is the view that ultimately held sway and is expressed in what is known as the Nicene Creed.