Faith

Feast of Saints Philip and James

Philip: Philip came from the same town as Peter and Andrew, Bethsaida in Galilee.  In the first chapter of John’s gospel we see Jesus calling him directly. After his calling he immediately began to lead others to Christ.

His character comes across in two incidents in the Gospel, one of which is described in the Gospel reading. After his own calling he went looking for his friend Nathanael and told him about the “one about whom Moses wrote” (John 1:43-45).  Philip comes across as someone who is rather innocent and naïve and it takes him some time to acknowledge what is going on.

Like the other apostles, Philip took a long time coming to realize who Jesus was. On one occasion, when Jesus saw the great multitude following him and wanted to give them food, he asked Philip where they should buy bread for the people to eat. Saint John comments, “[Jesus] said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do” (Jn 6:6). Philip answered, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little [bit]” (Jn 6:7).

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St Peter’s; in the foreground is the Holy water stoups; in the back ground Bernini’s baldacchino and the chair of St Peter – photographed by the author

Rome sweet home (3) – St Peter’s, built in living stone.

St Peter’s Basilica is built within the walls of an independent nation called the Vatican. The Vatican gets its name from the Etruscan goddess or the guardian of the dead called Vatica. At one time the area which we now call the Vatican, was nothing more than a cemetery. The Vatican, built on one side of the river Tiber, overlooks the seven hills on which Rome was built. During the Roman era, this land was a marshy area and hence not populated. In time the the Circus of Nero was built here.

St Peter’s Basilica was built beside the Circus of Nero or Circus of Caligula. It is here that that Peter and the early Christians were martyred. Along side the circus was a cemetery where St. Peter was buried and a memorial was built. The circus itself was already abandoned by the middle of the second century AD and tombs were then built here.

Plan of Nero’s Circus and the present St Peter’s Basilica

The first Christian Emperor, Constantine, built the first St. Peter’s in the early 300 ADs over the place where it was rumoured by tradition, to be the tomb of St. Peter. He replaced the simple sanctuary of the Prince of the Apostles with a larger structure.

St. Peter’s is principally a house of worship but it means many things to many people. The structure itself is a masterpiece designed by some of the most famous names in history. The artifacts, both in the Basilica and the treasury museum, are unmatched. Its furnishings are priceless and its history embraces every floor and pillar of this place of worship.

The plan of the first St Peter’s Basilica

The old structure was torn down to build the new St. Peter’s and  construction began in 1506 and ended in 1612. It took 13 Popes and 14 architects to get this building up for worship. Pope Julius II commissioned Bramante to build a new Basilica for it was his design that won Julius II’s competition. In 1506, Julius, before 35 cardinals, laid the foundations of this enormous structure. The present structure was designed over time, principally by four men, Donato Bramante, Michaelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernin, and epitomises Renaissance architecture.

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Faith

When a council gave sound counsel – Wednesday, 5th Week of Easter – Acts 15:1-6

Paul and Barnabas have returned from their first missionary journey. As a rule they always went first to the synagogue to preach the message of Christ, as they did in Iconium and Antioch of Pisidia. But we know that in Lystra there was no synagogue and so the apostles began to preach to the people in the streets. It is here that they first minster to the Gentiles.

On returning to Antioch, they report to the whole Church that “God had opened the door of faith for the Gentiles.” As inconsequential as this statement may seem, it will be the cause of much division in the Early Church and become for Paul, a constant challenge in his ministry.

It was in Antioch, that some individuals who came down from Judea, began to teach that salvation could only be obtained through fidelity to the Law of Moses and as manifested through the act of circumcision. From Paul’s own experience of his first missionary journey, he had come to believe that one was saved by Jesus freely, and that the Mosaic Law had no role to play in salvation. It is no wonder then that he and Barnabas had “no small dissension and debate” with these individuals from Judea.

It is interesting to see how the Early Church solved their disagreements; and dare I say with a spirit that goes beyond the mere confines of what we consider democracy. We are told that in order to resolve this dispute, the Church in Antioch decided to send Paul, Barnabas and “some of the others” to Jerusalem to discuss the issue with the apostles and elders.

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Faith

Silhouette of hiking man jumping over the mountains

Faith without falter- Tuesday, 5th Week of Easter- Acts 14:19-28

I have woefully declared many times that people are more enchanted with cult, than faith from which it flows. Since cult is more tangible, we unwittingly give it more importance than the truth of faith, which is the reason for cult. The people of Lystra were so enamoured by a single miracle worked by Paul and Barnabas, that they saw them as ‘gods’ and wanted to sacrifice oxen that would be garlanded before the slaughter.

Paul wants to have none of this and prefers to profess the truth; ironically there seems to be no one enamoured now. For no sooner do the Jewish detractors of Paul arrive from Antioch and Iconium with their perverse thoughts, than the people of Lystra no longer see the truth of Paul’s words and choose to stone the very man they hailed as ‘god’ a few hours ago. Paul, as we know, does not die and instead heads for Derbe, a border town in the south-eastern part of the Lycaonian region of Galatia.

One would think that Paul wants to beg for trouble; for he traces his footsteps back to the very towns he was stoned and chased out from. He goes from Derbe to Lystra to Iconium and to Antioch. As they go, they make disciples, and through words of encouragement, “strengthened the spirits of the disciples” who must have had to face much ridicule and suffering when Paul left them often at risk to his own life.  Paul is drawing to a close to what is called the ‘first missionary journey’.

One must admire these early Christians who never gave up the faith even in the face of tremendous hardships which Paul acknowledged when he said, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God”. Paul’s faith does not merely float in some unrealistic world for he knows that it must also be rooted in earthly structures. With this in mind he recognizes the need for continuity and appoints “presbyters”, a word best translated as ‘elders’.

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Rome sweet Home- What is the best time to visit St Peter’s Basilica?

Visiting St Peter’s Basilica can often end up being a nightmare, far from the romanticized photographs and images that are shown; that is if you visit it during the peak season or at the wrong time in the day. My first visit to St. Peter’s was at the end of October; the hordes of tourists had left as the summer break was over. It was easier to get in and move around.

St Peter’s Basilica takes your breath away one way or the other. Built atop a 4th-century church, it was consecrated in 1626 and took 120 years to complete. However what most certainly dampens one’s enthusiasm, is the long serpentine queues to get in, and these can suck the life out of you, if you happen to visit Rome during summer. I guess it was my desire to pray that helped me discover how to beat those awful lines. I just landed up at opening time.

While the door of St Peter’s opens at seven a.m., the Eucharist is celebrated at seven fifteen and eight a.m. all through the Basilica. If you arrive at six thirty a.m. you will still have to contend with a queue at security albeit a smaller one. When visiting St Peter’s you must keep in mind that a strict dress code for men and women is in place (no shorts, miniskirts or bare shoulders) and security requirements are similar to those at any airport.

St Peter’s is a parish church with Mass celebrated daily. Morning masses (watch out for the Wednesday and Sunday schedules) are mostly celebrated by priests accompanying pilgrim groups and one is instantly mesmerized listening to the number of languages emanating from several altars of St Peter’s at which the Eucharist is celebrated .

If you don’t have a priest with you on your pilgrimage and are traveling as a small group, simply join the Eucharist at any one of the altars. You would need to indicate to the usher that you wish to attend mass, or you might be mistaken for an early morning tourist and turned away.

If your group wishes to celebrate the Eucharist with your touring priest or with a priest you happen to know from your country, now studying or ministering in Rome, you will need to write in and book; but do this well in advance. While larger groups are permitted to celebrate mass on the main level of St Peter’s, smaller groups are permitted the use of the altars in the crypt (Grottoes) where the Popes are buried, like the Clementine Chapel which holds approximately ten people.

This chapel has a door to the left which takes one down to the Scavi where the bones of St Peter were found or the  chapel of the “Madonna della Bocciata”. In this chapel is a fresco by the 14th century Roman painter Pietro Cavallini. It is called the “Madonna della Bocciata”, because of Mary’s swollen face. According to an old legend, her face bled because a drunken soldier had thrown a bowl into the holy image after he lost a game of bowls.

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