How did I come to be in this place?

Deacons assist at the altar, proclaim the Word, and serve where the world often forgets to look. Their ministry reminds each of us that there are no sidelines in the Christian life: by our baptism, we are all called to seek out those left out and make room at God’s table.

The most primitive of Holy Orders - from the Last Supper

The Diaconate is the order of Deacons in the Church.   

It is the order to which I belong.  Deacons are men who live out the most primitive form of Holy Orders.  By primitive I mean fundamental - basic, universal.  All men in Holy Orders share the mission of the Deacon - which is to be the Servant of Christ.  Some theologians posit that the heart of the Diaconate was instituted by Christ at the Last Supper when Jesus chose to wash the feet of the Apostles, and then commanded them to go and do likewise.  Deacons first and foremost are ministers of service - to those in need.

The Apostles obeyed Christ’s Commandment in Acts 6

This sacrament was then shared by the Apostles by the first 7 Deacons as St. Luke recounts in the 6th Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.  The Apostles chose 7 men and laid hands on them to confer to them part of their ministry to care for the needs of the Church.  That is what we do.  Deacons preach the Gospel, they Baptize, they witness Christian Marriages and they perform Christian burials as well as serve the parish to which they are sent by their Bishop.

Gift of Diakonia - Proclaiming the Gospel

The readings are so beautiful that I am in awe and have to ask the question - How did I come to be in this place?  

The readings lead us into the heart of the Church along 3 avenues. 

• The Eschaton - our ultimate end.  

• The Incarnation and, 

• Living out the incarnation as a Minister of Christ

Isaiah - On this Mountain…

The first reading speaks both of the Eschaton, and of this place - this Liturgy.  The Prophet Isaiah says “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth;”

Where is this mountain?  The Mountain that the Prophet Isaiah speaks of is the Mountain of Calvary - where Christ ascends the Cross to destroy death forever and to remove the reproach of his people from the whole earth. 

Where is this mountain?  [[POINT TO THE ALTAR]] On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and pure, choice wines.  

[[POINT TO THE ALTAR]] On this mountain He will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations;

[[POINT TO THE ALTAR]] - On this mountain he will destroy death forever.  The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth;”

This is what happens here in the Mass today - here on this mountain.

When you stop to think about it - that is simply amazing, awesome, overwhelming.  How did I come to be in this place?

[[PAUSE]]

Wedding Feast = Celebrating the Incarnation of Christ

If that was the only reading it would be awesome yet the Gospel leads us even deeper into the mystery of God’s love.  In the Gospel today Jesus tells a parable to the Chief Priests and the Elders of the people about a king who had a wedding feast for his son.  St. Augustine and Pope St. Gregory the Great teaches us that the King is God the Father, and the Wedding Feast to which all are invited is the feast of His Son, who chose to become incarnate and take on flesh. 

We are all invited to the Feast

At first, the king sends his servants to those who are invited, and multiple times he invites them in.  Some find excuses and others abuse the King’s servants so that he sends his troops after them.  

Once the feast is ready the King says.  'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come.  Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.' The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests.   

There 2 uncomfortable parts of the Gospel

• The reality that not all those for whom the feast was prepared come - rather they choose other things. 

• Not all those who make it into the feast are worthy to be there and some are cast into the darkness where there is wailing and grinding of teeth.

In the Mass today we considered these things when we prayed for mercy during the Act of Penitence before the Gloria.  The Priest invites us to call to mind our sins - and then we pause…

For the ones who had a business or a farm to attend to we should consider

• What things have I placed above or before Christ?

The reality is none of those things will last - that is the effect of the King’s troops burning them.  Compared to what happens in this Church - those things are lesser.

The Servants invite the Good and the Bad

Notice that the Servants invite into the wedding feast both the good and the bad.  The same is true here today.  There are people here who have come to this liturgy, and yet are not ready to be in communion with God.  

This is who the man without the wedding garment represents.  This also leads us to consider if we have clothed ourselves in deeds that reflect the Christian life.

• Have I lived a life of love?

• Have I let my conscience be formed so as to not lead me away from God?

• Have I allowed my conscience to purify my heart?

• Is my faith in God sincere?

A question we all need to ask - Am I in some way holding Christ at a distance, saying “this is all I am comfortable with”?  Am I unable to grow deeper with God because I am living a life of persistent sin?

It does not matter where we are today - it is where we are going that is important.

The great thing about God is that he continually invites us to a greater sense of adventure.  It does not matter what excuses I used yesterday to avoid His will - today he invites us into a deeper communion with Him anew.

30 Years ago I first considered the call to Diakonia

30 years ago the Lord first put into my heart the possibility of studying to become a Deacon.  It took him 11 years to prepare the way for me to enter into Holy Orders - but that is how I came to be in this place and I am filled with awe at the wonders God has worked in my sight.

A Litany thanking God

In my ministry as a Deacon many times I am in awe of God and ask - How did I come to be in this place? 

• At the Ambo - mandated by Christ to proclaim His Gospel - His Good News.  To share with you the words and deeds of Christ.  

• To offer up the prayers of the people to God.  

• To accept the gifts of the people and prepare them to be offered to God the Father in the heart of the liturgy.

• To bring the faithful the precious gift of the Blessed Sacrament.

• To be with the poor who live in shacks made from packing crates, plastic and dirt.

• With the sick in nursing homes whose family have forgotten them.  

• In houses with those who have just lost loved ones.

• At cemeteries with families that are being torn apart by the unresolved conflict and with families drawn together in love and their grief.

• Celebrating with a joy that only those with downs-syndrome know.

• Before the Altar with a couple to accept their profession of love to one another and thereby enter into matrimony

• With those suffering the loneliness of a divorce.

• With the youth - playing a game, teaching them to juggle or witnessing to God’s love.

• At the Baptismal font - pouring the life of the Blessed Trinity into the soul of a 5 year old who can’t get baptized fast enough.

It is good for us to reflect on how the Lord has led us to today and to ask him - where do you want me to go next?

The last day in Rome

Today was our last day in Rome.  Tomorrow we rise very early, and return home to Denver.  This is a quick post before heading to bed for tomorrow.  The day started with us attending the Papal Audience.  For John, this is his second pope to see in person (JPII and Pope Leo XIV), for me third Pope (JPII, Francis and Leo XIV).  We spent the afternoon touring the Vatican Museum - lots to talk about there - but perhaps another time.  We finished today by praying Liturgy of the Hours in the Basilica of St. Peter's.

A quick recap of our journey.  Since leaving Denver we have flown 7125 miles by air and visited 5 countries (Germany, Greece, Malta, Italy, the Vatican), We have sailed 356 miles by sea, walked 215,079 steps (about 105 miles), Cycled 30 km of Patmos, Read 4 epistles from St. Paul and the 2nd half of the Acts of the Apostles, visited 4 Monasteries, 2 Catacombs, 5 Basilicas, and swam in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas and invented 2 new past-times.

It has been a great journey - filled with fun, some Basic Silliness, reflections and inspiration.  Looking forward to heading home (only another 5570 miles to go).

Peace!

paul

From the depths to the heights - a reflection on death from Rome

The highlight of our day was a visit to the catacombs of St. Marcellino (a priest) and St. Peitro (the exorcist not the pope).  They were both martyred during the persecution of Diocletian.  Their catacomb is off the beaten path, in the outskirts of Rome, but well worth the visit.  This was the highpoint of our day because we had a small group so our guide made sure we could all really immerse ourselves in the catacombs.  We met at the Catacombs at 4 PM for a tour, and our guide took us on a long and extended tour of the Catacombs for about an hour.   We were not allowed to take pictures in the catacombs, so I searched the web for some to add to this article. 

While the Catacombs are built in 4 levels, only the upper 2 levels are open to the public - most of the remains have been moved to the lower levels.  The entire Catacomb covers about 7.4 acres underground.  Our guide took her time and explained how the Catacombs were dug, who the martyrs were that were buried here and then how they decorated their tombs.  

The Catacombs were dug and used by Christians.  The Pagans build mausoleums and necropolis' which are cities for the dead.  Typically the mausoleums were built above ground or exposed to the sky.  Christians built catacombs where they would inter those who were dead - until the resurrection.  About 40% of those buried in the Catacombs were children as infant mortality was high in the early Church.  The fossori (those who were hired to dig the Catacombs), was a profession in Roman times who would dig out of the volcanic Tufta (a soft brown stone - almost like dirt) to create the tombs.  Once they were dug, the moist air would turn the tufta into a kind of cement. When a person died, the fossori dug a niche for them, put their remains in the niche, wrapped in white garment (Think of your baptismal gown) and then covered them with some quick lime to speed along the decomposition process and place either terra-cotta or marble over the tomb with your name on it.  Your family would come and place a catacomb lamp next to your tomb, and would return often to refill the oil, so you awaited the resurrection with a lamp at your side (think of the 10 virgins awaiting the bridegroom).

The wealthy would carve out burial crypts for the whole family, where each family member would get a niche and then they would decorate the niche with the scenes of from the story of salvation.   From the Old Testament we saw multiple scenes associated with Baptism (Moses striking the rock and getting water from it from Exodus), Noah and the Ark (he looked like he was sailing around in a filing cabinet drawer), Daniel in the Lion's den, or of Jonah which pre-figures the resurrection.

 Left side of the Arch - Moses striking Water from the Rock, Right side of the arch - Noah in the Ark

Back of the arch - the Blessed mother, Jesus and the Magi (there are only 2 depicted)

From the New Testament we saw scenes of the multiplication of the loaves, the Good Shepherd, The woman with the hemorrhage, the woman a the well, the Blessed Virgin Mary with Christ and the Magi, and then scenes of the Agape - or the communion meal that the early Christians celebrated.  The scenes were all filled with hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come - which was filled with beauty, nature and a life of praising the Father.  

Jesus, the Good Shepherd - coming to take his Sheep to his Father's sheepfold

We got out of the Catacombs just in time to catch a train and a bus to visit the Colosseum.  The Colosseum is a spectacle on a grand scale.  It is just massive, and it draws a crowd.  We visited at 6 PM in the evening and thousands of people were there.  Many came dressed up in fancy clothes to stage a picture with the Coliseum as a backdrop.  I don't understand why - but John remarked how this struck him as odd.  We saw a guy dressed as a Samurai (complete with sword) - looked cool but very out of place.  Several people dressed to the "nines" and taking there time to take the perfect picture with the Colosseum as their backdrop.  John thought this is part of crafting the "perfect life" narrative - it looks good but in realty is kind of hollow and self-focused.  I wonder if this is related to establishing ones identity.  Curious.

What really became clear is that the Colosseum manufactured death.  The entire structure is designed as an entertainment machine that used the death of the innocent as entertainment for the masses.  The "Games" involved the actual slaughter of people (not CGI, nor fake blood) for the purposes of entertainment.  With the underworking's of the floor it was obvious that the Coliseum was a machine that produced death as a spectacle.  The image below shows the floor of the Coliseum.  On the right side in the center of the image you can see the ramps that the Romans built so they could spring out Gladiators, Lions, or Oxen or Bears to engage in combat with the victims - often Christians.  In the foreground you see the complex system of rooms that made up the under-chambers of the Colosseum - where there were prison cells and cages for those to be sacrificed during the games.   

In Chapter VIII of the Confessions, St. Augustine wrote about the powerful effect that the Games had on his friend Alypius in Rome at the Colosseum.   "When they had arrived thither, and had taken their places as they could, the whole place became excited with the inhuman sports. But he (Alypius), shutting up the doors of his eyes, forbade his mind to roam abroad after such naughtiness; and would that he had shut his ears also! For, upon the fall of one in the fight, a mighty cry from the whole audience stirring him strongly, he, overcome by curiosity, and prepared as it were to despise and rise superior to it, no matter what it were, opened his eyes, and was struck with a deeper wound in his soul than the other, whom he desired to see, was in his body; he fell more miserably than he on whose fall that mighty clamor was raised, which entered through his ears, and unlocked his eyes, to make way for the striking and beating down of his soul, which was bold rather than valiant hitherto; and so much the weaker in that it presumed on itself, which ought to have depended on Thee. For, directly he saw that blood, he therewith imbibed a sort of savageness; nor did he turn away, but fixed his eye, drinking in madness unconsciously, and was delighted with the guilty contest, and drunken with the bloody pastime. Nor was he now the same he came in, but was one of the throng he came unto, and a true companion of those who had brought him thither. "

Today led John and I to reflect on the stark contrast between the culture of death and the culture of life.  Ironically, it was in the quiet, hidden tunnels of the Catacombs that we encountered the scenes of eternal life and in the grand and public spectacle of the Colosseum that we found a culture of senseless death - that the Romans used to pacify their city.  We are really not that much more civilized than our ancestors.

Finding home when I am far away...

St. Polycarp was Bishop of Smyrna and one of the earliest martyrs of the Church.  From the letter on his martyrdom we get the first evidence that Christians venerated the relics of the Martyrs.  "The centurion then, seeing the strife excited by the Jews, placed the body in the midst of the fire, and consumed it. Accordingly, we afterwards took up his bones, as being more precious than the most exquisite jewels, and more purified than gold, and deposited them in a fitting place, whither, being gathered together, as opportunity is allowed us, with joy and rejoicing, the Lord shall grant us to celebrate the anniversary of his martyrdom, both in memory of those who have already finished their course, and for the exercising and preparation of those yet to walk in their steps."

The Code of Canon Law calls for fixed altars to have a relic of a saint to be preserved under them.  This tradition comes from the practice of the early Church celebrating the Liturgy on the Altar near the tombs of the martyrs in the Catacombs (more on that tomorrow).

Today John and I spent the day wandering across Rome venerating the relics of many different saints.  Veneration is different than Adoration - which is the supreme form of worship only given to God. Veneration is more like holding someone in respect for the things that they have done.  It was like going on a trip to visit family - and sharing with each member the worries or concerns that you know they will care about.  

We started with a visit to the basilica of San Clemente - where the relics of St's Cyril and Methodius are (in the basement).  Cyril and Methodius are the Catholic missionaries who brought the faith to the Slavic nations and invented the Cyrillic alphabet at the same time.  San Clemente also holds the relics of St. Ignatius of Antioch - a Contemporary of St. Polycarp who was martyred in the Coliseum around 107AD.  He is one of my favorite Church Fathers.  We also visited the Basilica of St. Frances of Rome ( who was an oblate of St. Benedict and spent her life caring for the poor and the sick), St. Lawrence (one of the first Deacon's of Rome - who was martyred in 258 after the other 6 Deacons and Pope Sixtus had been martyred). 

When we returned to the convent, we took a nap (walking across Rome is tiring work), then as evening dawned John suggested that we walk over to St. Peters and pray the Evening Prayer there - which we did.  The wait to get into the Basilica was about 10 minutes.  Once inside we found a side-chapel to pray evening prayer in, and then also offered prayers at before the relics of St. Pope John Paul II, St. Pope Pius X (for my former Spiritual Directors Ron Ansay and Marty Wager (both Deacons), St. Gregory Nazianzens (a Greek archbishop of Constantinople - who was ordained (against his will) by his father, and yet ended up leading the fight against the  Arian heresy).  He has an amazing life story.

As we were winding down our visit of St. Peters - which was mostly empty at the end of the day there was a Mass being celebrated by a Czech Archbishop (today being the feast day of St. Wenceslaus).  I noticed that while some people were still wandering around St Peters taking in all of the sights, most were drawn to the celebration of the Eucharist.  At the end of the Mass the entire congregation processed over to an image of St. Wenceslaus - who is at a side-altar in St. Peters, and then prayed and sang some songs that they all knew.  While doing so all of the people who were in St. Peters joined in their prayers.  It was very moving - and a touching reminder as to why the Church is our home.  Here was a group of Czech's, 900km from home, singing their Catholic songs in the heart of the Church and it was their Church, and the rest of the church joined their family for a moment of prayer.  It was a moving experience.  Only in Christ can we find our home and it is uniquely ours, and yet invites all other people to be united to us in communion.

The heart of the Church

This entire trip John and I have been reading St. Paul's letters to the various Christian Communities we are visiting along the way.  Rome is no different.  Today we began to read together St. Paul's letter to the Romans which scholars think he wrote from Corinth (one of our previous stops). St. Paul came to Rome after having been ship-wrecked on Malta and then spending the winter there.  

What jumped out at me the most was St. Paul's approach to Sin and Grace in Roman's chapter 6 and 7.  St. Paul argues that there is a battle between Sin and Grace in the life of a Christian.  As we get older, we stop looking at sin as a "speeding ticket" and start looking at it as a "lost opportunity for grace".  Temptation is the battlefield of our salvation.  As we mature we understand that our predilection for sin (concupiscence) is a weakness that we need to invite Christ into so that He can conquer sin in our life through the power of His cross.  This is the slow and gradual path to holiness - a continual surrender of the parts of my life that are enslaved to sin to the love of Christ poured out by His blood on the Cross.  The more we are able to surrender to God, the more we are able to live a life of grace - it is ours to surrender but Christ's to sanctify - this is what it means to be an adopted son of God.

My visit to St. Peter's today fit hand in glove with my reading of St. Paul's letter to the Romans.  Once we were able to get through security (short commute but a long wait) we had the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and then attended Mass (in Italian) behind the main Altar in front of the "Holy Spirit" window and the Bernini's chair of St. Peter - which is an amazing work of art all by itself.  I was most struck by the use of clouds of incense rising up from and surrounding the Altar - which evoke this image of living prayer rising up to God from the Church.

The entire experience of visiting St. Peters was a culmination of this trip - to finally come to Rome, and to be able to receive the grace of God in forgiveness and then His living presence in the Eucharist was a deeply touching moment.  I am grateful for the opportunity to journey with my brother into the heart of the Church (both physically and sacramentally).

Melting Pot

John describing the Battle of Malta (very serious)

Yesterday we visited the Malta War museum - located in the Lascaris War Rooms which are a series of underground tunnels dug into the limestone of Malta.  The museum tells the story of Malta during World War 2 and how they survived the longest and heaviest bombardment by the Axis powers during the war.  They went into some detail describing the system that the Royal Airforce devised to be able to husband their resources and defend the island against Italian and German bombing raids.  

Malta is a very Catholic country as it's diocese was founded by St. Paul and later it was ruled by the Knights Hospitalier from 1530 to 1798.  Malta has two cathedrals - one dedicated to St. Paul in Mdina and the other dedicated to St. John in Valletta - so it was a logical destination for John and I on this trip. 

A painting from the house of the Grand Master

We also visited the house of the Grand Master (who was the head of the  Knights Hospitaller).  His place is very opulent and filled with history and  beautiful paintings.  It was overwhelming.  Today we had a chance to visit the Co-Cathedral of St. John in Valletta.  While the Master's house was amazing, the Cathedral (which is done in a Baroque style) is overwhelming.  The floor is covered with the most ornate ledger stones (a marking on the floor for a knight who is buried there) I have ever seen.  

To get to all these places we would spend between 30 minutes to an hour on the mass-transit buses of Malta, observing the people going about their daily life.  Malta strikes me as a melting pot of cultures from all over the world - British, Australians, Indians, Pakistani, Malaysians, Maltese, Africans all living with one another without any obvious racial tensions.  Everyone seemed to mingle comfortably with one another - which is a beautiful thing to see.  In this country who draws its population from across the globe - North and South, East and West 82% of them are Catholic - and proud of their faith.  It is a beautiful thing to witness and reminds me of the reason why Christ came - "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10)

"Mario Andretti" sets a new world record!

John and I have arrived at Rome.  The flight over here from Malta was fairly fast, empty and un-eventful (except for John beating the snot out of me (in rummy)).  We landed in Rome's Fiumicino airport.  The Sisters at the Casa Santo Spirito, where we are staying like to go to bed at 8PM, so I had arranged with them for our late arrival.  When I did so they requested that we take a taxi to get here quicker.  Once we picked up the big backpack we headed for the taxi door and started to look for a taxi driver who could take us to St. Peter's. We met a man, whom I will call Mario Andretti.  He never introduced himself properly but said that he could take us to St. Peter's for 70 Euros, We just had to share the ride with 2 Catholic women from France.  So, John and I put our bags in the back of the car, and with John in the front seat and myself shoe-horned into the back behind the driver with the two women to my right we took off like the start of the Le Mans.  John reports that we were doing 120 kph shortly after we departed the airport.  Mario drove a BMW with a check engine light and a problem with the transmission (the car kept going clunk occasionally), and wove in and out of Italian traffic like he was driving in the Grand Prix.   I have never seen John more fervent in prayer.  I sat in the back monitoring our impressive progress on google maps while John measured our progress in Traffic Violations per Minute (TVM) and contemplated the feeling of a faceplant in an airbag.  2 Red lights, speeding past a police car, working the cell while straddling lanes and weaving in and out of traffic spaces so small that a Smart Car would feel uncomfortable in them.  I think we set a world record (both in KPH and TVMs to go from Fiumicino to St. Peter's on a Saturday night.  John is sure his Guardian Angel is mad at him again...  I just think that the Sisters were praying for our speedy arrival and Mario was an answer to their prayers.  

Anyway, check out our short commute to Mass in the morning - this is from the window of our room at the convent.

Ocean Swimming

Swimming in the open ocean is in our blood.  My Dad's Dad (Grandpa Frank) was a member of the US Navy's Underwater Demolition Team 4 during World War 2.  It was his job to perform pre-invasion beach reconnaissance, which he did for the American invasions of Guam, Leyte, Ie Shima and Okinawa.  When he went to war it was in swim trunks, flippers, a mask, a knife and towing a raft with TNT packed into rubber hoses to clear away invasion obstacles so the Marines could get ashore.  

While John and I were on Patmos we spent time each day swimming in the Aegean Sea.  The water was amazing crisp, clear and refreshing.  Normally, on Patmos we were swimming around on a beach somewhere and we would swim out past the surf zone and cruise up and down the beach.  Today, in Malta we decided that the best way to see the shore that St. Paul  shipwrecked on was to take a late-afternoon / evening boat tour to Comino Island - so that along the way the boat would sail past St. Paul's island.  We booked a ride on an ocean going catamaran and went on the tour.    

Our boat trip took us past St. Paul's island, and then onto the Island of Camino, where we first anchored
at Crustal Lagoon which has a cave / arch where the rocks have filled into the sea and has left a small bay that is open to the sun.  As soon as the boat stopped, the two old guys (John and I) were off the stern and swimming for the cave - it was about a 100m swim and we had to dodge some other tour boats to get there.  There was a British woman who swam up to join us for the swim.  If you swim fully into the cave you get to see it open up to the sky above - a very cool site (You can check it out on Google Maps here).  We were able to find a rock that was shallow enough for us to touch bottom and then we turned and swam back to the boat - where we spent the rest of the time diving in and out of the water.  After about 30 minutes of swimming the boat departed (with us aboard) for the Blue Lagoon, which as it turned out was on the other side of the island.

When the boat docked at the Blue Lagoon, we had to go ashore and walk about 200m to the swimming beach.  Malta is primarily made of limestone and sandstone rock - and along the waters edge there are many heavily eroded limestone pavements - where you walk across razor-sharp rocks to get to and from the water.  To deal with this I took along my GoPro, and one of my backpacking stuff-sacks into which I put our sandals.  Then hooking the bag over my left shoulder John and I struck out for the other side of the bay, about 100m away through mostly shallow water.  I say mostly shallow because most of the time John and I could touch the bottom with our feet.  Before getting out on the other side we put on our sandals so we could scramble across the sharp and awkward rocks.  Once we got to the other side we found a sea-cave that was open to the sea on the other side - so not to be deterred we swam through the cave (about 30m in length) all the way out into the ocean on the far side.  This was really cool to do.  Floating on my back I could see that higher-up in the cave were other passages leading off to one side or another.  

Having explored the caves on the west side of the Blue Lagoon, we then swam back across the lagoon (again with my sandals in a bag being towed behind me), however the tide had been coming in while we were exploring caves and now it was starting to ebb, which caused there to be a wicked current pulling us out to sea - so we had to swim into the current to get back across to the boat - which we were successful in doing.  After that we went back to the boat and spent the remainder of our time diving from the boat.  

Sailing back under a moon-lit ocean I found myself reflecting on how swimming is one of those activities that integrates me - body, mind and soul.  I need to work to get somewhere (body), and I need to think about how I am going to do it (mind) and it gives me great joy to be able to play in God's creation (soul).  I hope you find some time to praise God in His creation this week.

Acrocorinth

Behind the ancient city of Corinth lies an 1800 foot mountain with very steep sides.  (See the image to the left which shows the mountain in the background).  It has been a fortress or acropolis since at least the 7th century BC.  At the very summit is a spring that wells up fresh water.  This morning John and I drove up to the first gate and went to explore the fortress.

The top of the Acrocorinth is very broad at about 61 acres of land - populated with wheat and olive trees.  There are three gates and walls that surround the entire summit.  The Ancient Corinthians built a wall across the Isthmus, and walls from the Acrocorinth down to surround the entire city and then out to the port  of Lechaion and back.  More than 15 km of walls all told, with 3km in the Acrocorinth alone.  

John surveying the western side of the Acrocorinth

From the Summit we were able to see both the Saronic and Corinthian gulfs.  The view above is from near the top overlooking the western gulf and the town of ancient Corinth.  

We spent the day climbing up and down the top 300 feet of the fortress, which reminded me of Minas Tirith from the Lord of the Rings.  The image to the left shows the 3rd and a bit of the 2nd gates to the fortress.  Once inside the fortress there was space for the inhabitants of the city, their livestock and soldiers to live.  When well provisioned the defending troops would have ample water and stores for a multi-year siege.  Most Corinthians maintained houses in the Acrocorinth and in the city, retiring to the fortress during pirate raids.

The Acrocorinth was captured by the Romans in 146 BC, and destroyed, then repaired in 44 BC.  The next time it was captured was in the 12th century when the Franks conquered it and incorporated it into their principality.  Then in 1458 the sultan Mehmed II occupied it only to lose it to the Venetians in 1687.  They added the lion of St. Mark to the gates, but lost it to the Turks about 50 years later.  Finally, in 1823, Corinth was liberated, and was surrendered the castle to the Greek troops as part of the Greek war of independence.

After exploring the Upper Peirene Spring (see the image to the right) which is located at the summit.  This spring is naturally occurring and feeds the several underground cisterns.  John and I went on to climb the the towers and the walls at the summit.  Once we had fully explored the place we worked our way back to the car and then drove back to Athens to catch our flight to Malta.  I am signing off now to go and grab dinner, and then it is a 2 hour flight to the island of Malta - which is located South of Sicily (The island that the Italian boot is kicking) and north of Africa.  While Greece is a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country, Malta is a predominantly Catholic country.  We will right more tomorrow once we land.

Ancient Corinth

Yesterday we arrived in Corinth and there are ruins everywhere, even right across the street from the place where we are staying.  After boarding the ferry on Patmos at midnight, John and I went to sleep in our cabin around 1 AM.  The slow rocking motion of the ship at sea combined with the low-frequency thrum of the engines wiped us both out.  We awoke to the announcement that the ship was docking in Athens.  

From Athens we rented a car (which has had many dents in it) and drove to Ancient Corinth,.  The car is a stick-shift and luckily there are no new dent's in it.  The Greeks don't seem to have any rules about what is a road (they drive everywhere) and what is a parking place (they also park anywhere - including in the main traffic lane).  Anyway, we arrived safely.  We spent the day quietly, primarily doing laundry so we have clothes for this week, and we read St. Paul's First letter to the Corinthians.  It has been a while since I have read his letter cover to cover - so it was good to understand the Church that was started here in sometime between 50 and 52 AD. 

Today we explored the ancient ruins of Corinth.  Most of Corinth is buried, as the city has been destroyed on two occasions (146 BC when the Romans conquered it, and 1858 in a major earthquake).  After the earthquake the Greeks decided to relocate the city to where modern Corinth is.  The ruins of ancient Corinth (where we are staying) is actually only a small areas of the entire city as it was the ancient center of Corinth (where the temples and markets were).  The whole ancient city of Corinth stretches from the Acrocorinth (an Acropolis on an 1800 foot  mountain) all the way to the sea.  The  area we toured was the ancient forum, including the place described in Acts Chapter 18 where Paul was put on trial before Gallo.  

The Corinthians had tried to dig a canal - but ran into difficulties, and so they built a road with grooved tracks on it that they could use to drag ships across the isthmus.  Corinth had 2 seaports (Lechaion by which one could sail into the Adriatic and then on to Italy, and Cenchreae from which it was possible to sail to Athens, Turkey and the Holy Land)

After reading Paul's 2nd letter to the Corinthians I am struck by the way that St. Paul strives to live his life as an authentic witness to Christ.  He encourages the Corinthians to pay attention to the example that he left them.  (1 Cor 11:1)   St. Paul 's witness is rooted in Christ's triumph over death.  When he says that he only boasts of his weaknesses - he is imitating Christ, whom the Jews viewed as weak (because he died on the cross) and the Greeks viewed as foolishness (because in their eyes it was a senseless death).  Yet the crucifixion is the gateway to the the resurrection - which is the undoing of death and the witness of God's love for us.  St. Paul is firmly rooted in this conviction and has oriented his entire life around this premise.  

St. Paul lives this out with his own approach to weakness.  St. Paul sees failure and weakness as an opportunity to enter into the resurrection.  I have seen that in my own life - when I look at suffering I realize that when I enter into suffering with a willingness to follow God, then I begin to understand the love that Christ had when he hung upon the cross- it gives a whole new perspective to life.

The last day on Patmos

John and I got up at 05:30 AM this morning - we had a busy day ahead of us.  First we cleaned up and packed and then by 06:30 we had eaten breakfast and cleared out of the hotel.  We left our big backpack down by the microwave in courtyard, and then hopped on our bikes to head over to the Cave of the Apocalypse.  We arrived there before sunrise and were able to pray Morning Prayer and then attend the Divine Liturgy that was celebrated by an Orthodox Patriarch?, 2 Deacons and about 4 priests. Orthodox Liturgy is very different from Catholic Liturgy, although I was able to recognize the reading of the Gospel, the Creed (Nicene), the Our Father, and the Eucharist.  The Gospel was from Mark - If you want to be my disciple you must pick up your cross and follow me.

The Liturgy and accompanying preparatory prayers went from around 7:30 until about 10:30 AM.  Once that was done we went and explored the town of Chora.  Chora is where the Monastery of St. John the Theologian is located.  It is built up the hill from the cave of the Apocalypse, and sprung up from the Monastery in about 1100 AD.  Chora has many small, winding pathways - some of which they drive cars down (they have very small cars), or Mopeds.  We explored the town and found many winding passages, sometimes with houses built straight over the street, and some of the overhangs were very low - it reminded me a bit of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Only the penitent man shall pass).  

We got ourselves thoroughly lost down some winding side-walks in South Chora - but thanks to a watchful Greek gentleman hanging over his back fence (being entertained by John and I wandering the back streets and pointed the correct way to go.  We made it out of the south side of Chora and rode up to the highest point on the island - where there is a chapel to the prophet Elijah.  From there we could see the entire southern portion of the island.  I don't know if it is a tradition of the Orthodox Church to make the highest mountain chapel to Elijah - but when Mark, Dominic, Christian and I summited Olympus about 5 years ago, we also found a chapel of Elijah.  

After visiting the chapel of the Prophet Elijah we headed to the far south of the island..  Getting there took a 1.5 km hike through the hills to a sandy beach with decent waves.  Here is what the trail looked like.  See if you can find me in the image - I am hiking along the trail

John and I had a swim in the Sea, and then hiked back.  Returning to our bikes, we rode all the way back to Skala across some primitive bike trails.  (John would describe them as rocky hiking trails) - I think that my description is more appealing (although perhaps less accurate).  In Skala we had dinner, turned in our bikes and picked up the big pack and walked out to the dock where we will catch the ferry in 3 hours or so.  We have a cabin so we can sleep and an over-night ferry trip back to Athens so we can head to our next destination - Corinth!

John and the Deacon

 Today John and I got up early and went to the Cave of the Apocalypse - the place where St. John had the visions that became the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible.  The cave is situated about a mile to the south of our hotel, up the hillside.  We have rented e-bikes so we got started early and rode up the hill to the place where the cave is.  When we arrived and looked out across the bay there were two cruise ships that had anchored outside the harbor, so going early was the right call.

You cannot take pictures inside the holy shrines, so no photos to share here.  The cave had been incorporated into a monastery and when we arrived the divine liturgy had started.  The front of the cave (to the left as you enter) has a wall built along it. In the middle is a ridge that stoops down.  It was here that John lay and had his visions.  To the right side of the cave is a shelf, where they had the Gospel of John enshrined on a cloth with a pendent of the eagle (The symbol of John's Gospel).  Along the back wall of the chapel is the Iconostasis (a wall of Icons), featuring the virgin Mary, Christ and an Icon of John's vision from revelation - the 7 lamp stands, the 7 angels, the 7 churches and Christ in the center.

Behind the Iconostasis the priest prayed the prayers of the liturgy while a choir of 1 man sang the peoples part from a spot on the left side of the chapel.  While it was all Greek to me, I did recognize the Nicene Creed and the Our Father.  

According to the Monastery of St. John the Theologist - (Who wrote the Gospel of John), asked the "Holy Foreigner (The Deacon) who was Prochorous - as mentioned in the Acts 6:5.  According to manuscripts which date back to the 6th century and are preserved in our Monastery, Prochorus is presented as a disciple and follower of the Apostle John in Asia Minor, in Ephesus and in Patmos. It is also mentioned that at the time of the vision of the Revelation he was present and recorded what John dictated to him. The presence of Prochorus, although not verified by an authoritative source, is reinforced by its depiction in Orthodox iconography, which in a way crystallizes the unrecorded tradition. After John's recall from exile, he accompanied him to Ephesus and then, upon John's recommendation, went to Nicomedia, where he was ordained Bishop and suffered a martyr's death. The Orthodox Church commemorates his memory on July 28.

After visiting the cave of the Revelation we then went to the Monastery on the Island - which is dedicated t the study of St. John and the Revelation.  The Monastery had a library which included several ancient texts, the oldest being an 8th century copy of the Gospel of Mark.  The Monastery was later reinforced a s a fortress to protect the islands from both the Turks and other invaders (Venice, Italy, Germany) throughout the last 2000 years.  Following the Monastery we had lunch and then rode to Petra Beach.  Surprise surprise - the beach is covered in rocks.  we took a swim and then climbed a rock which had stairs and shelters and carved into the sides - including an Icon of Mary.  There was also a cistern carved into the top of the rock to collect rain-water.  After climbing the rock we rode our way via the sea-shore back to our room in Skala.  Tomorrow we are going to attend the Divine Liturgy at the Cave of the Apocalypse and then we head back to sea to return to Athens and thence onto Corinth.

John and I in Chora, the town around the Monastery of St. John (Center background)