Poland Day Two: Did you see the schwtzjkij at the twjykljef?

The main square of Krakow is called the Market Square -- this is the most of us standing in it. It is hard to believe but Poland used to be the most powerful country in Europe, and Krakow was the capital at that time. So the whole rise and fall of Eastern Europe was determined from this square.
Catholic-Christianity came to Poland over one thousand years ago. The first person to preach Christianity was Saint Adalbert. The white church to the right is built over the spot where he preached, and through his preaching converted the kingdom of Poland. The church in the background is the Basilka of Saint Mary. It is the largest church in Krakow. It is famous for its trumpeter, who keeps the time of the town by playing each hour on the hour -- 24/365. He is a real man, not a machine. Even in the wee hours, even on the freezing cold days. This is done in remembrance of the trumpet player who saved the town from a Tartan attack in the 1300's. He climbed the tower to play his song -- warning the whole town. Through his heroic efforts he saved the town, but lost his life as a Tartar managed to shout him through the throat before he even finished playing his song.
Just an inside view of the Basilka of Saint Mary.
And this was the seat of power for all of Krakow, all of Poland, and all of Eastern Europe -- WAWEL CASTLE and CATHEDRAL. This is the Cathedral where John Paul II was Archbishop before he was the Pope. It was very beautiful, but smaller than I thought it would be.
This is in the bell tower -- it is only rung on very special occasions -- for the sake to these people's ears I hope there is not a special occasion soon!

Thursday after Ash Wednesday: San Giorgio al Velabro

Velabro is swamp -- This very old church was built in the swampy area between the Tiber River, and the Aventine and Palatine Hills. What is striking are its simplicity and it is also very noticable that the building is not square. The front side is much wider than the apse end, causing the whole body of the church to narrow towards the altar. This focuses all attention on the altar -- but this is not why the church was built this way. It is built on at the foot of a hill, which means they could not build it square, but rather had to match the contour of the hill. Since it is with his own hands that God formed the hill the way it is, and since he is all knowing (thus would have known a church to his honor would be built here), it can be said that the way this irregularly built church is built to God's plan, and not to the plans of men -- who probably would have demolished the hill side to build the church square. This lead to a question: How do I do things: prayer, life, work, leisure, what ever? Do I do them the way God wants them, or the way I want them? Which is better for me? Is my prayer simple? Or do I even make my prayer complicated like my life? During LENT how does God want me to simplify my prayer with him and my life?

Ash Wednesday: Santa Sabina

Starting almost fifteen hundred years ago Popes have been coming to this church for Ash Wednesday, to start the season of Lent. This church is the oldest church building in the city of Rome. It is simple and classic. In the hours of the morning when the rays of the sun were still more horizontial, rather than vertical, we treked down the venerable Janiculum Hill, crossed the river, and trekked up the Aventine Hill. We are in Rome proper -- the Rome of the ancients. It is at the bottom of this hill that the city recieved her shipments of grain. It was a poorer section of the city -- and since OUR LORD favors the poor, perhaps this is why some of the first Christians gathered in this area to worship him.

The season of Lent is a time to grow closer to the LORD. The path to the LORD is old and ancient, and it was trodded by these early Christians -- they were the first ones to walk it -- so it was a rough path -- there were many snarls like the persecutions and martyrdom -- but they charted that path to Christ for us. By going to where they first worshipped, we join them on this path growing closer to the LORD.

Reflection Questions:
Who has lead me to the grow closer to Christ? Friends? Relative? Strangers? SAINTS (which saints)?

Have I thanked God for putting these people in my life so that I could come to know Him better? Have I thanked them?

What are my snares -- the things that keep me from growing closer to the LORD? How is He helping me to be free from these snares?

Lenten Reflections Based on the Stational Churches

What are the station churches?

After the end of the persecutions the number of Christian-Catholics in the city of Rome swelled. The Pope, who always desired to be a Father to those lambs entrusted to his care, desired to remain close to his lambs, even though the crowds were so large they could never fit into one church. So he started the practice of visiting the various parishes of Rome, so on a regular basis all the Christians of the city would meet their Holy Father. This is the start of the stational churches. Simple. As the liturgies developed, eventually the churches that the Holy Father would visit each day were set, especially during the privileged seasons of Lent and Advent. This was a continual practice in the Roman Church until the Popes moved to Avignon in France.

Since the great renewal of the Church after the Second Vatican Council, this tradition has been re-born with the Lenten Stational Liturgies. This is the primary way that the Pontifical North American College remembers the season of Lent. Each morning of Lent seminarians get up extra-early, and still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes start the procession down the Janiculum Hill toward that days stational church. In this way each day becomes a pilgrimage. Each seminarian becomes a pilgrim.

Theology in Ancient Stone

Many of the station churches are the oldest churches in Rome, and in the whole world. Christian men and women have gathered in many of these sacred spaces for close to two thousand years. These are the first parishes of Rome; these are the chapels built on top of the tombs of the holy martyrs; these are the houses were persecuted Christians gathered for prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist. This is where the Tradition of the Church is encountered and experienced in stone, by encountered those who on earth have worshiped Christ there before, and from heaven continue to worship with us now.

Perogi e snow -- Poland Day One of Eight

I'm leaving on a jet-plane...

It is the day after Christmas, and I need to get out of the city. Thank God for Poland. Christmas was great -- but you know it is just not the same without snow. Poland holds the promise of snow. So hope a plane at Leonardo Da'Vinci International Airport, and of we go -- all seven of us.



This will be my last view of Italy for the next eight days. It looks beautiful and majestic.

We have a little lay-over in Munich. By far the nicest airport I have ever been in. A little lunch at a German fast-food resturant, and we are good to go for our last leg of the journey (caption starting with me and going clockwise: Me, Aaron Johanneck, Matt Libra, Bill Ruelle, and Phillip Zubrod).

First surprise in Poland: Hotel Atlantis is not a hotel at all, instead it is Hostel Atlantis. I have always been told that it is a good experience to stay in a hostel, but when you don't expect it, it surprises you at first. It was actually a decent place to stay, plus it was close to the historic heart of Krakow.

Some of the guys though had the benefit of a nice priory guesthouse. This truly served as our homebase. This is a picture of their lower church underneath their refractory (dining room). Catholics have been worshipping in this room for just over eight-hundred years.