Sunday, November 2, 2008

Romani in chiesa - Romans in church

Meeting Christ in the Liturgy offers a reflection for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.

More Roman travelogue:

A pilgrim's view of the Roman skyline from the vantage point of the Church of Santa Trinita dei Monti above the Spanish steps. I am on my way to another Church of the Holy Trinity, that of "dei Pellegrini" on the Tiber. The distant dome of San Pietro is in the center, framed by other church towers.

Jean-Francois Billot and Hugues Beaugrand of the Institut du Buon Pastuer.

Holy Mass at Santa Trinita dei Pellegrini.

Communion of the faithful.


Group photo of priests, deacons and seminarians after holy Mass in the sacristy from Italy, the United States, France and Australia.

Light streaming into the dome of Santa Trinita, a symbol of the glory of the Father in the Son through the sending of the Holy Spirit.

View on a passeggiata after Mass.

Clerics from Australia and the U.S. chatting after a drink of cappucino.

Doves splashing in the fountain of the Piazza Farnese in front of the Brigittine convent.

Sunday Mass at Santa Trinita dei Pellegrini was celebrated at 10 am with a substantive congregation of Romans. This remarkable in a country where Mass attendance has fallen notably and many churches show scant worshipers on the Lord's Day.

Jean-Francois Billot and Hugues Beaugrand of the Institut du Bon Pastuer of Paris assisted at holy Mass and are pictured above. The Institut in Rome has a site here.

Grace calls for a response. God's beauty draws those whom He has created that they might long for that beauty and its proper fulfillment of the love of union.

Christ the Truth of the Father is present in the sign of the Word proclaimed and substantially in the sign of the Eucharist that by grace the people are drawn to the beauty of sacred Liturgy, the beauty of God made manifest in Christ.

God's beauty in the worthy and reverent offering of the sacred liturgy feeds His people with hope for the Kingdom of Heaven in the foretaste and promise of Christ, present in the sign of Word proclaimed and in His living Sacrament as He offers His Body and Blood. We "see" the Father as we see Christ made present by the Holy Spirit of love.

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