praylium: Jerusalem, Jerusalem....

praylium: Jerusalem, Jerusalem....: I just noticed a religious website offering home delivery of supplies for the end of the world or some other (perhaps even hoped for) cata...

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From Zenit Vatican News....

ZENIT: It is also said that John Paul II desired to visit Medjugorje. Can you confirm this? Monsignor Oder: Speaking privately with his friends, the Pope said more than once: “if it were possible, I would like to go.” They are words that must not be interpreted, however, with a character of recognition or of being official in regard to the events in the Bosnian country. The Pope was always very careful in what he did, knowing the importance of his post. There is no doubt, however, that things are happening at Medjugorje that are transforming people’s heart, especially in the confessional. So the desire expressed by the Pope should be interpreted from the point of view of his priestly passion, that is, his wish to be in a place where a soul seeks Christ and finds him, thanks to a priest, through the sacrament of reconciliation or of the Eucharist. ZENIT: And why didn’t he go? Monsignor Oder: Because not everything is possible in life …
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Assisi

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A subway, a train and a bus....and I ended up in Assisi.  For years I have heard, "You will love it there.  It is so quiet and peaceful." Really? Well, talking to a shop owner today...he said the crowds reminded him of when Pope Francis came through.  I learned that this is not the time to come to Rome or Assisi! I still prayed.  I knelt in a little stone church built by the hands of St Francis.  It sat within the Basilica.  It was good to pray in a place where a saint communed with the Almighty. I walked the hills and grasses, the cobblestones, and the stairs.  I prayed before the famed Crucifix and walked on the spot where Francis returned his belongings to his father.  Of course Our Lady of Medjugorje was present throughout the town...from posters to pendants. It is all so very connected.   I would write more, and I will.... however I must ready for another day of pilgrimage.  This time to a place my lovely wife reminded...
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Canonizations, Crowds, and Angst.

As I ready myself for a jaunt to Rome and Vatican City I find myself experiencing more of a desire to stay home. Don't get me wrong, I am very appreciative of my family making the sacrifices for my trip. And I look forward to seeing a part of the world that has, in many ways been on the geographic periphery of my life (for obvious reasons). But it wasn't supposed to be this way.  I wasn't supposed to be heading there without my son and my lovely wife. While the friendship I share with my old classmate is what provided this opportunity--I am just a little out of place. Allow me to explain... The purpose of the trek is to go and participate as part of the cloud of witnesses to the canonizations of Popes John 23 and John Paul 2. My friend and old seminary classmate proposed this adventure a few months back. He had reserved space at a religious house in Rome and asked if I wanted to accompany him.  The plan is to be at the Vatican for a few days then on to visit his c...
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