6 April 2009

Palm Sunday in Rome

By Irene Lagan
InsideCatholic.com

Posted on April 06, 2009, 3:40 AM

As Deal mentioned, Palm Sunday in Jerusalem is an experience not to be missed if the opportunity arises. That being said, I will always relish the beauty of yesterday's Palm Sunday liturgy in Rome. There's something about praying the highest prayer of the Church with the pope on a sunny but not hot day at St. Peter's in Rome. The choir was masterful, and the sung gospel still resounds in my ears, as does the almost absolute silence during the part of the Gospel where Jesus breathes his last, and again, when the sacred species were lifted. It's a real experience of the Church universal, with old and young, and virtually every nationality represented. (The one thing missing might be our Eastern brothers and sisters.)

I have to say I love Pope Benedict. He inspires such joy, quiet as it might be (especially if you're thinking in comparative mode). But as I've mentioned before, is he is a man whose presence speaks loudly. Thousands upon thousands endure the mosh-pit crowd crush experience to get closer to him. I think he draws people, young and not young, in part because he is so authentic. He draws people in because he reveals something of himself and relies on our prayers. His homily is something I will go back to throughout the week. He is a theologian, teacher and pastor - a rare combination.

Because I now live on the top floor of a building and enjoy a terrace and lots of sun, my flatmate and I were able to host people for an impromptu and all-day brunch.

To top off the day, sometime during the night we had felt the strong aftershocks of a 6.3 magnitude "terremoto" just 53 miles from Rome. That was not so much fun, just freaky. For some thirty seconds, I felt like I was on a ship at sea. It was just a little too close for comfort,especially given a still-rising death toll. It's one thing to report on these things that happen in Indonesia and other far away places, but this made me rethink the advantages of finding a great deal apartment on the top floor of an old Roman building.

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