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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From Jerusalem On Palm Sunday

By Deal W. Hudson
Inside Catholic.com
Posted on April 05, 2009, 1:38 AM


From my window at the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem I watched the sun come up over the old city. Pilgrims from everywhere have filled every room to celebrate Holy Week at "ground zero" of our faith. In a few hours, we will start the Palm Sunday procession from the Mt. of Olives down and up the hills west of the city until we reach St. Stephen's Gate where Jesus was welcomed so many centuries ago. It will be an occasion of joy which I hope everyone who reads this will, one day, experience for themselves. There will be groups of singing, chanting, even dancing Catholics from around the world -- and, having seen this three times before, I know it will be difficult for me not to join in.


The weather today is perfect, mid-sixties and sunny skies. Already the knights and ladies of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre are gathering in the lobby in their white robes. I will not be walking with them, but will be cheering from the sidelines.

The head of the center, Fr. Juan Solano, is already making his rounds, greeting pilgrims and making ready for Mass and the procession. Everyone is smiling, and not a grim church-going face in sight.

It is good to be here. Later I will report on the procession and the people I meet along the way.

The next time you are thinking about a trip to Rome, for the second, third, or fourth time, I hope you will consider coming here, and don't worry about the stories you hear about the "danger." There are times to stay away, but they are few and far between.

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