.::Firmum Est::. - - My Heart is Steadfast

Wow, really wow. This was an amazing celebration. We gathered early on Thursday morning at the Chair of St. Peter. As a member of the choir, I was on my feet singing most of the time. Even from that point, I couldn’t see much of anything because of the size of the organ. All I can share is that it was a beautiful experience - we have 12 new deacons in the house who have given their life to Christ as one of his ordained ministers. The pictures will tell the story a little better. They were taken by Seamus from 2nd Year. Enjoy.

This past week we left the city of Rome for a week-long silent retreat. There are many graces from the week - to many to share here. I do want to share my journal entry from the first night entering into the week.

I sit myself down on a cold concrete bench as the nine o’clock church bells commence. The air is brisk and moves quickly through the pine trees here in the Alban Hills.

Above me - a partially cloudy night sky illuminated by a nearly full moon. Dogs up and down the hillside, howl and bark in the distance. A passing car brings my attention down to the level where I sit. I’m not alone for the music of crickets surrounds me on all sides. Moths find themselves attracted to the floodlights illuminating the statue of the Sacred Heart. Here, we have a smaller version of Rio de Janeiro - Christ with outstretched arms, on a hillside overlooking the valley below - but a much different scale. This statue is small and life-size while the valley is quite immense.

Below me - the lights of the city of Rome twinke in the crisp air. To the left, the lights end with the Terran Sea. To the right, the foot hills of the Apennines. A trained eye is able to focus on the Dome of St. Peter’s hovering over the rest of the lights. Each day is Rome is very ordered chaos - this is felt even as I view the city from a hour south.

I reflect upon my first month here as I sit in the presence of His Sacred Heart and look down upon Rome. This week, we have been called from the Valley to the Mountain of the Lord - to spend 6 days in solitude with him. It is a call out of the chaos of our personal lives. In the same way that the Spirit hovered over the chaos in Genesis and created something beautiful, He hovers over our personal lives and brings about beauty, harmony and perfection in our lives and our souls. His anointing heals the wounds that keep us from full communion with God and His Children. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to sift through the chaos of our head and our heart to begin to bring about all healing that we need as He recreates us.