Monday, June 22, 2009
Day 10 highlights: The golden ticket
Nope, we didn't need to sing well to get one of these precious ones. In fact, we probably got one for not singing at all. This is undoubtedly one of the main highlights of our Eurotrip 2009 - meeting the Pope!
Every Wednesday (whenever the Pope's not travelling), he addresses the pilgrims who come from far and near, and gives his weekly public speech. We arrived 1.5 hours earlier - in typical Singaporean style - only to learn that kiasu-ism is now a worldwide phenomenon. We ended up sitting in the front portion of the back half of the courtyard. But but but, the Pope went past us in his popemobile, not once but twice! So ok, I have no complaints.
Spot PB16!
Here's a summary of the message which he shared on 20 May 2009, the day we were there:
Benedict XVI recalls his trip to the Holy Land
The Pope dedicated his remarks during his general audience, held in St. Peter's Square, to a review of his recent apostolic trip to the Holy Land from 8 to 15 May, describing it as a "pilgrimage par excellence to the sources of the faith, and at the same time a pastoral visit to the Church that lives" there. The Holy Father recalled the first stage of his trip, which took him to Jordan where he visited Mount Nebo whence Moses saw the Promised Land but died without reaching it, and Bethany Beyond the Jordan where Jesus was baptised by John. The Memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo "speaks to us of our status as pilgrims", he said, "suspended between an 'already' and a 'not yet', between a promise so great and beautiful as to support us on our journey, and a realisation that surpasses us, and even surpasses this world”.
"Jordan", he added, "has a large Christian community, which has grown with the influx of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. Their presence in society is significant and appreciated, also because of their educational and charity work focused on human beings independent of their beliefs or their ethnic or religious background".
The Holy Father then went on to speak of his visit to Israel where, "from my arrival, I presented myself as a pilgrim of faith in the Land where Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again, and, at the same time, as a pilgrim of peace, imploring God that there, where He became man, all people may live as His children, that is, as brothers and sisters".
"In that Land blessed by God at times its seems impossible to escape the spiral of violence. But nothing is impossible for God and for those who trust in Him! For this reason, faith in the one God, just and merciful, which is the most precious resource those people have, must have the power to release all its potential of respect, reconciliation and collaboration". The Pope went on to explain how he had expressed this hope to the Grand Mufti and the heads of the Muslim community of Jerusalem, to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and to organisations dedicated to inter-religious dialogue.
Pope Benedict went on: "Jerusalem is the crossroads of the three great monotheistic religions, and its very name - 'city of peace' - is an expression of God's plan for humankind: to make it one large family. ... This is what Jews, Christians and Muslims are called to bear witness to, so as to honour with their acts the God to Whom they pray with their mouths. This is what I had in my heart, in prayer, as I visited Jerusalem's ... Wailing Wall and Dome of the Rock, symbolic places of Judaism and Islam respectively".
The Pope also recalled his visit to the Yad Vashem Memorial, dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. "Each human being is scared" he said, "and his name is written in the heart of the eternal God. The great tragedy of the Shoah must never be forgotten”!
The primary goal of the apostolic trip "was to visit the Catholic communities in the Holy Land, and this happened on various occasions in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth", said Benedict XVI, recalling how in the Cenacle he had met the Custos of the Holy Land "to meditate together upon our vocation of being one, of forming one body and one spirit, and transforming the world with the mild power of love".
"Bethlehem, the place where the heavenly song of peace sounded out for all mankind", the Holy Father added, "is a symbol of the distance that still separates us from achieving that promise: insecurity, isolation, uncertainty, poverty. All this has caused many Christians to move away, but the Church continues her journey, supported by the faith and bearing witness to love with tangible works of service to our brothers and sisters…”.
He concluded: "I am happy to be able to recapitulate the entire itinerary I was able to make in the sign of Christ's resurrection. Despite the vicissitudes that over the centuries have affected the Holy Places, despite the wars, the destruction and, alas, the conflicts among Christians, the Church has continued her mission, moved by the Spirit of the Risen Lord, She is on a journey to full unity, that the world may believe in the love of God and experience the joy of His peace".
Source: http://www.officialcatholicdirectory.com/last-news/2009-papal-visit-to-the-holy-land-archives.html
Then we headed to the Vatican Museums, known for being one of the greatest museums in the world because of its vast collection of works built up by the Catholic Church over the centuries. The museums record more than 4 million visitors a year. That's like having every Singaporean there in 365 days!
The famous Michelangelo art piece - and the reason why there are so many visitors - is a 500-year-old painting of the Genesis story on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Here, you'll see God reaching out to give life to Adam.
While that was absolutely stunning (and neck-breaking) to admire, what really caught my attention was the Last Judgement painting on one face of the wall. Not exactly the most heartwarming picture, but I guess the in-your-face reminder that we'll be judged one day was what really caught my eye and made me wonder which part of the painting I'm going to end up on.
Ok, I know I'm so not doing the Vatican Museums justice by stopping here, but if you want to read more about the place, click here (official website) and here (wiki).
