Saturday of the Third Week of Lent at St Susana

Although this church existed for over fourteen centuries before the creation of the United States, Americans can in some sense claim it as our own, as it has been the home of our national parish in Rome since 1922.  The importance of this site to Christians can be traced to the late third century, during the reign of Diocletian.  This emperor, whose name is well known for the persecutions under him, desired to marry his relative, Susanna, to one of his co-emperors in a political marriage.  Susanna did not wish to be part of this, not only because of her Faith but also because she had taken a private vow of virginity.  When Diocletian found out about this, he ordered the punishment not only of her but also of her father, Gabinus, and three Christian uncles, one of whom was Pope Gaius.  Susanna received the crown of martyrdom immediately, with her father dying in prison and her uncles and some other relatives being executed outside the city.  Pope Gaius escaped these persecutions, returning to continue leading the Church in the city (From Procedamus in Pace PNAC).

Collect

Rejoicing in this annual celebration of 

our Lenten observance, we pray, O Lord, that, 

with our hearts set on the paschal mysteries, 

we may be gladdened by their full effects. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of 

the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Friday of the Third Week of Lent at St Lawrence in Lucina

This ancient church stands in a small piazza just off the busy Via del Corso.  The titulus of St. Lawrence in Lucina took its name, as with many other of the early tituli, from the name of the donor of the site or structure itself, who in this case was the Roman landlady Lucina.  This area first became developed during the early Imperial period, with the famous Ara Pacis standing in a location just behind the apse of the church.  On this spot itself stood a large apartment building, known as an insula, traditionally that of Lucina though the original place of worship may have been located in another location nearby.  In the mid 430s, Pope Sixtus III built the first basilica here, like others of the time with a nave flanked by an aisle on each side and terminating in an apse.  Being in the midst of an area often hit by floods of the Tiber, the church was in need of periodical restoration, with at least two recorded in the first millennium.  During this era this church fulfilled an important liturgical role as the starting point of the procession for the Greater Litany, a penitential procession and liturgical service, on 25 April.  This procession, beginning here, would head up the Via Flaminia, crossing the Tiber at the Milvian Bridge before returning down the other side of the river for the stational Mass at St. Peter’s. (From: Procedamus in Pace, PNAC)

Collect

Pour your grace into our hearts, 

we pray, O Lord, that we may be constantly 

drawn away from unruly desires and obey 

by your own gift the heavenly teaching you give us. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of 

the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent at Ss Cosmas and Damien

Sitting discreetly to the side of the Roman Forum, the small basilica of Ss. Cosmas and Damian can boast of not only a longer history of use than that ancient center of government, but also of that use continuing to the present day.  In fact, parts of this basilica date back to the time of the ancient forum, these structures being converted into a church in honor of these two saints some time later.  Ss. Cosmas and Damian were two brothers in the medical profession, who used their skills to heal people without seeking payment.  Although there are different traditions concerning their martyrdom, it seems likely that they suffered during the Diocletian persecutions in the early fourth century in the city of Aegea, then in Roman Syria.  Brought before the tribunal, they were tortured before being killed by decapitation, likely in 303.  Some years later their relics were brought to the city of Cyr, before being brought to Rome during the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great.

Collect

We implore your majesty most humbly, O Lord, 

that, as the feast of our salvation draws ever closer, 

so we may press forward all the more eagerly towards 

the worthy celebration of the Paschal Mystery. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in

 the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent at St Sixtus

The chapel can still be visited in the catacombs of St. Callistus where Pope St. Sixtus II and four deacons were celebrating the liturgy when the Roman soldiers burst in and arrested them.  On the way to their execution, another deacon came forward to the pope and begged to be allowed to accompany him.  The pope replied that, while not now, in a few days time the deacon would join him in suffering for the faith.  And so did St. Lawrence go and prepare for his own death.  Now the memory of the martyred pope is kept by this modest basilica, which has quietly stood on this location for over sixteen centuries.

The foundation of the basilica here is dated to the reign of Pope Anastasius, who reigned from 399 to 401.  At that time it was known primarily as the Titulus Crescentianae, with the name of St. Sixtus being more frequently used beginning in the sixth century.  This first basilica had a nave as wide as that of the current church, having aisles and a courtyard in front as well.  Like other basilicas of this time, such as St. Peter in Chains and St. Vitalis, the entrance to the church was through an open colonnade, although this was soon enclosed.  In these early centuries the scrutinies of the catechumens were held at this church, before receiving Baptism at the Lateran Baptistery.  At the time of the Iconoclastic persecutions in the East a group of Byzantine monks established themselves in some old Roman structures behind the church around the year 800, creating the monastery of St. Mary in Tempulo.  The remains of this structure can still be seen some ways behind the apse of the current church (From Procedamus in Pace, PNAC).

Collect

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that, 

schooled through Lenten observance 

and nourished by your word, 

through holy restraint we may be devoted to you 

with all our heart and be ever united in prayer. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

one God, for ever and ever.

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent at St Prudentiana

The little church of St. Pudentiana holds some of the earliest memories of the Roman Church within its ancient walls.  The Christian history of this site begins with St. Pudens, a Roman senator.  He allowed St. Peter to live in his house for at least six years, and it is believed that the first Mass celebrated by St. Peter in Rome took place here.  He may also be the Pudens named by St. Paul in one of his letters (2 Tm. 4:21).  An early tradition also held that he had two daughters, Pudentiana and Praxedes.  These two collected the remains of the martyrs after their death, laying many of them to rest in a well within their home.  Another early member of the Roman Church, St. Pastor, is thought to have set up an oratory on this site as well.

Collect

May your grace not forsake us, O Lord, we pray, 

but make us dedicated to your holy service 

and at all times obtain for us your help. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

one God, for ever and ever.

Monday of the Third week of Lent at the Basilica of St Mark

Surrounded by the former palace of the Venetian ambassador to the Papal States, this venerable basilica stands almost in the shadow of the Capitoline Hill, the symbolic heart of ancient Rome.  There are several layers of ruins beneath the current church, including some from the late empire that bear signs of Christian worship on this site before the construction of this church.  Pope St. Mark was the founder of the first large house of Christian worship on this site in the mid 330s.  Whether his gift consisted of the church itself or just the land on which it is built is unknown; archeological finds point to the construction of the first basilica on this site to sometime in the first half of the fourth century. 

Collect

May your unfailing compassion, O Lord, 

cleanse and protect your Church, and, 

since without you she cannot stand secure, 

may she be always governed by your grace. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

one God, for ever and ever.

Third Sunset: The Agony

Jesus continues the road down and now that he has admitted sin’s monstrous darkness into himself, he feels as if robbed of his power. How much do I fear death? All my human fears combined. It is death ultimately what we fear the most. It is the fear of the unknown with no control on our part. But Christian faith reassures us with the reality of death being conquered once and for all with and in Jesus. The unknown aspect of it has been disclosed to the point of us now knowing the alternatives: acceptance of God’s love or rejection of it. We have control to choose. Still my weak faith and ambiguous obedience to God’s will make me shake.  

Jesus is at the moment to disclose it for us. He is at the point of exploring the unknown for us. He has a primordial experience of fear, quaking in the face of the power of death, terror before the abyss of nothingness that makes him tremble to the point that his sweat falls to the ground like drops of blood. Jesus is in my place experiencing the Father through the heart and eyes of sinners. The sun of love has disappeared behind the clouds; only the threat of the divine thunderstorm can be perceived

Jesus in Gethsemane is in a wrestling match with himself. He must struggle until he produces the “thy will be done.” how can I stand the psychological, emotional and spiritual pain, which is worse of any physical one?  Jesus is alone in obedience. I cannot even watch it. It seems to produce repugnance in me instead of sympathy. He is in my place! Neither the sleeplessness that Jesus demands (“watch and pray”) nor the purely human fear and agitation at the imminent suffering can explain this eruption of his pain and my unconcern of it.

We read that Jesus interrupted this struggle several times to look for sympathy, support and help in his disciples. We see their failure; they sleep for sheer sadness, for desperate confusion, but also because of a failure in their obedience, which cannot utter the “yes” of faith to the bitter end, which is not watchful and prayerful enough. The disciples lag behind their own calling; they leave the Lord alone. He must return to the thick of his solitary battle, which does not seem to progress but always stands at the same point of unsurpassable impotence. He prays “with the same words”, even if “the more ardently”. In the battle of obedience no progress need to be felt. Matters can be quite the opposite, in fact. (Balthazar, The threefold Garland, 71-74)

Saturday of the Second week of Lent at Ss Marcellinus and Peter

To visit the little church of Ss. Marcellinus and Peter, sitting at the corner of two busy Roman streets, is to encounter a long tradition of devotion at this site.  The saints after whom this church is named present a contrast in personalities, brought together in the service of the Gospel.  Peter was an exorcist who, because of his outspoken defense of the Faith during the Diocletian persecutions, was imprisoned.  There, the peace he exhibited despite his impending death attracted the interest of his jailer, with the martyr’s witness eventually bringing about the conversion of the jailer and his family.  Following this, many conversions followed, for which Peter sought the assistance of the priest Marcellinus to administer Baptism.  This priest, although of a quieter nature than the exorcist, nevertheless did not hesitate in coming out to celebrate the sacrament.  Although the persecution briefly waned after this, upon its renewal both Marcellinus and Peter were arrested and judged guilty.  After a few days of further rough treatment both were brought to a deserted place outside the city called the silva nigra, “black forest,” on account of its remote location.  There they were to be beheaded, where nobody would find their remains to venerate them.  However, after their martyrdom a bright light was seen to shine in the place, so that the area was now called the silva candida, “white forest.”  After appearing to two Christian women, the bodies of the saints were brought to the catacombs, where they lay for several centuries. 

Collect

O God, who have taught us 

to chasten our bodies for the healing of our souls, 

enable us, we pray, to abstain from all sins, 

and strengthen our hearts to carry out your loving commands. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

one God, for ever and ever.

Friday of the Second Week of Lent at St Vitalis

We begin our visit to this church not here but in England, in one of the dungeon chambers of the Tower of London.  There, in 1535, sat the bishop of Rochester, imprisoned for his refusal to sign the oath which would affirm Henry VIII as the supreme head on earth of the church in England.  Pope Clement VII, hoping to save the faithful bishop, elevated him to the honor of cardinal and assigned him this church as his title.  Upon hearing of this, the king declared that, rather than send the red hat to England as was the custom at the time, he would send the bishop’s head to Rome.  And so did St. John Fisher bear witness with his life to the truth, as did the saints here commemorated.

The patron of this church, St. Vitalis, himself bore heroic witness with his life during the Roman persecutions.  There are several histories about his martyrdom, which seem to place the date of his suffering in the early second century.  He seems to have been of some social standing, and would encourage those about to die for the faith.  As a result, he himself was tortured on the rack and then killed in the area of Ravenna.  Traditionally he is believed to be the husband of St. Valeria and the father of Ss. Gervasius and Protasius, all of whom were also martyred.

Collect

O God, who have taught us 

to chasten our bodies for the healing of our souls, 

enable us, we pray, to abstain from all sins, 

and strengthen our hearts to carry out your loving commands. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

one God, for ever and ever.

Thursday II Week of Lent at St Mary in Trastevere

Tucked away in a corner of the Piazza that bears its name, St. Mary’s across the Tiber, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, can claim a connection to Christ stretching back to even before His birth.  According to legend, in 38 B.C. a spring of oil came out of the ground here, later interpreted to signal the coming of the Savior.  Some centuries later, Pope St. Callistus I was cast into a well near this site because of his profession of Christianity; a church marking the site of his martyrdom stands just off the square, to the left as one faces the basilica.  He is traditionally the founder of a house church on this site, the predecessor of this current structure. (From Prcedamous in Pacem, PNAC)

Collect

O God, who delight in innocence and restore it, 

direct the hearts of your servants to yourself, 

that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit, 

we may be found steadfast in faith and effective in works 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in 

the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.