Hello Forum members,
I want to thank each and everyone of you for your prayers for a safe pilgrimage to Rome.
It was indeed wonderful that I cannot write down everything here. I encourage everyone of you to go to Rome at least once in your life.
I have prayed at many holy places for all of you. I've seen so many things that you guys won't believe!
I've seen so many relics that you won't believe! The relics of the True Cross (we have one at our Byzantine fellowshiop) but they are the largest relics of the True Cross left in the world, I've seen the large relic of the marble column which Jesus was whipped, I've seen two thorns off of the crown thorns which He wore, I've seen a large portion of the INRI sign (which was written in full not like INRI in three language written backwards), I've seen the very table which Jesus used in His Last Supper which is only shown during LENT time. Oh how blessed I am to even seen with my own eyes the very table which He gave Himself up for us to eat and drink...to have an everlasting life. "For if you do not eat my Body and drink my Blood, you have no everlasting life." Which is the very foundation of our Christian worship! (Divine Liturgy--Holy Mass)
I've been to the burial sites of the Apostles (mostly in the Vatican) like St. Peter, St. Andrew, St. Bartholmelow, etc. There are only FOUR Apostles that are NOT buried in Rome. SO imagine 8 of them buried in Rome! WOW!
Yes, the Vatican has the full body of St. Andrew except the skull which Pope Paul VI gave to Constantinople in 1960s.
In the Vatican contains the body of St. Basil the Great, St. John Chryosostom, St. Josephat, and other Eastern saints there.
And all over the Churches of Rome contains the bodies of the earliest saints, Christians. St. Agnes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Luke, etc. as well as many other saints. It was...WOW. Many Churches were BEAUTIFUL!!!
I also was on the steps of Pontius Pilate of which Jesus took onto trial there. One have to be on his/her knees going up the stairs...it was painful enough for me. At the top of the stairs, I got to see the very Icon of Jesus which St. Luke wrote. WOW!
I saw the incorrupt body of Blessed John XXIII and other incorrupt saints such as St. Clare (yeah I went to Assisi too).
I also was in the very tomb of St. Peter...not inside of his tomb but in the very catacomb so I can see the tomb though, I was blessed to see things that most people didn't get to see in that catacomb. One have to be signed up to go inside and it takes a long time to be on the list maybe a year as I was told. But my priest pulled some strings. Then after few people left, this lady showed me some other parts of the Catacomb which is very holy and rare for people to see...so I was very blessed. It gave me chills to my spine...knowing that St. Peter is right there...the head of the Church...the one that Jesus has chosen to hold the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. Oh wow! My presence in that catacomb is simply enough to give me grace and knowledge by God that ONLY St. Peter is indeed the ROCK. There's NO DOUBT. Just imagine 2,000 years people have prayed over the tomb of St. Peter...and my gosh may God bless Pope Paul VI...because he's the one who ordered the catacombs to be opened...for the first time in 2,000 years! Just imagine, me as a humble being was able to see things that Christians for 2,000 years haven't seen!
I prayed for all of you in there. Such a holy site!
I prayed at the other major basilicas...St. John Lateran (which is the Seat of the Bishop of Rome...it contains a skull of St. Peter and St. Paul at the Altar), St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls (where St. Paul was buried). These churches are magnificient! Awesome! It's extremely beautiful!
I've been inside of the very prison where St. Peter and Paul and many other christians who were severely imprisoned there. It was a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE prison EVER! The most gruesome, severely inhumane and just plain horrible prison that I don't think any other prison is as bad as this in the face of civilization. I felt the pain of prisoners when I was leaning against the wall...I heard the cries of prisoners...I smelled death in there...such a profound experience on me. So I thanked all the martyners who all sacrificed their lives for Christ Jesus!
I hope and pray that we all simmer down the heated debates on this forum...all that bickering and arguing is so useless, pointless and very unimportant. Because of these saints and martyners who sacrificed their lives, we would not be where we are today!!! That is as profound as it can be! WOW. I must be very grateful to God to be a Christian! I don't care what kind of Christian you are...a Catholic or Orthodox...just be thankful that you are a Christian!
The Vatican is such a holy place...the holiest in the world 2ND AFTER Jerusalem.
I've been inside of Sistine Chapel...I felt something that is of importance in that room...it's where the Pope of Rome is elected...so I prayed for the next successor that may God choose a holy man. Please pray for John Paul II as he is suffering. He's a holy man already.
I also had a chance to have a personal visit with Fr. Robert Taft. He's such a great man! Very kind and wise. May God grant him many years! He saw that me being a Deaf Byzantine was wonderful because beind Deaf in the Byzantine Church is very difficult...but I stayed steadfast to the Church. God bless him.
The Russicum (the Russian Cathedral) is beautiful..ohh the Divine Liturgy was...DIVINE! WOW. SO beautiful. It is indeed pure Byzantine. The Russians do things the LONG and hard way!
Again, I thank you all for your prayers. And may all of you have a good remaining Great Lent and may you all be filled with God's love, peace and grace especially during Great Pascha.
SPDundas
Deaf Byzantine
