It has been ages since I last blogged. This is partly my fault and partly beyond my control. Anyway, since I last blogged I visited Sicily for a week for the first time. It was certainly a new experience, but ended up not being a very pleasant one as I was sick for 5 days. However, I was able to see some beautiful Sicilian countryside and one magnificent church... the Duomo of Monreale. The interior is a masterpiece of the 12th century, combining Arab, Byzantine and Norman cultures in one church (those were the cultures present in Sicily in that period of history)... breathtaking is all I can say. The bottom half of the cathedral is all Arab mosaics with geometric shapes and patterns (yes, the mathematician in me was pleased with that!), while the upper half of the naves and the entire transept are mosaics taken from Holy Scripture. The entire church is one big catechism lesson... from Adam and Eve in the garden, to Christ, to the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles. There is just so much to see and yet one doesn't have the impression that the builders were trying to put too much in too little space... everything seems to fit right where it belongs. This cathedral ranks very high on my list as one of the most beautiful churches (at least on the interior... the exterior is fairly plain).
Today, the Universal Church celebrates the divine maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I can't help but think, though, of her maternity over all of us. She is mother of the Church and our mother as well! And she is a splendid example of what a true Christian should be and how he/she should listen to the Word of God. "All who heard it marveled at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these words, meditating on them in her heart". Everyone marveled, while Mary kept these words and meditated on them. Isn't that what we as Christians are supposed to do daily? Is that not the itinerary of every Christian... meditation on the Word?
God, our Father,
since you gave mankind a saviour through blessed Mary, virgin and mother,
grant that we may feel the power of her intercession
when she pleads for us with Jesus Christ, your Son, the author of life,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.
