Come Together Right Now Over Me

Philosophers and theologians have been saying for thousands of years that we, as human beings are wired for community-- we are wired to get to know and enter into relationships with one another. And the architecture and city plan of every Italian town that I have seen reflects this innate wiring that we all have in the piazza-- the central spectacle and focal point of the town where people come together. To the left is a picture of the main piazza in Siena, where they hold a horse race called the Palio every year. Just about every town in Italy has a central piazza where people gather. The Piazza Commune in Assisi hosts concerts, lectures, marches, wedding receptions, etc. Piazza Navona in central Rome is the gathering place for street entertainers, venders, rowdy ragazzi (Italian teens), couples enjoying a free night, and countless tourists and pilgrims. And certainly the world famous Piazza San Pietro in front of St. Peter's Basilica which welcomes thousands upon thousands of pilgrims for daily Mass, prayers, pilgrim tours, beatifications, major feasts, canonizations, papal audiences, etc. These central gathering spaces are arenas where people come together-- they are the locations in which community manifests itself. And they facilitate a genuine need in bringing people together. In Baltimore we're pretty lucky to have the Harbor and places like Fells Point, Canton, Federal Hill, and Belvedere Square where people can gather for a free afternoon, an outdoor concert, etc. One of my favorite places in Baltimore, and one that I am missing a lot this time of year, is the stretch that runs between Camden Yards and M&T Stadium-- that unforgetable walk on Eutaw Street that has come to be coined "Bird Land." I can remember walking to Ravens' games, seeing friends from high school and taking in the atmosphere of burgers and brats on the grill, footballs in the air, and friends and families everywhere. I can remember being late to Orioles' games and singing the National Anthem with friends on the way into the Park.

One of the ways that we build community here at the seminary is rallying around and supporting our soccer team. Every year in Rome there is a tournament between all of the seminaries in the city called the Clericus Cup. Competition in this tournament is intense as seminarians from all over the world try to win the Cup for their seminary and for their country. At the NAC our tradition as fans is to dress up as super heroes and other ridiculous characters to support our team and bring unrivaled sports cheer to the city of Rome. We walk together to the matches and then engage the game as the 12th man through songs and cheers. Here at the seminary we also gather to build fraternity and community through softball, frisbee, football, and basketball games. We come together for BBQs, lectures, and regional celebrations. But above all, we come together multiple times each day in prayer with one another-- looking to God; a God for whom each of us desires to live. We gather for Morning Prayer, for Mass, for the Rosary, for special devotions. We gather for Evening Prayer, for Adoration, and for Praise and Worship. And the communal prayer that we share lays the foundation for our community. It deepens the significance and the depth of sharing that takes place on the sports field and in the classroom and on the patio. And to be perfectly honest, I'd argue that we gather in prayer when we gather on the sports field and in the piazza. We look to the same God whom we love in the communal arenas of recreation as we do in the communal temples of adoration. And when we gather together, as Christians, we always gather together over and with Christ. Whether we be gathering to offer service to one another, support one another, or to enjoy one another-- we do so with Christ in our midst and in our hearts and in our line of sight. My Lenten observance this year has been to spend some time each day contemplating heaven. And whether it has involved the communion of saints, the sheer inability to comprehend or describe in words, the relationship shared between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the relationship shared between the people in heaven and God, etc. it has always involved community and communion-- a sense in which we are so drawn out of ourselves as to be totally conscious of and united with God. And although these experiences of community and of communion that we share here in this life are a mere taste of the eternal experience of heaven... they're pretty good.