Saint Paul

Yesterday was quite the day. It started with a regularly grueling four hours of Italian. And then, after lunch, all of us new men made a pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Paul outside of the walls- the church that holds the remains of St. Paul. There were several things about this basilica that really struck me. At first it was the sheer magnitude-- this is a huge church, and was the largest church until St. Peter's Basilica was built. Another thing that struck me was the mixture of Eastern and Western Christianity. There were several moving sculptures, images, and representations of the Byzantine and Eastern traditions of Christianity. And yet another thing that really struck a cord with me was the close connection that was made between St. Peter and St. Paul. It was clear- both from an architectural and an artistic perspective- that St. Peter and St. Paul are two of the major pillars of the Church. And these two men, although both taking part in their fair share of public and extreme mistakes, have been instruments of great grace and hope and faith.

On the trip home I kept thinking about and trying to process the fact that I had just seen and prayed with the remains of St. Paul, and one of the most elegant churches in the West. And I found myself looking for reflections of that same beauty; but the trek back to the seminary took us on an interesting ride in the metro. One of my new brothers here at the NAC caught a woman trying to steal his wallet. Luckily she was unsuccessful, but it was a cold reminder of the reality of poverty and desperation here in Rome. And I found myself thinking- how would St. Paul react to this? How would St. Paul and the other apostles react to the current state of Rome?

These thoughts continued to circulate on the walk from the metro station to the seminary; until the moment when I was just about to enter St. Peter's Square when I heard a familiar voice call out, "Josh Laws!" As I looked around to see who in the world knew who I was all of the way over here in Italy, I saw an old friend- Pat Teranova, who I have worked with a couple of years on Justice Action Week- a week long service/emersion experience for high schoolers from around the Archdiocese of Baltimore that exposes them to central teachings on Social Justice and introduces them to some of the service agencies in the city, in hopes that they will establish relations with and give of themselves in service at these different agencies. And it was absolutely incredible to see Pat. It was great to meet his two friends who were with him and to be able to catch up, even though it was only for a couple of minutes. And as I said my goodbyes to them and made plans to meet them again; I couldn't help but think that this is exactly what St. Paul and St. Peter would expect of Rome-- the center and heart of the Church. They would expect that this is where people of faith, people of justice, people who work together in building something great would meet. This is the place where they will bump into each other and reconnect. This is the place where they will meet to scheme up new initiatives for working towards justice and building peace.

As I continued walking, after making plans to see Pat and his friends again, I kept thinking about this; and being grateful for the opportunity to be here. And as I crossed the pillars of the arms of St. Peter's Square and made my way over to the ramp entrance to the short-cup back to the seminary I saw a man standing over in the corner. As I got closer I saw that he was holding a small white plastic cup. And so, after being reminded why I am here in Rome, I stopped and talked for a while with Giuliano.

Sure, I was wearing clerics and may have been a typical target for someone to get a buck from; and sure, I made small addition to the coins in his cup. But I noticed and was really struck by our conversation. He told me that he sleeps out in St. Peter's Square almost every night, and that he remains steadfast, amidst his struggles, in his faith. And each time that he referred to his faith or to his family he reached out and touched my chest- right over my heart. And he continually, throughout the conversation, referred to me as fratello (brother).

After we had parted and I made my way back to the seminary, I kept thinking about the day as a whole: the experience of going from praying at the tomb of St. Paul to meeting an old friend to meeting a new friend who is a native of Rome and does not have a home to call his own. And I thought- how incredibly integrated this day has been. First I met the remains of a man who taught peace and community; then I saw and got to reconnect with a man who works for peace and community; and then I met a man who is in dire need of peace and community.

This morning, to bring everything together, in the homily one of our priests here at the NAC quoted St. Paul in his homily. He told us that the role of the priest is to be a faithful minister of joy. And as I thought about these words I couldn't help but get excited- excited that I am in formation to be a priest, excited about the fact that our Church is so radical in being focused on others, excited in the reality that there is much work to be done, and excited in the Holy Spirit who is here to guide our every work.