From a sign posted inside the cemetery building at Pisa next to the Leaning Tower, Feb 2011

Worth the read: amazing excerpts from the HOMILY FOR THE BLESSING AND INAUGURATION OF THE CHAPEL OF THE HOLY RELICS at Pisa, Italy, 20 December 2009, Cappella Dal Pozzo, Giovanni Paolo Benotto, Translated from the Italian.

"Saintliness that is not remote, and certainly not unattainable, for anyone, because it is divine life that is already operating in each one of us, for that communion of love which, fruit of the Holy Spirit, unites us with God, and in Christ makes us one." (paragraph 3)

"The whole of the life of the Christian, issuing from the divine Trinity, unfolds and is realized in the communion with the three divine Persons, just as it has as its definitive goal the full participation in eternal life in the glory and in the joy of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." (paragraph 4)

"It is the Word of God which, made flesh, is among us as the living Word which gives life to those who receive it in faith, and which wanted to give itself to the Church... so that this Word might be announced faithfully to every corner of the earth. The Word of God is indeed the great treasure that has to be broken like nourishing bread for every person; it is light that illumines the personal and community way; it is the intellectual sign of a presence of love that is given to us for our salvation... " (paragraph 7)

"...the mystery of a birth that would give great fame to Bethlehem of Ephrath, raising it out of its obscurity.... A birth that takes place in silence, in humility, shrouded in mystery and that only the eyes of those who are able to look beyond appearances and the immediate, can recognize as the mystery of salvation.... It is an openness to faith that we all need, above all in order to grasp the mystery of a salvation that regards us and that desires to renew us, down to the deepest fibres of our being..." (paragraph 8)

"We need sensible, tangible signs that enable us to enter into contact with the mystery of God. The sign par excellence that God has bestowed Jesus upon us: the eternal Son, who, in His incarnation, assumed our humanity: His face is in fact the "visible image of God invisible." In His humanity, the Lord Jesus made visible for us his "will" of love towards the Father; He offered Himself; He gave and sacrificed His own life to sanctify us. He wrote on the cross the definitive word that gives meaning to every expectation of man and gives fulfillment to every most authentic aspiration. God is with us, God is for us. God and man are by now inseparably united with one another. God is no longer unattainable, because He loves us. The word written on the cross, which is, however, already written on the stable of Bethlehem, is "love." Eternal love made visible, is now a part of time, of every time and of this our time... (paragraph 9)

"This reflection of God, the faith that enables us not only to understand Him, but also to receive Him unto us, as light that illumines and flame that warms. Reflection which this evening, again in fullness from this chapel, wants to extend itself to all those who in the spirit of faith will cross this threshold and will be able to contemplate, before the relics of our saints, a small corner of Paradise." (last paragraph, 10)

Wow! It was really cool to find such vibrant life and inspiring truth inside a very old, very traditional, ornate stone building visited by tons of tourists. I almost didn't read the sign, but David pointed it out, the wonderful man, and I was most encouraged. I typed this out from photos I took of the sign. I couldn't find it transcribed online anywhere.

Posted via email from K's Café