Skip to content
Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

Rome Notes: May 1, a Study in Contrasts; the Cross, Then and Now

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes

Pope's Appearance Underscores a Day's Christian Meaning

By Elizabeth Lev

ROME, MAY 6, 2005 (Zenit) - After the rollercoaster of events last month, Rome has returned to semi-normality. Only a few posters bidding farewell to Pope John Paul II with phrases such as "Thank you, Holy Father" or "A Good Man" remind passers-by of the sorrowful days past.

Spring is a time of new beginnings. As our first sunny days bring hints of summer, so the first encounters with Benedict XVI have whet our appetites for more.

Sunday was the Holy Father's first appearance over St. Peter's Square for the Regina Caeli address. While some pilgrims traveled all night to be present, for the Romans, the brief appearance at the window is like an informal Sunday visit to a dear relative. Whether walking their dogs, riding their bikes or pushing baby carriages, they stop in the square, wave at the Pope, then leave.

On May 1, Rome saw her new Bishop in this familiar fashion. The Pope spoke from the same window as John Paul II, at the same time, noon, and the city fell back to its everyday "Gospel of work." In the Catholic calendar, May 1 marks the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, a reminder of the value of human work and the virtues associated with it.

On the other side of the city, by the Forum and Colosseum, Rome was also celebrating. The secular holiday was May Day, the European version of Labor Day. As the result of a strike, all monuments were closed, and only a paper sign tacked to the Colosseum door informed baffled tourists what was going on.

The dual memorials, on one hand a joyous celebration of Joseph the worker and on the other a last minute strike causing widespread dismay offered the chance to reflect on the nature of the two holidays.

May Day was established at the First Paris Congress of the Second Socialist International in 1889 as a way to protest in favor of the eight-hour workday for laborers. The date was chosen to remember the Haymarket Massacre of 1886 where laborers demanding better working conditions were killed.

Polish-born Rosa Luxembourg, a Marxist activist and author, dubbed "Red Rosa" for her ceaseless efforts in furthering Communism, wrote on the origins of the "happy idea of using a proletarian holiday celebration as a means to attain the eight-hour day."

She declared that "as long as the struggle of the workers against the bourgeoisie and the ruling class continues, as long as all demands are not met, May Day will be the yearly expression of these demands."

Result? Unannounced closings and frustrated visitors.

Recognizing the need to celebrate the working man (and woman), and attempting to veer this holiday away from its decidedly Communist origin, Pope Pius XII baptized the feast by establishing a day in honor of St. Joseph the worker. Last Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the institution of this memorial.

On the first day of the month dedicated to Mary, Catholics now remember her hardworking husband as well as the father who taught Jesus the trade of carpentry. Pius XII stated that this feast should serve to enhance the "dignity of human labor" rather than "incite hatred and seek disputes," thereby separating the wheat from the chaff of May Day.

* * *

Relics of the Passion of the Christ

May 3 was once a great feast in Rome. For many years Romans celebrated the finding of the True Cross on this day. I went to visit the church that was built 1,600 years ago to house the Cross and commemorate this event.

The Church of the Holy Cross nestles right inside the Aurelian walls near the cathedral of St. John Lateran. The curving travertine facade forming a triumphal arch is a holdover from the Baroque era and gives the impression of a modern (by Rome standards) church. A second look reveals a Romanesque bell tower which speaks of a medieval presence. Only inside, among the massive granite columns or in the crypts does Santa Croce reveal its ancient origins.

Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

The church was built in the fourth century by the Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine. Although her factual history is obscure, her story was charmingly narrated by Evelyn Waugh in his marvelous little novel "Helena." Waugh paints a colorful portrait of a strong-willed Englishwoman determined to prove the reality of Christ's crucifixion by finding the Cross. Against skepticism, deception and open opposition, she doggedly tracks down the Cross to bring it to Rome (stopping to cart off the Holy Stairs on the way).

Whether or not the circumstances were as described by Waugh, tradition holds that St. Helena found the Cross sometime around 325. On her own land, a stone's throw from St. John Lateran cathedral, the first Christian church built by her son in 313, she ordered that a shrine be made to house the precious relics. Over the years, other relics of the Passion have been added making this church historically one of the great pilgrimage sites of Rome.

The chapel of the relics is located to the left of the altar and reached by a series of stairs and ramps. Climbing toward the chapel, flanked by the Stations of the Cross on either side, the memory of Christ's ascent to Calvary and the site of his crucifixion comes vividly to mind.

The chapel of the relics is completely decorated in marble. Somber grays and greens impose silence, and the drop in temperature serves as a reminder of a tomb.

At the back of the chapel, a display case with glittering reliquaries beckons. Inside the gold and crystal containers, the humble remains of Christ's great sacrifice sit worn with age. The lower shelf contains a nail that passed through his hands and the board that was placed at the top of his cross mocking him with the letters INRI, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

The upper shelf contains two thorns from the crown that was pressed on his head, nearby the finger of St. Thomas who doubted. Three stones, one from Christ's tomb, one from the grotto of Bethlehem and one from column of the flagellation, are placed below.

The heart of the case contains a crystal cross, containing three pieces of the True Cross. Meditating before the relics, one feels present at the Passion, the mocking of the guards resounds in our ears, the doubt of his own followers provokes an uncomfortable recognition and the agony of the Cross make us feel unworthy of such sacrifice.

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

But to the right of the True Cross there stands another board, upright, waiting. This is from the cross of Dismas, the Good Thief, guilty as charged but hopeful enough to plead, "Remember me when you come your kingdom." And Jesus' answer revives the desolate pilgrim, "Amen, I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise."

Leaving the Church of the Holy Cross, I saw a little exhibition in a side room. Thinking to enter only for a moment, I was so moved that I wanted to share this beautiful story with Catholic Online readers.

The exhibition remembers an extraordinary Roman girl, Antionetta Meo. Buried in the Church of the Holy Cross, she is recognized as a "servant of God," the first step toward sainthood.

Antonietta, or "Nennolina" as her family called her, was like most any little girl except for her precocious and deep love of Jesus. She was born on Dec. 15, 1930, and baptized on the feast of the Holy Innocents. The date of her baptism turned out to be a foreshadowing of her life. At age 5, she was diagnosed with cancer and at age 6 her leg was amputated. Shortly before her 7th birthday, she died.

What would appear to be a tragic story, takes on its joyous tone through the letters of Nennolina. Even as she was learning to write, her first letters were to Jesus.

One side of the room shows the possessions of any little girl. Dolls, tea sets, school dresses neatly arrayed seem normal enough until one notices the cane by Nennolina's Sunday coat and remembers the trauma she suffered.

The other side of the room documents the rich, intense and exemplary spiritual life of this little Christian soldier who was confirmed just before she died. The same little girl who asked God to "let me die before I commit a mortal sin."

Nennolina would put her letters under a statue of Jesus by her bed so "at night he could read them." The letters show her acceptance of suffering as a mark of Jesus' favor. "I am happy that Jesus sent me this difficulty, it means I am his beloved," she wrote.

Offering up her lost leg to God for lost souls, she begged Jesus to "give me many souls ... to make them good so they can come to heaven with you."

The little suffering girl wrote 105 letters to Jesus and Mary, some in the awkward script of a young hand, some when she was too ill to write and dictated to her mother. In 1937, one letter found its way to Pope Pius XI.

It read, "Dear Jesus crucified, I love you so very much! I want to be with you on Calvary. Dear Jesus, give me the necessary strength to stand the pain which I offer to you for those who have sinned."

The next day, the Pope sent a legate to bring his apostolic blessing to Nennolina. Shortly after, she died.

Her example has not only provided much solace to those suffering but has also spurred conversions. Her age, however, has proved a difficulty on her path to sainthood. Her bravery, faith and deep love of Christ continues, nonetheless, to set an example for those many times her age.

Contact

Catholic Online
https://www.catholic.org CA, US
Catholic Online - Publisher, 661 869-1000

Email

info@yourcatholicvoice.org

Keywords

Pope, Rome, Benedict, Vatican, Notes, Catholic

More Catholic PRWire

Showing 1 - 50 of 4,716

A Recession Antidote
Randy Hain

Monaco & The Vatican: Monaco's Grace Kelly Exhibit to Rome--A Review of Monegasque-Holy See Diplomatic History
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

The Why of Jesus' Death: A Pauline Perspective
Jerom Paul

A Royal Betrayal: Catholic Monaco Liberalizes Abortion
Dna. Maria St.Catherine De Grace Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

Embrace every moment as sacred time
Mary Regina Morrell

My Dad
JoMarie Grinkiewicz

Letting go is simple wisdom with divine potential
Mary Regina Morrell

Father Lombardi's Address on Catholic Media
Catholic Online

Pope's Words to Pontifical Latin American College
Catholic Online

Prelate: Genetics Needs a Conscience
Catholic Online

State Aid for Catholic Schools: Help or Hindrance?
Catholic Online

Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs
Catholic Online

2 Nuns Kidnapped in Kenya Set Free
Catholic Online

Holy See-Israel Negotiation Moves Forward
Catholic Online

Franchising to Evangelize
Catholic Online

Catholics Decry Anti-Christianity in Israel
Catholic Online

Pope and Gordon Brown Meet About Development Aid
Catholic Online

Pontiff Backs Latin America's Continental Mission
Catholic Online

Cardinal Warns Against Anti-Catholic Education
Catholic Online

Full Circle
Robert Gieb

Three words to a deeper faith
Paul Sposite

Relections for Lent 2009
chris anthony

Wisdom lies beyond the surface of life
Mary Regina Morrell

World Food Program Director on Lent
Catholic Online

Moral Clarity
DAN SHEA

Pope's Lenten Message for 2009
Catholic Online

A Prayer for Monaco: Remembering the Faith Legacy of Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace and Contemplating the Moral Challenges of Prince Albert II
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe

Keeping a Lid on Permissiveness
Sally Connolly

Glimpse of Me
Sarah Reinhard

The 3 stages of life
Michele Szekely

Sex and the Married Woman
Cheryl Dickow

A Catholic Woman Returns to the Church
Cheryl Dickow

Modernity & Morality
Dan Shea

Just a Minute
Sarah Reinhard

Catholic identity ... triumphant reemergence!
Hugh McNichol

Edging God Out
Paul Sposite

Burying a St. Joseph Statue
Cheryl Dickow

George Bush Speaks on Papal Visit
Catholic Online

Sometimes moving forward means moving the canoe
Mary Regina Morrell

Action Changes Things: Teaching our Kids about Community Service
Lisa Hendey

Easter... A Way of Life
Paul Spoisite

Papal initiative...peace and harmony!
Hugh McNichol

Proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection!
Hugh McNichol

Jerusalem Patriarch's Easter Message
Catholic Online

Good Friday Sermon of Father Cantalamessa
Catholic Online

Papal Address at the End of the Way of the Cross
Catholic Online

Cardinal Zen's Meditations for Via Crucis
Catholic Online

Interview With Vatican Aide on Jewish-Catholic Relations
Catholic Online

Pope Benedict XVI On the Easter Triduum
Catholic Online

Holy Saturday...anticipation!
Hugh McNichol

Light Your Free Payer Candle for a departed loved one

What is Palm Sunday?

Live on March 20, 2024 @ 10am PDT

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Lent logo
Saint of the Day logo

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.