Advent Vespers

Me being totally cool and all that, I was able to get passes for the Saint Andrew's crew to go to the First Vespers for Advent at Saint Peter's with Pope Benedict.

It was a beautiful service, with the Pope lifting our hearts to hope during his homily--referencing his just-released encyclical Spe Salvi.

Benedict spoke of God's intimate connection to our lives: Dio conosce il cuore dell’uomo. Sa che chi lo rifiuta non ha conosciuto il suo vero volto. "God knows the human heart. He knows that the one who rejects him has not yet truly known him." [for the text of the homily in Italian, click here : ) ] Ultimately, a rejection of God is a rejection of our own selves, and conversely, the return to God is a return to everything we were meant to be. Benedict reminded us that we have a distinctly invigorated hope that we are called to rediscover: Advent is a time to meditate on la bellezza e la profondità della speranza cristiana, "the beauty and profundity of Christian hope."

After vespers we had one of those classic Italian dinners in a nearby restaurant, with the pastas of all sorts . . . a satisfying end to the day.












Vigil of the First Sunday of Advent, Somewhere in Rome