Good Evening everyone.
A good night sleep, a return to dosage frequency of a medication, and I'm feeling much better.
Woke up this morning, and ready for a good day. Feast of the Presentation of the Lord - very big feast day here in France and at this monastery. There are special booklets for the feast day. Four times each day, as we arrive at the chapel for prayers, there is a bookcase near the entrance with the books arranged by prayer time. Today there was a special booklet for the prayers, hymns, antiphons, and psalms of the feast. All the hymns are in four parts. So in that small chapel with the big accoustics, the music sounds beautiful. I was thinking tonight that I might try to record the singing on the video function of my camera. I don't think I want to do video. It might be a disctraction to the prayer. But the sound could be picked up right from my pocket. We'll see.
After the beatiful feast prayers today, I went to petit dejeuner. I was alone again. One of the sisters came to join me and we talked for a long time. She is from Columbia and was asking if I know where Hartford is. They have a house of sisters there and they work with residents of a senior care facility and they also work in a child day-care center. She wanted to know how far my parish was from there. She may be coming to work there next year. To prepare, her superior has given her permission to own a laptop - and the other sisters here too, because they all trying to learn French and other languages - they are all from South America. This sister wanted me to record the rosary in English on a small tape recorder so they could listen and learn the prayers in English. I agreed to do that for them. But when I returned to my room, I went on line and "googled" audio rosary. There were several websites that came up, led by EWTN's MP3 downloadable audio. But I found another that I thought was even better for them. I suggested this one to the sister because it has the clearest English. The Mother Angelica version is nice with the background music and all, however with the Alabama accent. The sisters need a clear, accent-free English without the music to really hear, imitate, and learn. I gave her the web address. She has already found it and has begun learning her prayers in English.
Amazing what the Lord brings our way to minister to people.
About mid morning, I decided I felt well enough to walk into the village of Plan D'Aups. It was beautiful clear day, although still quite cool. I am guessing it never went above 40F today. Frost in shady spots did not disappear until afternoon. I'm estimating I walked about 5 miles round trip today. I found the center of the village and the post office. I purchased my post-card stamps and a few other personal items at the little market. There was some fresh goat cheese that looked and smelled wonderful. I bought a small amount with a water and went into the village square, sat in the sun and enjoyed my late morning snack. Children are out of school on Wednesdays and Sundays in this region of France. So the playground there was full of families. By now, it was time for lunch. With a delicious little appetizer already consumed, I went in search of a bit of lunch. There are four restaurants in the village. One of them I had passed about a half mile before the center of the town. Two others were closed because it's Wednesday. Oh well!
So I went to the "bar" and brasserie. Fun place. Lots of locals there for lunch, families seated at the tables, local gents standing around "la pression" (the beer tap). One woman doing all the serving, one young man in the kitchen. The traditional kiss-on-both-cheeks greeting is the order of the day. As a new man came in, everyone got up and it was the traditional greeting all round again. This was repeated at least 12 times as a new local man entered the premises. There was lots of laughing and joking with the waitress. I think I learned a few new words and espressions today as she told off a few them. One of them would say something to her, she would snap back, and they would all howl in laughter - all in good fun it seemed. Like people who all knew each other, and their parents and grandparents before them. Afterall, the village is only 1,200 years old. Village life. It was fun to be part of it. As I was paying my bill near la pression, one of the men greeted me and asked if I was visiting. No fooling this crowd.
I went back to a warm bench in the village center with Monseigneur Rey's book. Thought I would read for a bit. The first chapter is on the formation process for seminarians. But Chapter 3 is entitled "A Eucharistic Vocation".
Here is a bit of it which I have translated.
"John Paul II's letter addressed to priests on Holy Thursday of 2005 states 'Priestly existence should be formed by eucharist. The institution narrative should be for us not only a formula for the consecration at Mass, but a formula for life.'"
Bishop Rey goes on to write about the rest of the ordination rite, but I kept coming back to that first sentence of this chapter. I got up to return to the retreat center. As I was heading back, I passed the sign to St. Jacques Apotre, the 11th Century church I visited with the Garde's on the first day they brought me here. (please note here, I was mistaken on the day I wrote the first day's blog about this church. I incorrectly identified it as St-Zacharie. St. Zacharie is the name of the village farther down the road. The church, and the pictures, is actually St-Jacques Apotre [St. James the Apostle]. Tonight I have gone back to that posting and made the corrections for those of you who have printed out the blog.)
So I made the turn up the road and happily found he church open.
I went in and was able to spend a while there. In the front pew, looking at this sanctuary where nearly one thousand years of Masses have been celebrated. How many hundreds of thousands of Masses have been celebrated here! Even if we round off the numbers, 365 days/year/1000 years = 365,000 Masses. The words of the consecration spoken 365,000+ times. And multiply the number of people who have recieved communion here. A tiny church that has seen millions receive Holy Eucharist here.
I am reflecting of the words written by a man who many would consider the greatest pope of the 20th Century speak about the words that the priest is priviledged to utter for the salvation of his soul and the of the people of God.
These are some of the random thoughts that went through my mind as I sat near this holy sanctuary.
Eucharist is born at a supper. Jesus gathered around table. People gathered around a table is the context of all of it.
The table and the meal shared however is a symbol of an eternal sacrifice. It is more than just socializng but a call to holiness by the one who offers himself.
The food is the center of prayer of blessing. We are reminded that it is all gift from God. Then it is taken, broken, poured, shared. This series of actions is the model of life that John Paul II refers to. And so it is important that the words of consecration are not just for this moment but are in fact a model for our whole lives, beginning with mine.
After nearly an hour there, I started the walk back to the retreat center.
A little nap to be awoken by the bells for vespers, adoration and dinner.
Dinner in English tonight.
We were four for dinner. Two of the workers who are employed on the renovations of the retreat center were at table. I had met the man last week. Today he was joined by a woman colleague. They are both trained in Italy at the school for mosaics. They are doing some special masonry work at the center. He is German and Italian Descent, she is Dutch. We were also joined by a young Brazilian man who is visiting his younger brother studying architecture at Grenoble. He is making his way back visiting shrines, including Fatima and Lourdes. He spoke no French. The common language between us - English. So here was first meal in English in the past two weeks.
After night prayer, a couple of the Dominicans extended an invitation to dine with them sometime soon.
Bonne nuit, all
