Yes, friends, that was a real question recently: “Why visit a dead guy?”

I was asked why I went to southern Italy after finishing Chapter Two of my thesis, and visit some dead guy. Of course, they were referring to Padre Pio. It was a sad question, which revealed an even sadder worldview.

I hope we all know and believe as Christians that death does not have the last word. By the power of Jesus’ Resurrection, we are united to one another. For those in heaven, in purgatory, and the baptized on earth, we are truly one Body in Jesus Christ. And not even death has any power over that bond given by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The saints, those holy men and women who have lived their lives and sought the Face of God in the midst of trial and difficulty, are a cloud of witnesses to each of us. They stand as our friends, older brothers and sisters, fellow believers. They cheer us on to victory, and befriend us as they encourage us on our pilgrimage of faith through this life.

I can’t imagine, and I have never seen, the saints as just “some dead people.” They’re closer to us than that, and death has merely become a passage way for them to reach their eternal reward in Jesus Christ. They rest with Him, and they inspire us to in our own discipleship so that we might also be with them and the Lord Jesus one day in heaven.

Our contemporary society has allowed death to have too strong a victory and too tight a grip over us. The Lord has destroyed that slavery and given us freedom in his Resurrection.

Why visit a dead guy? Because he’s not dead. Because he’s my father, brother, friend, and guide. Because I need his friendship and help. Because he’s a part of me in Jesus Christ. This is the power and reality of the Communion of Saints. And, thanks be to God, for such an awesome gift!!!

We each have to choose what path we’ll follow. This world offers many views on death, obedience, fear, freedom, and so many things. As disciples, however, the Lord desires to change and transform us and how we see things. We have to let him work. We have to seek his mind and his heart. We have to drop everything from before, and generously follow him:

Padre Pio suffered much, but he always saw it as a part of God’s providence, and offered up everything to the glory of God and for the salvation of humanity. He was truly, in every way, a priest of Jesus Christ.

Here’s the surrounding area of the shrine:

Beautiful. Here’s another shot:

I made the pilgrimage with a married couple who are dear friends. We had quite the adventure getting to the shrine. There was a train strike, and a “mistake” on the tracks (we never found out what they meant by a “mistake”), and just all kinds of scheduling and logistical problems. We had to laugh, and we did. We laughed our way all through the pilgrimage. It’s so much better to laugh, than to get angry or frustrated! Besides, it was a pilgrimage! We gave our time to the Lord.

Here’s the church:

It was a blessing to be able to concelebrate Mass there, spend some quiet time in prayer at the body of Padre Pio, and to visit the cell where he lived as a friar.

In his life, Padre Pio worked many miracles. One of his “natural” miracles was to provoke compassion and generosity in people. One of his major projects was to build a hospital. He would laugh and say, “If God doesn’t heal supernaturally, then he wants to heal naturally. We have to build this hospital for his people.” And he did it. Considering the modest nature of southern Italy at that time, it was a huge miracle! Padre Pio was able to see the hospital built in his lifetime. It’s right next to the shrine. Here’s a picture:

I’ll write more about the trip soon…

Well, praise God, after a few weeks of writing and rewriting, the draft of chapter two of my thesis is done and has been sent off to my advisor. Some of you might remember that my thesis is on the natural law and our attempts to explain moral truth in a pluralistic society. The second chapter is about the various tenets of the natural law. In brief summary: the human person participates in the eternal law of the Creator through his reason. He is able to discern and desire to follow basic human acts which conform to his nature and dignity. Wow! That’s a really short summary, and I wonder “is that what I’ve been writing about all these weeks?”

There it is folks!

Last night I attended a conference on “End-of-Life Issues with the Help of St. Thomas Aquinas.” It was a good conference, and allowed for some exploration of many questions, especially the culpability of medical professionals (and family members) through omission. As we all know, this is one of the areas of multiple questions (and a lot of confusion).

Well, with the completion of chapter two, I think my mind and body need some rejuvenation. It’s time for some personal prayer and reflection! I’ll be heading to southern Italy for an overnight retreat. I’m going to Padre Pio’s place. Some of you might know St. Padre Pio. He was a stigmatist and miracle worker, but more importantly a priest of great faith, hope, and love. This will only be my second trip outside of the Rome area since September. I’m looking forward to getting out of the city, and to seeing Padre Pio and to praying at his tomb.

Congratulations to all the students who answered correctly to last week’s question! The answer was Santa Susanna. Here’s this week’s question: What is the church above? Hint: it’s named after the fourth pope. The second part of the question: tell me something about the fourth pope. Have fun!

Becoming Father Bob was a hit in Columbia, South Carolina.  SIGNO Press played a large role in the Diocese of Charleston Teachers Education Conference.  SIGNO, a conference sponsor, had a constant flow of visitors in the exhibit hall on Thursday, March 4.

Friday morning, March 5, SIGNO provided coffee and pastries to the 700 Diocese of Charleston teachers and administrators as they arrived at St. John Neumann Catholic School for the conference closing prayer service and keynote address by The Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone, D.D., Thirteenth Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina.

Bishop Guglielmone arrived early and joined Becoming Father Bob illustrator, Alice Judd, and me at the SIGNO table.  The Bishop graciously signed books on the page providing the “Forward,” which was written by the Bishop.  Of course, as conference participants saw Bishop Guglielmone at the SIGNO table, book sales quickly picked up for this unique opportunity to obtain the Bishop’s autograph!

Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, Alice Judd, and I appreciate the wonderful support that Bishop Guglielmone has shown towards Becoming Father Bob.   Not only did the Bishop share with us details about his own childhood and young adult years, he also shared information about his dog, Mickey.  These facts and likenesses were instrumental in the development of Becoming Father Bob.

The Inn at USC on the evening of Friday, March 5 provided the setting for Becoming Father Bob to be introduced in the Columbia area.  Friends who gathered enjoyed the hospitality and delicious food provided by Fr. Kirby’s family, especially his mother, Frances Kirby.

Fr. Kirby appeared at the book signing via Skype and was introduced by hostess Frances Kirby.  Fr. Kirby welcomed guests and family members and emphasized to those gathered the primary purpose of the book: “to help young people know that God loves them and that he has a loving plan for them.” The Columbia friends were so very generous in their support of this statement.  After the brief presentation by Fr. Kirby, Alice, and myself, several guests purchased additional copies of the book to share with young people, through their church, school, and public libraries.  Thank you!

I am so grateful to the Christians I have met during the rollout of Becoming Father Bob.  In the four weeks since the February 1 inaugural event in Aiken, South Carolina, I have been uplifted by the prayers, support, and generosity of the people of South Carolina.  As the Bishop said to me, “This book needs to be in every Catholic school in the United States!”  My faith and my confidence in the followers of Jesus Christ helps me believe that this will happen and that every day we will see one or two more books sent to schools across this country.

Next stop…the National Catholic Education Association in Minneapolis, Minnesota in April, 2010!

The American Southern writer, Dr. Walker Percy, makes several pertinent points in a self-interview entitled, Questions They Never Asked Me:

I don’t understand. Would you exclude, for example, scientific humanism as a rational and honorable alternative [to religious belief]?

Yes.

Why?

This life is much too much trouble, far too strange, to arrive at the end of it and then be asked what you make of it and have to answer, “Scientific humanism.” That won’t do. A poor show. Life is a mystery, love is a delight. Therefore, I take it as axiomatic that one should settle for nothing less than the infinite mystery and the infinite delight, i.e., God. In fact, I demand it. I refuse to settle for anything less. I don’t see why anyone should settle for less than Jacob, who actually grabbed aholt of God and wouldn’t let go until God identified himself and blessed him.

On Wednesday, I took a day away from my desk and spent a lot of time with my alma mater, Franciscan University. Go, Barons! The students were on pilgrimage from the Austrian campus of the school. It’s always a blessing to spend time with them. They are very zealous about the Faith, and ask such good questions. In the morning, I concelebrated Mass with the university at the Basilica of Sts. Cosmas and Damian (which some of you might remember from Church Jeopardy). Afterwards, I gave a tour of the Roman Forum (pictured above), and then later in the day, I gave them a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Again, it’s such a blessing to be with this group of students!

I was pretty hard on myself about taking a day away from my desk, especially since Chapter Two of the thesis is moving along so slowly, but I figured the fresh air and time away was greatly needed!

On Thursday and Friday, I attended a conference on priestly celibacy hosted by the University of the Holy Cross. They suspended classes so that the graduate theology students could attend. It was very informative, especially in the multiplicity of ways that the subject was approached: emotionally, spiritually, socially, psychologically, etc., etc. They were long days, but the conference was very helpful in better understanding such an essential aspect of the priesthood in the West.

Later this evening, I’ll be making a Skype visit to the Columbia book signing for Becoming Father Bob. If you’re in the area, I hope to see you there!

This weekend, it’s back to Chapter Two of the thesis. I was able to do a little work on it yesterday and today. Now, I just need a few concentrated hours at my desk. Come, Holy Spirit!

All right, this week:

Every cultural group has a “home church” in Rome. This week’s church (shown below) is the “American parish in Rome.” It offers Mass and Confessions in English. Have fun!

Today was full of classes, a study group, and some writing on Chapter Two.

But, for this evening, I went and celebrated Mass for my alma mater, Franciscan University of Steubenville. The university has a campus in Austria, and they come to Rome every semester on a student pilgrimage. It’s always encouraging to see so many young people committed and excited for the Faith.

The Mass this evening was at St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls. Some of you might remember this church from our jeopardy questions. Here are some pictures:

Somebody is saying something:

And here we go:

Check out the holy water font at the door. Now, this demon knows what he shouldn’t mess with: