The language of the church...

We travelled to the town of Tudela today for a mass in a Cathedral with Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa who works at the Vatican and has preached to Blessed JPII and Pope Benedict. It was a rare occurrance that he is out of Vatican City, so naturally people would flock to hear him speak.

He spoke about the definition of conversion. It was interesting how he noted that the word conversion, before Christianity, meant to revert back to old ways -- to stick to a rigid schedule, and to take away any excess. After Jesus Christ, the new covenant brought forth a lot of hope and it now meant to enter into the Kingdom of God. Such a simple definition, both meaning to change ways, but in such a different light, began to have some meaning for me. The Catholic church stands in the light of Christ and helps us move forwards toward one another.

There was a moment during his talk where he sang Amazing Grace and the whole congregation politely sang along with him. I am not sure if it was because everyone was incredibly shy, or just the acoustics in the Cathedral, but a joyful whispering intonation filled the walls and as I joined in, I distinctly heard my own voice.

Mass was celebrated in Spanish, Italian, English, German, Polish and Latin!!! Six languages! All of which were easily decoded because everyone knew the order of the Mass in their hearts. My favourite part was first, the Our Father prayer, because among all the languages, I distinctly heard myself praying it as a vocal minority. The natural speaking tongue of all around me was distinct from my own and I was fully aware of the prayer I was making to God. My second favourite part of Mass is the Salve Regina. I have been singing the Salve Regina hym twice a day everyday for this entire pilgrimage. It is something I have kept close to my heart while at home, but have now attatched a deeper meaning to it. Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, has offered me so much comfort on this pilgrimage, the hymn just sits right within me.

I feel so much joy radiating from me... I feel like I am in love, but not with any specific person; it radiates from me in the form of love towards others, but I also feel like I am permanently smiling. My eyes are smiling, my heart is smiling, my feet, my fingers, my nose, my elbows, probably even my liver is smiling! Nothing in my life can match the source and summit of my joy as much as the Eucharistic Mass. Praise be to God!