Okay - so today is the actual Feast Day celebrating Santa Maria de Montserrat.
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| Banner on front of Basilica for Easter and Feast Day of Santa Maria de Montserrat |
Started this morning 7:00 a.m. with Missa de L’Albas. (Mass at Dawn) which was held in the Cambril, the small chapel behind the statue of the Black Virgin. It lasted an hour, about 30 minutes longer than I expected. The same monks who led this Mass left immediately to lead Laudes, Morning Prayer in the basilica. Then we were all late to get breakfast, but I was waiting in that line because I had foregone last night’s Sopar so that I would have a seat for the entire festivities of the Vigil which began with Vespers 18:15 (6:15 p.m.) and ended with the Vigil Mass after midnight. When I left the Basilica, the people were doing circle folk dances in the Square. Music was blaring from loudspeakers. It was so magical. I saw people hanging out of the apartment windows to receive the energy and watch what was going on in the street.
Breakfast this morning was a wonderful disaster! We had that awesome hot chocolate “drink” that is more the consistency of hot cooked chocolate pudding. I dipped the sweet breads into it and lost myself in sweet tender morsels thick in decadent chocolate. Can you taste it?
Of course, after that I ate a healthy breakfast of croissant with tomato squeezed pulp, salami, pepperoni, cheese. I had two of these incredible MINI breakfast sandwiches.
Don’t be so quick to judge.
Remember I didn’t have dinner last evening. ☺️
How do you satisfy and rationalize your wants and desires?
What is your brand of “Chocolate”?
How many minis is enough?
What are your favorite ways of fooling yourself?
I finished with coffee stirred into my chocolate coated cup, added hot milk, remembered how much MOM loved Mocha! Fr. Louis put me at a table with all men. Mostly Priests and the Bishop of the Northern Spain border area with France. Last evening this Bishop offered some of the Mass prayers with his deep sonorous French that added a touch of classic difference so the sounds of the evening. I love the mix of culture and tradition here. It is possible that the place where I started the Camino de Santiago in Southern France is part of his jurisdiction.
This morning one of the young men who sat across from me at breakfast was talking about the seven Bishops at the Vigil Mass. I told him that I knew there were at least eight Bishops there last night. He said, no, he counted them. I said, so did I, and there were eight. He looked at me quizzically. I said, “I am a Bishop in the Independent Catholic Movement.” I went on to explain and he was caught up with this new knowledge. I explained some of the history and how I manifest this aspect of my calling. Then my awareness kicked in. At our breakfast table, there were eight men and myself and two Bishops! When I am in my Bishop mood, I wear my Bishop’s Amethyst Ring. It reminds me of who and what I am called to be and do.
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| Eight Bishops - count Seven pointed hats called a "Mitre" - one is the Abbot and one you can't see - ME |
Do you ever need to be reminded about who you are and what your call is?
I use my rings as symbols to remind me.
Do you need reminders?
Have you ever thought about that?
What do you use?
What will you use?
Are you still working out who you are?
Don’t sweat it. So am I ?
Maybe the reason we don’t seem to figure it out is because the dimensions of our Call are fluid. Your thoughts?
After breakfast I decided to go to the Hostal for about an hour. Then I wanted to return in time to capture the Monastery Bells that would call for Mass to begin in 15 minutes followed by the Bells that announced Mass was starting. I set up my computer and noticed immediately the message from Oscar of MRTV. Since I wasn’t sure what it said and truly couldn’t believe my eyes when I thought I understood what it said, I organized and rushed to the Monastery Offices to locate Oscar for a face to face meeting in order to comprehend fully what I thought he emailed to me. A couple of days ago, in response to several emails from me requesting photos that I saw his team of pros taking, he sent 18 photos of Holy Week. From what Google Translate and I could decipher, I thought that was all that I would get from him. I offered to pay for the photos. I was happy with receiving any. I did decide to push just a bit and asked if he thought he would be getting any more. I knew the photographers took hundreds of shots. I was right there watching them. Many of the photos were taken from the small chapel where I was seated with my Retreat Group.
I rushed to the monastery offices to find him, the receptionist said he wouldn’t be in today. I told her I just received a message and thought he was here. She double checked and no he isn’t in today. He must have sent the email from home. I asked her to read the message that he sent me to be sure I understood. She did and she verified what I thought. He sent 236 additional photos. I was overjoyed. I asked about a fee for these professional photos. She said there was no fee!
As I write this reflection, the 236 photos are downloading into my computer. According to the message I received they are available for 7 days. If I don’t download, they disappear. So download I am, before I forget or before I lose WIFI connection.
Brother Pau helps in that department and we are close friends. Maybe there was some influence, or maybe Oscar got tired of my pleading emails? or maybe his photo team just got around to sending more to him? or maybe, he sorted through the myriads of photos they took and determined which he thought were appropriate to share and not a breach of privacy?
Ever out-wonder yourself with “maybes,” instead of accepting the “what is” of a situation?
How do you live with the wonder of the surprises, the gifts that just come?
Do you allow surprises to be just that?
or do you have to minimalize them?
kind of robs you of the wonder and joy of the moment,
doesn’t it.
I am sitting with my computer in the private first floor chapel in the guest wing of the Monastery,
all alone,
in the dark,
all is well.😌
The Bells - I can’t forget the Bells on this special day. There they go! I leave my computer in the Chapel and run with my phone to the Plaça to take in the bells. Amazing as I video and record the sound and all the people flooding to the Basilica for the 11:00 Mass. Tourists are held outside while familiar faces of church members and regular worshippers, like me, are welcomed in. Once we are set, then the tourists are welcomed into the back half of the pews.
Since I went to Mass at Dawn, I don’t feel an urge to attend in this throng again. I know the Cardinal is here from Rome to say the Mass. I think he will do fine without me. I am enjoying solitude.
The photos have finished downloading.
I hear people preparing to leave the Monastery as they pack up and start out.
Feels like a moment of completions.
How do you manage the completions in your reality?
Do you enjoy completion?
Do you long for never endings?
For me, it truly depends on what is completing.
There have been times when I have longed for the completion of a life of a loved one that has known so much pain and struggle. At the very same time, I longed for that life to NEVER end. Completion is sometimes a blessing and sometimes so hard.
How are you living in and through your experience of completion?
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| Circle Dancing |
Outside folks are gathering. I hear instruments tuning up, a folk band begins directly under the chapel windows in the ancient arches of the cloister remains from the original monastery. Feels like a dance is in the making. Fun to listen to this folk-style music filled with joy and dancing feet. The crowd is cheering as they pause for their first break. I must go outside and see what is happening. The circle dancing goes on and on! What a people.
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| Street Band |
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