O Come O Come Emmanuel: Homily for the First Sunday of Advent

Jer 33;14-16  

Ps 25

1 Thes 3:12-4-2

Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

 

"Veni, veni, Emmanuel

captivum solve Israel."

 

O come, o come Emmanuel

and ransom captive Israel.

 

The ancient advent hymn has been recorded, rerecorded, arranged, and bowdlerized many times.  I put  "O Come Emmanuel" into Google and got an impressive 70 million hits.  Adding the word 'lyrics' resulted in a more reasonable 13 million hits.  Upon adding 'Latin' the result was a manageable 1.2 million hits,  a mere afternoon of research.   

 

"Veni, veni, Emmanuel

captivum solve Israel."

 

Benedict XVI explains the meaning of Advent succinctly in his short book of meditations titled, Benedictuswhere he wrote that Advent derives from the Latin roots 'ad'  and 'venire', meaning 'to come to' or 'to come toward.'  He explained that advent is the translation of the Greek word parousia which means 'presence,' but even more specifically means 'arrival.'  Thus Advent is a time of anticipation and preparation for the arrival of the Savior of the World, the King of the Universe, Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary. 

 

When we are expecting another to come to us, his presence influences our actions well before he arrives.  Consider our recent Thanksgiving celebrations. Menus were chosen with the hope that the guests would like the food.  The table was prepared with care.  The special fluted dish for the cranberry sauce was washed and dried by hand.  Even mundane tasks were completed under an advent influence preparing for the those who were coming toward our table.  

 

The readings, prayers, and liturgies of Advent prepare us to celebrate Jesus coming into the world. The advent wreathe is a visual reminder of the progress of Advent.  The purple vestments and omission of the Gloria at Mass reminds us of the penitential nature of the season.  The apocalyptic warnings in Luke's Gospel remind us that we, the earth, and the universe will all perish no matter how conscientiously we recycle or hold public demonstrations protesting whatever.  All that lives must die.  There is no way around that.  

 

"Veni, veni, Emmanuel

captivum solve Israel."

 

A new Church year begins today. We all savor new beginnings because they give us second chances for a secular-type of redemption.  Thus, New Year's resolutions, birthday wishes, the optimism that "I am going to get it right this year" that greeted Septembers when we were kids.  All of us seem to need a starting line or starting date for attempts at change.  Advent is one of those beginnings.  It can be a time of renewed hope and optimism.  Or it can be a desultory 'same old, same old.'  The choice is ours.  

 

The past months have been difficult.  Things are not going to magically change with the new liturgical year that begins today or the new calendrical year that begins on January 1. The only change we can hope for is the change we initiate within our hearts.  Perhaps the best we can do under current circumstances is make the changes in attitude and behavior that are necessary to endure ongoing quarantine, arbitrary freedom-limiting, sometimes contradictory edicts from on high, and a heightened sense of anxiety about illness.  

 

"Veni, veni, Emmanuel

captivum solve Israel."

 

The gospel is neither comforting nor comfortable.  As has been true of the readings the past few days, we are advised to remain awake and alert because we do not know the time.  Uncertainty is among the most uncomfortable of situations for humans beginning in infancy.  The usual uncertainty of life is being exacerbated in this present reality of not knowing what is going on during this pandemic not knowing what is coming next or wondering exactly what we are fighting against. The questions can be formulated in many ways.  It has never been otherwise in the history of the world. 

 

Uncertainty drives anxiety.  A patient fears the diagnosis while awaiting the biopsy.  It seems counterintuitive but even a bad diagnosis may relieve a patient's anxiety, at least for a while, by giving a name to what had been an unknown.  Upon having a name for it we can begin to formulate battle plans, develop coping mechanisms, or discern how to respond.  One of the most difficult aspects of the months of covid has been the waffling of government and medical authorities, the insane flip-flopping:  'Yes this works.'  'No it doesn't work.'  'Well maybe it does.'  'Gee, no one seems to know.'  The inconsistency with which the "rules" are obeyed by those who make them has not been comforting to anyone. 

 

As advent progresses toward the Great Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord we will hear readings reminding us that which is to come.    

 

On the second and third Sundays of Advent the Gospel will focus on John the Baptist,  Jesus' herald, who though unworthy to untie His sandal, announced His coming.  The Gospel will speak of the Annunciation to Mary on the fourth Sunday and we will hear again the words of her fiat, words that changed the history and nature of the universe once and forever.

 

Ecce ancilla Domini,

Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum, 

 

Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord

May it be done unto me according to your word.

 

As we enter into Advent it is crucial to recall that, despite pressure from advertisers, social custom, and an increasingly religious-hostile 

establishment, advent is not a time of preparation for a holiday that "is for children."  We are preparing for a Holy Day, a holy day that is for all mankind from the youngest to the oldest, the healthy and the infirm, the child in the womb and the end-stage Alzheimer's patient in a wheelchair.  And everyone in between

 

We are preparing to commemorate the birth of the Messiah, the Anointed One, Son of God, Son of David, Son of Man, who was born of a woman. We are preparing to recall the birth of one who was like us in all things but sin, who became man to ransom us from sin and save us from death.  

 

This is the only reason that on this First Sunday of Advent we can sing.

 

Veni, Veni Emmanuel!


Captivum solve Israel! 

___________________________________________________

Jesuit Chapel in St. Mary's Hall at Boston College

Mother and Child

Making the Choice: Homily for the Feast of Christ the King

Dn 7:13-14

Ps 93:1-5

Rv 1:5-8

Jn 18:33b-37

So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king."  In his commentary on these verses, Jesuit Father Stanley Marrow, described Jesus' reply as unequivocal, "for this I was born, and for this I have come into the world."  Stanley goes on to explain that the 'for this,' was Jesus' single aim and purpose in coming into the world. Jesus single purpose is to reveal the Father, a revelation that is accessible only to those who believe.  The revelation of the Father is the revelation of the Father's Kingdom.  This is the Kingship of Jesus.  This is the King we celebrate today. .  

 

Next Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent when we begin our annual commemoration of the singular act that saved us from the death of sin, the seamless event that began with Jesus' incarnation, progressed through his birth, ministry, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. An annual commemoration that takes the entire year.

 

A single unbroken event,  not a series of discreet moments in history with Christmas as some sort of apogee.  A single event in one continuous flow.  Considering the two millennium history of the Catholic Church the Feast of Christ the King is brand new.  It was promulgated by Pope Pius XI in 1925 not yet a century ago.  Originally celebrated on the last Sunday of October it was moved to the last Sunday of the Church year in 1969.

 

The Book of Daniel is oftentimes dramatic in its imagery and poetry. but that is how it must be when trying to  describe something that is ultimately indescribable.  Thus we read in Daniel, " . . .the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed."

 

This is the King whom we celebrate today. 

 

Jesus describes himself as the Alpha and the Omega in the final verse of today's second reading from Revelation. The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the past, the present, and the future. The one who is, who was, and who is to come.  The King of the universe and all it contains. A ruler who demands total allegiance not a chum, a pal, or a buddy. A leader not an accompanier or affirmer. A King who decrees sin for what it is rather than affirming it under a rubber-stamp of love.

 

What kind of king is John describing in his gospel?  What kind of king allows himself to be  judged by a commoner?   What kind of king is so unkingly in response to Pilate's sneering impertinence . . . ? 

 

He is the kind of King we are called to follow  if we choose to do so.  The choice to follow Jesus the Eternal King must be a conscious one,  it must be a deliberate choice. a choice that each of us makes and remakes throughout life.  There is no alternative.  

 

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are meant to help make or reinforce that choice. with two meditations on Jesus as King.  

 

The first begins with meditating on the characteristics of a good earthly king.  That kind of king is not the type who is sitting up there on his throne surrounded by a court, with hangers-on, spokesmen and spokeswomen, press secretaries, and court jesters, something like the president's entourage.  A good king is one who is down in the mud struggling with the people rather than popping on a clean white hard hat for a photo-op and then helicoptering away.  The good king eats the same food, dresses the same way, and lives in the same accommodations as his subjects. He knows his people and his people know him.

 

After meditating on the characteristics of a good earthly king one is asked to meditate on Jesus, the Eternal King:  

 

The King who became man.  

The King who walked in the dust and the mud. 

The King who was buffeted by wind and rain.  

The King who sweated and shivered.  

The King who learned carpentry.  

The King who was loved by many 

and reviled, persecuted and killed by others.  

The King, fully God and fully man 

who lived as we do and died to save us.  

 

This is the King who instructs us,  “Whoever wishes to join me must be willing to labor with me.”  At times that labor is neither pleasant nor fulfilling.  His yoke does not always seem easy. His burden rarely feels light. 

 

After meditating on the characteristics of the good king, comes the need to make a conscious choice in The Meditation on the Two Standards. Do I choose to march under the standard or banner of Jesus the Eternal King or do I follow Satan, prince of darkness?

 

The choice is stark.  

The choice is black and white.  

There are no grays. 

 

No one can march under both banners.  No one can have a foot in each camp.  One’s loyalties cannot be split.  It is not a matter of following Jesus when it is convenient, safe, or acceptable to others but hanging with the prince of darkness when it is more expedient for getting ahead, or because it is cooler, politically correct, or because "I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable because of my beliefs."   

 

The choice is one or the other.  It is not both and.  As we will hear in the Gospels proclaimed throughout the coming year, Jesus will present us with the choice to accept or reject Him in different ways.  Do we follow Him or do we not?  Do we fix our eyes on the banner of the Good King or do we wrap ourselves in the banner of the Evil One?

 

Just as we make resolutions on New Year’s Eve, today, on the Feast of Christ the King, the eve of the new church year, we have the opportunity to choose whether or not to live more fully under the banner of Jesus the King THE King who is, who was, and who is to come. 

 

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"  

And blessed are those who  choose to follow Him. 

 

This is the King whom we celebrate today. 

__________________________________________________

An early post due to early awakening (not planned) and what is going to be a busyk day.  The photos come from a monastery in Europe.  

Long cloister walks characterized this very large monastery.  The cross in silhouette against the colored glass caught my eye immeidatelyl

This crucifix stopped me ded in my tracks.  It says everything that needs to be said.  I've no idea if this was the artists intention or if this is what is left from some of the attacks on the moanstery over the centuries.

Another very long walk.  The silence is almost total. 

Whenever I was there I was always greeted with flowers on my table. Just one or two but perfectly arranged.  

A view of the monastic church shooting through the openings in the loft.

Looking behind from the shot above, the rose window.  These are always difficult shots because of the inevitable distortion from the angle of shooting.  

Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

Veteran's Day 2021

11 November 2021

Veteran's Day commemorates the veterans of all wars. It is a day on which we give thanks for their service and commemorate the wars in which they served. We recall the battles in which veterans fought and died: Gallipoli and Verdun of WW I, Iwo Jima, Anzio, and D-Day during WW II, and Inchon during the Korean War. Tet and the Fall of Saigon echo in the memories of us baby boomers whether we served or not. The current administration's mishandling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan will enrage veterans for a long time.

The philosophical and theological understandings of conflict and war have also changed since World Wars I and II. It is unlikely that either "Over There," George M. Cohan's patriotic WW I song, or Frank Loesser's WW II vintage "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" would be written today or become the hits they were at the time. The trenches, hand-to-hand combat, and bayonets of WW I were replaced by a powerful air force and bombs with extraordinary destructive potential by WW II. Today, missiles can be deployed via computer. Drones can destroy with almost surgical precision. The risk of sophisticated chemical and biological warfare is all too real, particularly in view of 'gain of function' research purportedly conducted in Wuhan. All of these developments have affected the experience of those called to fight wars.

The response of American society to the military and veterans has also changed several times over the decades. The ticker-tape parades welcoming veterans home from World Wars I and II contrast sharply with the vitriolic ugliness, venom, and cruelty dished out to veterans of Vietnam by so-called 'peaceniks.' Ironically those who accused them of being 'baby killers' have jumped on the abortion as women's health bandwagon with a vengeance. One can only comment on professional athletes, college athletes, and pathetic high school children taking a knee during the National Anthem by refraining from further comment. There are some words and concepts that cannot be shared from a pulpit.

Wars define the generations that fought them as well as the generation or two that follow. My dad, born in 1905, was too young for WW I. However, he served four years in Europe as a physician in the Army medical corps during WW II. Like many veterans, he rarely spoke about his experiences, except the funny ones; and they were few. He told me a few things that he told no one else in the family. Those confidences continue to influence my life as a physician as well as priest. After working as a psychiatrist at a Veteran's Hospital for four years before entering the Society of Jesus twenty-four years ago, I learned how much every vet I treated was affected.

The sacrifices veterans made--and the sacrifices members of the military continue to make--are oftentimes discounted or ignored. Future plans, family life, education, jobs . . . all these are put on hold when one is called or volunteers to serve in the armed forces. Injuries may short circuit life plans. The risk of death needs no elaboration. At other times military service opens up previously undreamed of opportunities and paths of life.

Anonymity and hiddenness describe the lives of most members of the military. The fame of the veteran is the hiddenness of his or her service. The reward for doing a job day by day is little recognition or appreciation from those who they defend. The task for those of us who are descendants of veterans is to keep their memories and stories alive, stories they shared reluctantly. Only by keeping those memories alive do we learn from them and teach later generations.

We hear in Matthew's Beatitudes "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." But the harsh reality is that sometimes peace can only be accomplished through war. Peace may only be possible by responding to enemy threats with force despite the pious pronouncements and prescriptions of religious leaders of all stripes.

Ideally swords will be pounded into plowshares and spears will be turned into pruning hooks. But, at times, plowshares must be reworked into swords and pruning hooks reforged into spears. The reality of the human condition is that we are sinners whose sins manifest in actions that may threaten the lives and safety of others. When a critical mass is reached, those sins ignite the fuse that leads to war. This has been true since the beginning of time and it will be true until the end of time.

Thus our gratitude to those who served, to the veterans who risked everything to ensure our safety and freedom.

And we pray for them.

_____________________

The photos below are of the veterans' memorial that stood in front of the high school in my hometown of Plymouth, PA. Small town that is now rapidly dying. The large monument is older than I am. It has always been there. The Vietnam monument commemorating the men from town who died there was much later. I knew and went to school with four of the men and one was a classmate of my older sister.

I will admit that the first photo had some ugly power lines running through the middle of the sky. Thanks to the new processing program they are gone. I took the photos in November of 2019 which is the last time I was able to get down there from Boston.

+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

Total Donation: Homily for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 1 Kgs 17:10-16

Ps 146

Heb 9:24-28

Mk 12:38-44

 

We all have a lot in common with the widows from the first reading and the Gospel. The commonality has nothing to do with finances but everything to do with total self donation; with offering all of oneself and throwing oneself on God’s mercy in complete trust.  

 

Imagine the setting of the first reading.  The drought had been prolonged. Stores of wheat were running low.  The olive trees were not producing there was no oil.  While there are few things worse than anticipating death through starvation,  there is no greater pending catastrophe for a mother than to realize that she AND her child will die of starvation? And given the reality of a child's size and metabolism compared with that of an adult, the child will most likely die first, the mother being compelled to watch. Despite this possibility, the widow,  in her generosity and faith acquiesced to Elijah’s request to make a small cake with the little she had for herself and her son.  She did so on the basis of Elijah's promise that “the jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.”  By sharing all that she had remaining with this itinerant exiled prophet the widow provided for herself and her son in ways that she never could have imagined. 

 

There were two options for the Gospel this morning:  The short option was limited to the parable of the widow’s mite.  The slightly longer option however, put the widow’s mite into more of a context.    

 

The widow’s story is placed in direct contrast to that of the scribes who despite outward shows of piety and prayer devoured the homes and estates of widows leaving them even more destitute than they already were through their lack of social status and inheritance.  There are many modern versions of these scribes; schemers and manipulators who feast on the paltry holdings of the undernourished, the elderly, the lonely, and the desperate.   Sometimes they do the perp walk.  Other times they bask in their profits.   

 

The parable of the widow’s mite is difficult to read and internalize. Commentators vary in their interpretations.  One commentator notes the widow’s generosity but then asks, “Is she generous to a fault.?”  Does Jesus really approve of her action or is he critiquing established religion that manipulated her to give what she couldn’t afford?  Is Jesus romanticizing the poor such that this Gospel can be used by the prosperous to keep the poor in that condition?  I don’t agree.  Indeed it is a bizarre interpretation that suggests hostility on the part of the writer toward the Church itself. 

 

"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."  Whenever Jesus prefaces a statement with Amen we know it is important; that it is the crux of His argument.  

 

The woman’s poverty was determined not by her meager copper coins but by her state of widowhood.  In the Ancient Near East widow’s had no power or social standing.  They could not inherit or own land.  They were entirely dependent on male relatives, particularly their sons, and the kindness of neighbors and friends for support.  The two coins in her hand were most likely all she had, and they amounted to nothing.  But, the little she had wasn’t going to move her from social dependence to financial independence.  With the coins or without them the widow was still dependent.  She was dependent on society for material things.  More importantly she was totally dependent on the grace of God and thus she was rich in His mercy.

 

The widow made a total donation of self depending no longer on her own resources, as meager as they were, but on God’s providence.  

 

When, in a few minutes, we say, “Thy will be done” can we do so without caveat or exception? Without adding a detailed footnote as to what we want that will to be? 

 

If so, we will stand with this widow and rejoice in the same grace. 

__________________________________

The photos are from Bašelj in Slovenia on All Saints Day.  

Geraniaums in the window of the farmhouse

A bicyclist passing near the farm. 

A second cyclist converted to black and white. 

The advantage of the new photo processing program made it possible to remove the power lines behind the tree. 

Fr. Jože's sister preparing lunch before we headed off to the Mass in Preddvor and thence back to LJ.  

+ Fr. Jack, SJ, MD

Saints Were Sinners Too: Homily for All Saints

Rv 7:2-4, 9-14

Ps 24: 1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

I Jn 3:1-3

Mt 5:1-12a

 

The Church's practice of venerating and invoking saints is an ancient one.  During the Church’s first fifteen hundred years the cults of various saints began as local phenomena.  Saints were men and women, renown for their sanctity, whose burial sites the locals venerated and to whom they prayed for intercession with God.  Popular acclamation was sufficient for sainthood.  There was no formal procedure within the Church to officially recognize these holy men and women until around the sixth century when some degree of official sanction began to evolve.  It ultimately took nine more centuries before the papacy assumed control of the process of declaring holy men and women to be saints.

 

With time the veneration of saints degenerated into superstition of the most bizarre kind. And truth be told, human nature being what it is, there are superstitious customs surrounding the saints that have nothing to do with sanctity, faith, or God. Consider, for example, the superstition of burying a statue of St. Joseph in the lawn so as to sell a house.  There are actual 'house selling kits' available that include a plastic statue of St. Joseph, instructions, and one or two prayers.  I believe the statue had to be buried upside down. No idea why that would be.  Someone sent me a St. Joseph kit when I was selling my first house--this in a different life.  However, the house sold in 24 hours for more than the asking price.  Alas, that was not true of the second one. Indeed, I closed on that house on Halloween during my first year as a novice.  The unburied St. Joseph statue got lost in one of the many moves between purchasing the first house and selling the second.  And there was no way I was driving to VT to plant it when found.  

 

Despite the occasional superstitions and other forms of misunderstanding, the saints are critical for our spiritual health.  They are important guides to living the Christian life.  They are examples of, and models for, how to live the Christian life.  And we also understand them as intercessors before God on our behalf. The Church sets the first day of November as a holy day of obligation in honor of all the saints.  

 

The etymology of the word Halloween is holy eve, the eve of All Saints. Alas, the eve of All Saints seems to be descending farther and farther into a festival of debauchery, vandalism, and, for a certain breed of adults,  cross-dressing.

 

 

All Saints Day honors all saints, those who have been formally canonized and those known only to God.   Indeed, many of the saints on the calendar have never been formally canonized.  St. Bruno, founder of the Carthusians, is one example.  The readings help to explain what sainthood is. 

 

Revelation is the most wildly misunderstood and sadly misused book in the entire canon.  It is part of the difficult genre of Biblical literature known as apocalyptic, a genre that will never be completely understood or interpreted.  However, it is neither Ancient Near East science fiction nor the progenitor of Star Wars and its ilk.  

 

Apocalyptic literature was meant to give hope during times of persecution. It was written in a such a way that it was understood by those who were being persecuted but it remained unintelligible to outsiders, something like the way teenagers speak when their parents or teachers are around.  The symbolism in Revelation is dense. Not all of the symbols and allusions are understood, nor will they be.  Numerology is part of that symbolism that cannot be taken literally but, like the saints, is vested in significant superstition.  Superstitious numerology continues today. 

 

Many Chinese hotels do not have a fourth floor because the character for the number four looks too much like the one for death. According to a Chinese friend, this is particularly true in Hong Kong, where the rooms on higher floors that do have a 4 such as 14 or 34, are a bit less expensive to book.   A travel tip I hope I can use.  On this side of the world, some American hotels and even hospitals, do not have a 13th floor for the obvious reasons. 

 

Meanings attached to numbers in apocalyptic literature went well beyond simple amounts. Indeed, every number in scripture, including those recounting numbers of fish caught, and so on, is invested with layers of extra-numerical meaning. Sainthood, thus, is not limited to the numerical 144,000 described in Revelation. Though certain fundamentalist sects would argue that statement to the death, it  that is their problem not ours.  

 

We must remember that hyperbole is not a 20th century invention.  Indeed, scripture contains sterling examples of it.  In Revelation the number 1000 signifies an immense number, the equivalent of a bazillion today. One hundred forty-four is the square of twelve, a number which carries its own symbolism within the tribes of Israel. Thus, 144,000 signifies a multitude beyond counting or an infinite number that exceeds even the current U.S. national debt.  I think. 

 

Few of us will be canonized but we are all called to sainthood.  Despite the claims of the rapturists, there is room for everyone.  Who can hope to be numbered among the saints?  Who can hope to ascend the mountain of the Lord?   One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.  

 

As John wrote in his letter,  God the Father has bestowed such love on us that we are the children of God.  We are his beloved because of Jesus’ radical self-surrender.  That radical self-surrender brought sinful humanity to redemption.  His act opened the path to those who wish to ascend the mountain of the Lord.  

 

The stepping stones of that path are outlined in the Beatitudes of Matthew’s Gospel which is far and away the most well-known part of the much longer Sermon on the Mount.  Read through the “Blessed are” statements some time today.  They are an expansion of the psalmist’s answer to the questions:  Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?  The Beatitudes tell us how to be those whose hands are sinless, whose hearts are clean, and who desire not what is vain. We do not know what we shall be.  We do not know what it will be like to be in God’s presence. We do not know what it will be like to be numbered among the saints.  But Matthew tells us that for those who are  it will be wonderful.  There is no reason to quibble with that.   

______________________________________________________

Meant to post this yesterday, All Saints Day.  However, I was on the road.  Arrived home more than a little tired.  Thus I'll publish it today on All Soul's and include the photos from All Saints Day in Slovenia.  All Saints is a national holiday that is seen almost as All Souls Eve.  Even the non-religious visit the cemeteries for prayer.  I went to Preddvor with Fr. Jože.  It was an amazing experience.  Later that night, back in Ljubljana the entire community went to the Jesuit plot in Žale, the municipal cemetery to pray.  I've never seen anything like the candles. 

Fr. Jože at his family parish in Preddvor where I joined him and the pastor in celebrating Mass.  I am eternally grateful that he invited me to go with him.  Unforgettable experience.  

The view from the edge of the church yard.  A lot of wrought-iron in Slovenia.  Preddvor is at 1500 feet elevation.  The mountains a tad higher.  

The Church from which we processed to the cemetery, the location from which I took the photo.  Fr. Jože wanted to visit the family graves which gave me an opportunity to shoot.  

When we arrived in procession from the church with about 150 people following us, there were several hundred more already standing at the family plot in total silence.  

Unlike cemeteries in the U.S. where one might find one or two candles at a grave there were multiple ones at each grave.   Along with flowers.  European graveyards are very different from American flat-tombstones ones.  

The church as shot from the cemetery.  

Candles at just one family plot. 

The Jesuit plot at žale, an enormous municipal cemetery in LJ.  Am grateful to the man who insisted that I take my camera.  Wow.  

The funeral chapel was surrounded by votive lights.  The heat emanating from the candles was almost uncomfortable.  In side the chapel the heat was intolerable.  I was going to shoot in the chapel but the heat had me fleeing in moments.  

The photo below was taken in the opposite direction I was facing of the photo above.  It was a lot of candles.  

+ Fr. Jack, SJ, MD