The Visitation

Today (May 31st) is the feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. We hear it recorded by St. Luke in this way:

39 And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. 40 And she entered into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth.

41 And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold as soon as the voice of your salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed are you that have believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to you by the Lord. (Luke 1:39-45)

Compare this greeting and subsequent salutation with the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant in the hill-country of Obededom.

9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, saying: How shall the ark of the Lord come to me? 10 And he would not have the ark of the Lord brought in to himself into the city of David: but he caused it to be carried into the house of Obededom the Gethite. 11 And the ark of the Lord abode in the house of Obededom the Gethite three months: and the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household.

12 And it was told King David, that the Lord had blessed Obededom, and all that he had, because of the ark of God. So David went, and brought away the ark of God out of the house of Obededom into the city of David with joy. And there were with David seven choirs, and calves for victims. 13 And when they that carried the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed and ox and a ram: 14 And David danced with all his might before the Lord: and David was girded with a linen ephod. 15 And David and all the louse of Israel brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet. (2 Samuel 6:9-15)

St. Luke, in his description of the Mother of God visiting her cousin Elizabeth, makes allusion to the Ark of the Covenant being brought to the city of David in the Old Testament. This connection reinforces the position of Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant - Jesus Christ himself. Consider the connections:

• The salutation: Elizabeth says, "And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" David says, "How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?"
• The setting: Mary goes to visit Elizabeth "In the hill country of Judah." The house of Obededom was located in the hills of Judah
• The duration of the visit: Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months (Luke 1:56). "And the ark of the Lord abode in the house of Obededom the Gethite three months."
• The reaction: "For behold, as soon as the voice of your salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." "And David danced with all his might before the Lord."

These connections reinforce the continuity and fulfillment exhibited by the New Testament in relation to the Old Testament. Mary bore Christ in a similar way that the Israelites bore the Ark of the Covenant. Both Christ and the contents of the Ark were manifestations of God's covenant with his people. The contents of the Ark prefigured Christ:

• The stone tablets of the Law, the written word of God - Jesus is the final Word of God made flesh (John 1)
• Manna from the wilderness - Jesus, the Eternal Bread from Heaven - the Eucharist (John 6)
• The Rod of Aaron, symbol of the priesthood - Jesus, the Eternal High Priest (Letter to the Hebrews)

The devotion and honor that the Israelites gave to the Ark of the Covenant is continued in the devotion and honor that Catholics give to Mary, the Mother of God. Both bore the means of God's relationship with humanity. Mary, of course, being the perfection and fulfillment of the ark, and Jesus being the perfection and fulfillment of the Law.

St. Mary's Church, Grand Rapids

The other day, since I'm unemployed and have nothing better to do (having already filled out my fair-share of job applications), I went down to the Lower West Side, a Grand Rapids neighborhood that was once home to many different groups of European immigrants. The legacy of these ethnic groups lives on in the ecclesiastical architecture they left behind (there are four impressive Catholic churches within the neighborhood: Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. James, St. Adalbert, and St. Mary). Most delightful, in my opinion, is the church of St. Mary. It was constructed by German immigrants and completed in 1873, making it the second-oldest extant Catholic church in Grand Rapids after the Cathedral of St. Andrew. The structure is neo-Gothic in style, reaching back to the Gothic architectural heritage of Germany. The bell tower, completed in 1884, is a Grand Rapids landmark that can be seen from the main highways, soaring to a height of 200 feet.

Inside the church, the neo-Gothic-ness really gets going. Spires, pointed arches, and a riot of color fill the nave and sanctuary with visual interest. The 24 large stained glass windows tell the saga of salvation through scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus. Two side altars, one dedicated to the Virgin Mary and one to St. Joseph, are decorated with statues of other saints important to the heritage of the immigrant church-builders. Nowadays, a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe stands next to the Mary altar; a sign of the changing demographics of the diocese and American Catholicism as a whole.

Above is a panoramic view of the nave of the church, looking toward the sanctuary. Visible on the left is the side altar dedicated to St. Mary, and the right is the altar dedicated to St. Joseph. The main altar is also quite magnificent, placed beneath several marvelous stained-glass windows in the apse.

Blaubeuren, Germany

Blaubeuren is a small village located near the city of Ulm in the Baden-Wuerttemburg region of southern Germany. It is a delightful little place with two major landmarks; the Blautopf (a natural spring with a vivid blue color), and the Klosterkirche (an old Benedictine monastery). During my visit to Europe last May, we spent a couple of hours in Blaubeuren enjoying the sights and the atmosphere of this picturesque town.

The Blautopf, a spring colored by minerals in the water

The Klosterkirche across the Blautopf

In town

The cloister of the monastery

Detail of the high altar

Interior of the Klosterkirche with the high altar

Exterior of the monastery

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, La Plata, Argentina

The culture of South America, as many readers will doubtless know, was heavily influenced by the colonial power of Spain, which brought the continent Catholic European sensibilities and customs. Architectural style, as well, was influenced by Spain, meaning that many older quarters of the continent retain an Iberian feel. Generally, the church designs of South American cities follow patterns common throughout the Spanish Empire during the Baroque period (17th-18th Centuries). A fine exception is the cathedral pictured at left, the seat of the Archbishop of La Plata in Argentina. Built in a brick Neo-Gothic style, the cathedral hearkens to the Germanic, rather than Spanish, roots of many who live(d) in La Plata. The church simply caught my attention, and I think it is rather well executed - the proportions are very pleasing.

Australia, Spring 2012

Lennox Head, New South Wales, with the BSU Australia Center in the foreground

So, remember when I wrote a big long post about how I was so excited about going to Graz, Austria next spring? Well, scrap that.

Turns out enrolling in a foreign university whose language is German is a bit more logistically difficult than your idealistic scribe thought. So, for a variety of reasons, Graz has been thrown out the window. Enter Oz. The Ball State Australia Center is essentially an extension of Ball State located in Lennox Head, New South Wales. The Australia Center is run by a single Ball State faculty member (in this case, an architecture professor), assisted by four Australian faculty from the University of Southern Cross. The nicest logistical thing is that credits, financial aid, and classes will all be Ball State pre-approved.

Of course, the most alluring thing about the Australia Center is its location. The Center is based in a recreation complex in Lennox Head, a small town approximately two hours south of Brisbane and seven hours north of Sydney. Oh, and it's on the beach. The small cabins that students are housed in are literally steps from one of the best beaches in Australia. So, living in the sun for three months is certainly appealing. Also on the complex are a lake with free kayaks, an academic area, and gym.

The surrounding countryside around Lennox Head is composed of subtropical rolling hills in the interior and alternating stretches of cliff and sand along the Pacific Coast. Brisbane, the capital of the adjacent state of Queensland, is two hours north. Between Lennox and Brisbane are several national parks encompassing the stunning scenery of the impressive Blue Mountains.

Built into the program will be field trips to various sites throughout Australia. The Great Barrier Reef, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra are among the places on the itinerary. In addition, the four day academic week encourages exploration throughout the greater Lennox Head area. A one week spring break begs to be spent in New Zealand.

I am understandably thrilled about this opportunity for its cost, ease, and the amazing sights and landscapes to be found Down Under. I'll be keeping you posted!

Blessed Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II is the pope of my life. Four fourteen years of my existence on this earth, a cheery, gentle man from Poland reigned over the Church, and over the hearts of many whom he touched with his ministry in the service of the Lord. Today, his successor, an equally gentle, but less overtly smiley, man from Germany declared him among the Blessed, the middle step on the road to sainthood for a man seen by many as a living saint. We are the John Paul generation. We are strive to take up his challenge that all are called to Christian holiness - a challenge he presented to the world with clarity of voice and solidity of example. It is a challenge that defies the modern world and its empty pursuits and its cries of "God is dead" and its idols and its false profits. It is a challenge that awakens within each Christian the God-placed desire to fulfill self by giving of self to the world.

Blessed John Paul II, pray for us!

Pictured is John Paul II as I knew of him; this image appears on the first page of our family Bible that I read from as a child. I like this photograph because it shows the both the solemnity of his office and the interior joy he had in fulfilling his calling in that office.