Footsteps of St. Paul in 2005
"In my other life I must have been Greek," I jokingly tell people because when I hear Greek music, the sound of the bouzouki, eat Greek food, or read Greek mythology, I feel a certain stirring deep inside of me. For years I have thought about traveling to Greece but it wasn't until 2005 that my dream came true. On October 10-22, 2005, I joined the Catholic Biblical School of the Archdiocese of Denver on a pilgrimage to Greece and Italy. We flew from Denver to New York and then to Athens and Thessaloniki. When we couldn't read the street signs we would say, "Well, it's Greek to me!"
I noticed how the majority of women dress in black, people scoot around on motor bikes, kiosks (small stands) sell water, newspapers, pop, postcards, sunglasses, umbrellas, candy, gum, magazines and potato chips. In the evening men sit around drinking coffee in outdoor cafes though I didn't see a lot of women at those cafes, teenagers look pretty much like they do in the United States and what I noticed was the friendliness of the people.
We visited areas where St. Paul, the Apostle, converted Greek, Romans, Jews, and Gentiles. Philippi where St. Paul baptized Lydia, his first convert, was our first stop. The narrow stream, Kranidis, was chosen for our first mass. Fr. Pat Dolan of Most Precious Blood in Denver was our spiritual director and celebrated mass next to the stream. Our singing voices blended in with the soft gurgling of the stream as one of our leaders, Tom Smith, soaked his feet in the water!
Walking through the ruins where St. Paul had been imprisoned and gazing at the many stones, columns, and outdoor theater that survived from ancient times filled me with awe. A friendly Greek lady shook an almond tree and give us some grayish brown almonds. Orchards of tiny, sweet, lime-green grapes and almond trees are scattered throughout the country side. On the grassy slopes, goats and sheep are tended by shepherds and their working dogs.
Kavala, a picturesque fishing village is thought to be the place where St. Paul crossed the sea to visit the Greek Islands. In Thessaloniki, the fortress of Trigonion is located. We were lucky to see the sun set in red, orange and pink colors. The wall, at one time had gone all the way to the sea but some of the wall had deteriorated.
Small shrines honoring persons who have been killed can be seen as we travel to our next stop of Meteora. The Agean Sea could be seen in the distance. Amazing to see the gigantic towers of stone pointing towards the sky and on top of each stone cliff there was a monastery. We hiked to one of the monasteries and someone said there were 150 steps. Women are not allowed to wear slacks so they have a large basket filled with skirts of all sizes for visitors to wear as they go through the monastery. The Orthodox chapel had many icons painted on the walls. A nun watched us closely to make sure we were quiet and respect.
Kalambaka was where we spent the night and since it was only a block from the downtown area we wandered in and out of the many curio shops. Our next stop was Corinth where St. Paul spoke to Corinthians. We sat on stones in front of the Bema Seat. A feeling of amazement was present as we listened to Tim Gray, the leader of the tour, tell us about St. Paul. The altar was a small round decorated stone and after mass we looked around at the many ruins and admired the work on the columns. We learned that if a column was plain it was probably Roman but if it was ornate it could be Greek.
Highlights in Greece were the Acropolis, climbing the hill (Mars) where it is said St. Paul spoke, seeing the Royal Guards in their pleated skirts, riding the clean subway and relaxing in the National Park. Tasting the pretzel like bread covered with sesame seeds and eating the sweet desserts was a plus on this trip. Athens is known for its honey, almonds and grapes!
From Athens we flew to Rome where the churches, fountains, many statues and the large coliseum greeted us! Seeing Pope Benedict was a highlight even though we waited a few hours in the rain for him to appear, but nothing dampened our spirit! Another surprise was seeing many brides in their white gowns come for a blessing from the Pope. The Vatican Museum had us walking through hall after hall filled with beautiful art, tapestries, sculptures and paintings and I felt as if my brain could not take one more image! The Sistine Chapel had me gazing, open-mouthed, at the work Michangelo did so many years ago. I appreciated the magnificence and talent of Michangelo as I gazed at all the different areas of the Sistine Chapel. Entering St. Peter's Basilica, I saw people touching the foot of a statue and was told it was of St. Peter and the foot is worn down from the many hands that touch the foot. The tomb of John Paul II is located below the church where he was laid to rest among other Popes, including St. Peter.
The famous Fountain of Trevi, the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps plus other gorgeous fountains completed our tour of Rome. I noticed that compared to the subway in Greece, Rome's was dirty and graffiti covered.
Assisi became one of my favorite spots. The area around the town is lush with agriculture plots. It is a quaint town with many churches, cobblestone streets and shops. Knowing that St. Francis had lived in the area was overwhelming. To think that he had walked in the same spots I was walking made me respect history. In the area where he had been a hermit there were many white doves fluttering around us and I thought it was quite appropriate!
At St. Paul, Outside the Wall, we saw where St. Paul was entombed. The pilgrimage should have ended there but it has continued. The bible has become real to me. It is no longer a story "out there," that happened years ago. I close my eyes and I see a dusty St. Paul, sandals, dirty feet and in long robes speaking to me. The song from the King and I, runs through my head, "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you," and I find myself reading the Acts of the Apostles and am amazed that I also walked in the same areas!
We were told that if we returned from the pilgrimage and our lives were changed, then it was a good pilgrimage. But, if we returned and nothing in our lives had changed, then it was a good vacation. I know it was a great pilgrimage because without knowing, planning or being aware, my life has changed.
"I like many sayings from the Bible and many quotes I have seen are St. Paul's.
"God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted
beyond what you can bear. But, when you are tempted,
he will provide a way out so you can endure it."
St. Paul, The Apostle
