We have spent our second Easter here in Italy and this year was different from last. We are more settled now and we are more aware of the things that are going on around us and in our neighborhood. Easter is a big deal here in Italy and this year we saw a different side from last year. There were still the chocolate eggs and get togethers with members of the church. Last year though we did not get to see some of the events that we did this year and that is what made it so different.
Here in our town of Carbonara, as with many of the towns, there was a parade of the "mysteries" or statues/figures that tell the story of the Passion of Christ. There were a lot of statues and it was interesting to see how all of it unfolded. The statues started in a piazza in front of the main church here in Carbonara (pictured to the left) and as each statue began to move, that part of the story was told. There was a scripture read and also the statue itself was explained. We stayed at this part only for a little while and then moved out to the street where we would be able to see things a little better.
The figures moved through the street with the help of their devoted carriers. Some of these figures had as many as twelve men carrying them! They were big and many times the procession would come to a stop and at these times there would be braces put in under the carrying poles so the men carrying them could have a break! As we stood there in the street, we watched the story of the Passion of Christ unfold.
We saw the prayer in the garden and the denial of Peter. We saw the arrest and the trial of Jesus and there were also figures showing the execution of Christ. There was Christ on the cross and Mary and John looking up at Him. "Behold woman, your son."
As statues were carried by, there were people crossing themselves and you could see them saying something. I do not know but my guess was that they were lifting little prayers.
Then there were others that started coming by. Some were carrying money boxes and for a small offering, you could get a picture of the figure that was being carried by on the shoulders of the devoted. It made me start to think about what I was seeing. It made me listen more to what I was hearing. "Santa Maria, full of grace, pray for us..." Why was it that Christ only wore a crown of thorns while the figures of Mary each wore a halo? Where was the focus? Who was being celebrated here?
I do not see the Catholic Church as the "enemy" here in Italy. I believe that there are Christians in the Catholic Church just I believe there are those in the Believer's Church that are not Christian. My problem with the Catholic Church is what I see as major barriers that they put up between the general population and God. Priests, Popes, saints and relics can all get in the way the way that I see it. I do not understand why Mary is lifted up as the one "full of grace" and is the one that prays for "us". I know that it is part of the tradition of the Catholic Church, but I believe that tradition has a place for the good in the church and there are times when traditions need to be thrown out in order to better see Christ.
"Trust no one, not even the finest saint who ever walked this earth, ignore him, if he hinders your sight of Jesus Christ." (Oswald Chambers) I have thought about this line often since I have moved here to Italy. There are many different things here that can hinder our sight of Jesus Christ and in ways they can be more harmful than the consumerist society that I come from in the USA. At least there, it is obvious that the consumerism is none Christian. Here, there are many things that we see that are wrapped tightly in the veil of "religion" and it is this veil that needs to be done away with in order for us to see Jesus.
At the moment that Christ died, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom and opened the Holy of Holies to the people of Israel. On Easter Sunday, Christ opened the grave and removed the last barrier away that kept us from God, death itself. Through the centuries, I believe that the veil that was lifted has slowly been put back in place. It is now that we need to turn our eyes toward Christ and remember what he did during Easter. We need to remember that it was him and no one else that did the work required by God to bring us back into right relationship with him.
We are here to encourage people to look to Christ. He is the one that is full of Grace and it only He that I will trust. I place my trust in Christ alone.
