It has been fabulous cruising from Barcelona to Venice with family and newfound friends, but it is the city of Padua (our first stop after the cruise) which has been a thrill.
Apart from the charm of this compact and very walkable city, the opportunity to visit the tomb of a real life saint, one I count on quite often no less, was truly a highlight.
The Basilica of Saint Anthony was, first and foremost, incredibly beautiful with frescoes by Giotto. Then to kneel and pray before the tomb of Saint Anthony was an extremely moving experience for me. As I laid the petitions of my heart, together with those of my many friends before him, tears welled up in my eyes.
I am thankful that in the Catholic tradition we have many saints to intercede for us and to inspire us with their lives. It boggles my mind that I have been in such close proximity to the places where they lived and walked: Mallorca, the place where Blessed Junipero Serra grew up before he set sail for California, Corfu which Saint Spyridon saved from the Turks, Padua where Saint Anthony's remains lie and Siena where in the Basilica of San Domenico, Saint Catherine's incorruptible head resides.
Today I depart for Milan and hope to visit the Basilica where Saint Ambrose's body lies and maybe sit in a pew where Saint Augustine may have sat.
There are also nameless saints who lived and prayed in the many monasteries and churches I have visited. These are all places filled with holiness, as my friend B would say, strongholds of Christianity.
Although I have done the tourist thing and gasped in awe at the beauty of these places, my biggest lesson is this: I can choose to live like these holy men and women who lived centuries ago. I can make wherever I am a holy place. All I need to do is to love God as they did - to live and move and have my being in Him, as they did.
Their greatness comes from keeping their eyes on God and following wherever He led. I must follow suit, lest I remain a tourist who gawks and clicks and happily goes onto the next attraction, satisfied to have ticked another place off the bucket list.
Apart from the charm of this compact and very walkable city, the opportunity to visit the tomb of a real life saint, one I count on quite often no less, was truly a highlight.
I am thankful that in the Catholic tradition we have many saints to intercede for us and to inspire us with their lives. It boggles my mind that I have been in such close proximity to the places where they lived and walked: Mallorca, the place where Blessed Junipero Serra grew up before he set sail for California, Corfu which Saint Spyridon saved from the Turks, Padua where Saint Anthony's remains lie and Siena where in the Basilica of San Domenico, Saint Catherine's incorruptible head resides.
Today I depart for Milan and hope to visit the Basilica where Saint Ambrose's body lies and maybe sit in a pew where Saint Augustine may have sat.
There are also nameless saints who lived and prayed in the many monasteries and churches I have visited. These are all places filled with holiness, as my friend B would say, strongholds of Christianity.
Although I have done the tourist thing and gasped in awe at the beauty of these places, my biggest lesson is this: I can choose to live like these holy men and women who lived centuries ago. I can make wherever I am a holy place. All I need to do is to love God as they did - to live and move and have my being in Him, as they did.
Their greatness comes from keeping their eyes on God and following wherever He led. I must follow suit, lest I remain a tourist who gawks and clicks and happily goes onto the next attraction, satisfied to have ticked another place off the bucket list.
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