Deanne Miller is one of the co-founders of SoulCore, along with her dear friend Colleen Scariano. Learn more about the SoulCore movement at www.soulcore.com. Deanne & Colleen pray SoulCore is an instrument of healing, interior peace, and growth in virtue for all who participate.
In the gospel from the Mass today, Luke 4:1-13, we hear about Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit, being led into the wilderness for 40 days, and then being tempted by the devil. This reading fills us with hope as we see Jesus showing us the way to conquer the devil. 
First, Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that we are filled with at our Baptism and Confirmation. This gift of the Holy Spirit prepares and strengthens us for the temptations we face every day. Jesus is tempted by the devil who also tempts us. We can look to Jesus to see how He avoids falling into the allure of sin. The gospel tells us that Jesus fasted. What a great reminder for us to remember that in our Lenten fast, we are being strengthened in our journey. By allowing Himself to be tempted, Jesus shows us the way out of the trappings of sin. Satan tempts us by appealing to our passions – passions for power and pleasure. By fasting, we unite ourselves to Jesus, remembering what He has done for us, and allowing ourselves to be transformed. There is true freedom in detaching from the chains that hold us captive to sin. By imitating Jesus and His love for the Father, and by God’s grace we can share in this victory over sin. As we go through this Lenten season, may we all be strengthened as we share in the cross of Christ, knowing it leads to the joy of the Resurrection.
Chris+Katie present a weekly program on Wednesdays at St. Elizabeth Seton in Carmel, Indiana called Awaken to the BEST® which draws over 150 women each week. The BEST is an acronym for Blessed Mother, Eucharist & Other Sacraments, Scripture & Saints, and Traditions of the Catholic Faith. With no homework, the women simply come together in community to encourage and inspire one another to become the women God created them to be…women of faith!
For Catholics, there are two dietary hallmarks of the Lenten season: abstaining from meat on Fridays, and fish appearing on the menu. What’s the origin of this penitential tradition?
Penitential fasting is an ancient tradition, going back to the times of the Old Testament when pious Jews would observe a fast on Monday and Thursdays. Early Christians then would practice regular weekly fasts on Wednesday and Fridays.
The Quadragesima, 40 days, was recognized as a season of penance in earliest days of the Church in remembrance of Christ’s fast of forty days and forty nights in the Judean desert. Saint Leo writes in the fifth century “they may fulfill with their fasts the Apostolic institution of the forty days.”
Friday, the day Christ suffered for our sins and died on the Cross, has been traditionally recognized since Christendom immemorial as a special day of penance, set aside during Lent to observe the Lenten fast.
The early Church was divided on the nature of the early Lenten fast. The historian Socrates of Constantinople writes:
“Some abstain from every sort of creature that has life, while others of all the living creatures eat of fish only. Others eat birds as well as fish, because, according to the Mosaic account of the Creation, they too sprang from the water; others abstain from fruit covered by a hard shell and from eggs. Some eat dry bread only, others not even that; others again when they have fasted to the ninth hour (three o’clock) partake of various kinds of food.”
By the late sixth century, Pope Saint Gregory the Great wrote to Saint Augustine of Canterbury:
“We abstain from flesh meat, and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese, and eggs.”
The Latin for flesh meat, as Saint Gregory used, is carnis – referring to mammals and birds only, but not fish. In Biblical times and the early centuries of the Church, flesh meat was seen as a luxury for those who could afford it – associated with celebrations and feasts. However, fish was seen as a penitential food – one you had to catch yourself. Abstaining from meat on Fridays became a way to observe the Lenten fast and show penance.
According to the USCCB, “abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs — all of which live on land” while fish “are a different category of animal.”
“All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church. Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed.” – Code of Canon Law 1250-1251
In this way, abstaining from meat during Lent is a form a penance, a small sacrifice drawing us closer to Christ who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Photo credit: Kara Gebhardt / Shutterstock.com
Throughout the Old and New Testament, only three divine messengers are given proper names: the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
“Angels are spiritual creatures who glorify God without ceasing and who serve his saving plans for other creatures: ‘The angels work together for the benefit of us all'”- Catechism of the Catholic Church 350
God reveals to us in Sacred Scripture the names of only three angels out of many, and we are not intended to seek out the names of others. Throughout the Bible, we see many times humans rebuffed when asking for the name of an angel.
“Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, that we may honor you when your words come true?” The angel of the LORD answered him: Why do you ask my name? It is wondrous.” – Judges 13:18
The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy states in regards to the matter:
“Popular devotion to the holy angels, which is legitimate and good, can, however, also give rise to possible deviations such as the practice of assigning names to the holy angels which should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael whose names are contained in holy Scripture” – § 217
What then do the three names of the Archangels God has chosen to reveal to us mean?
Archangel Michael
The name Michael comes from the Hebrew Mîkhā’ēl, literally meaning “Who is like God?” – a rhetorical question, implying no one is like God. Michael is referenced only five times in the Bible, and is traditionally ascribed the title defender of the Church – he is the leader of God’s armies in Heaven’s war against Satan given four offices:
1. To fight against Satan.
2. To rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death.
3. To be the champion of God’s people, the Jews in the Old Law, the Christians in the New Testament
4. To call away from earth and bring men’s souls to judgment
The prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel was composed by Pope Leo XIII after a prophetic vision in which he saw Satan boast he could destroy the Church in 100 years.
Archangel Gabriel
The name Gabriel comes from the Hebrew Gavri’el, literally meaning “God is my strength.” Gabriel is referenced only four times in the Bible: to announce the birth of John the Baptist and at the Incarnation of the Word in the womb of Mary.
“Only Gabriel, a name that means ‘Power of God,’ was found worthy among all the angels to announce to Mary the designs of God with regard to her.” – Saint Bernard
Pious Catholic tradition believes he appeared to Saint Joseph and to the shepherds, and also that he “strengthened” Jesus during his agony in the garden of Gethsemane.
Archangel Raphael
The name Raphael comes from the Hebrew Rāfāʾēl, literally meaning “It is God who heals.” Archangel Raphael first appears in the Book of Tobit, where he declares he was sent to heal Tobit and his wife – the origin of his attribution with healing.
“I was sent to put you to the test. At the same time, however, God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.” – Tobit 12:14
While not mentioned in the New Testament, during the second century in the West and among the Greek Fathers in the fourth century, an additional verse was known to John 5 that referenced an Angel coming to the Pool of Bethesda, traditionally known to be Raphael.
“For [from time to time] an angel of the Lord used to come down into the pool; and the water was stirred up, so the first one to get in [after the stirring of the water] was healed of whatever disease afflicted him.”
Editorial credit: Immaculate / Shutterstock.com
1. St. Peter (33-67)
2. St. Linus (67-76)
3. St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)
4. St. Clement I (88-97)
5. St. Evaristus (97-105)
6. St. Alexander I (105-115)
7. St. Sixtus I (115-125) Also called Xystus I
8. St. Telesphorus (125-136)
9. St. Hyginus (136-140)
10. St. Pius I (140-155)
11. St. Anicetus (155-166)
12. St. Soter (166-175)
13. St. Eleutherius (175-189)
14. St. Victor I (189-199)
15. St. Zephyrinus (199-217)
16. St. Callistus I (217-222)
17. St. Urban I (222-30)
18. St. Pontain (230-35)
19. St. Anterus (235-36)
20. St. Fabian (236-50)
21. St. Cornelius (251-53)
22. St. Lucius I (253-54)
23. St. Stephen I (254-257)
24. St. Sixtus II (257-258)
25. St. Dionysius (260-268)
26. St. Felix I (269-274)
27. St. Eutychian (275-283)
28. St. Caius (283-296) Also called Gaius
29. St. Marcellinus (296-304)
30. St. Marcellus I (308-309)
31. St. Eusebius (309 or 310)
32. St. Miltiades (311-14)
33. St. Sylvester I (314-35)
34. St. Marcus (336)
35. St. Julius I (337-52)
36. Liberius (352-66)
37. St. Damasus I (366-83)
38. St. Siricius (384-99)
39. St. Anastasius I (399-401)
40. St. Innocent I (401-17)
41. St. Zosimus (417-18)
42. St. Boniface I (418-22)
43. St. Celestine I (422-32)
44. St. Sixtus III (432-40)
45. St. Leo I (the Great) (440-61)
46. St. Hilarius (461-68)
47. St. Simplicius (468-83)
48. St. Felix III (II) (483-92)
49. St. Gelasius I (492-96)
50. Anastasius II (496-98)
51. St. Symmachus (498-514)
52. St. Hormisdas (514-23)
53. St. John I (523-26)
54. St. Felix IV (III) (526-30)
55. Boniface II (530-32)
56. John II (533-35)
57. St. Agapetus I (535-36) Also called Agapitus I
58. St. Silverius (536-37)
59. Vigilius (537-55)
60. Pelagius I (556-61)
61. John III (561-74)
62. Benedict I (575-79)
63. Pelagius II (579-90)
64. St. Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)
65. Sabinian (604-606)
66. Boniface III (607)
67. St. Boniface IV (608-15)
68. St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615-18)
69. Boniface V (619-25)
70. Honorius I (625-38)
71. Severinus (640)
72. John IV (640-42)
73. Theodore I (642-49)
74. St. Martin I (649-55)
75. St. Eugene I (655-57)
76. St. Vitalian (657-72)
77. Adeodatus (II) (672-76)
78. Donus (676-78)
79. St. Agatho (678-81)
80. St. Leo II (682-83)
81. St. Benedict II (684-85)
82. John V (685-86)
83. Conon (686-87)
84. St. Sergius I (687-701)
85. John VI (701-05)
86. John VII (705-07)
87. Sisinnius (708)
88. Constantine (708-15)
89. St. Gregory II (715-31)
90. St. Gregory III (731-41)
91. St. Zachary (741-52)
92. Stephen II (752) Because he died before being consecrated, many authoritative lists omit him
93. Stephen III (752-57)
94. St. Paul I (757-67)
95. Stephen IV (767-72)
96. Adrian I (772-95)
97. St. Leo III (795-816)
98. Stephen V (816-17)
99. St. Paschal I (817-24)
100. Eugene II (824-27)
101. Valentine (827)
102. Gregory IV (827-44)
103. Sergius II (844-47)
104. St. Leo IV (847-55)
105. Benedict III (855-58)
106. St. Nicholas I (the Great) (858-67)
107. Adrian II (867-72)
108. John VIII (872-82)
109. Marinus I (882-84)
110. St. Adrian III (884-85)
111. Stephen VI (885-91)
112. Formosus (891-96)
113. Boniface VI (896)
114. Stephen VII (896-97)
115. Romanus (897)
116. Theodore II (897)
117. John IX (898-900)
118. Benedict IV (900-03)
119. Leo V (903)
120. Sergius III (904-11)
121. Anastasius III (911-13)
122. Lando (913-14)
123. John X (914-28)
124. Leo VI (928)
125. Stephen VIII (929-31)
126. John XI (931-35)
127. Leo VII (936-39)
128. Stephen IX (939-42)
129. Marinus II (942-46)
130. Agapetus II (946-55)
131. John XII (955-63)
132. Leo VIII (963-64)
133. Benedict V (964)
134. John XIII (965-72)
135. Benedict VI (973-74)
136. Benedict VII (974-83)
137. John XIV (983-84)
138. John XV (985-96)
139. Gregory V (996-99)
140. Sylvester II (999-1003)
141. John XVII (1003)
142. John XVIII (1003-09)
143. Sergius IV (1009-12)
144. Benedict VIII (1012-24)
145. John XIX (1024-32)
146. Benedict IX (1032-45) He appears on this list three separate times, because he was twice deposed and restored
147. Sylvester III (1045) Considered by some to be an antipope
148. Benedict IX (1045)
149. Gregory VI (1045-46)
150. Clement II (1046-47)
151. Benedict IX (1047-48)
152. Damasus II (1048)
153. St. Leo IX (1049-54)
154. Victor II (1055-57)
155. Stephen X (1057-58)
156. Nicholas II (1058-61)
157. Alexander II (1061-73)
158. St. Gregory VII (1073-85)
159. Blessed Victor III (1086-87)
160. Blessed Urban II (1088-99)
161. Paschal II (1099-1118)
162. Gelasius II (1118-19)
163. Callistus II (1119-24)
164. Honorius II (1124-30)
165. Innocent II (1130-43)
166. Celestine II (1143-44)
167. Lucius II (1144-45)
168. Blessed Eugene III (1145-53)
169. Anastasius IV (1153-54)
170. Adrian IV (1154-59)
171. Alexander III (1159-81)
172. Lucius III (1181-85)
173. Urban III (1185-87)
174. Gregory VIII (1187)
175. Clement III (1187-91)
176. Celestine III (1191-98)
177. Innocent III (1198-1216)
178. Honorius III (1216-27)
179. Gregory IX (1227-41)
180. Celestine IV (1241)
181. Innocent IV (1243-54)
182. Alexander IV (1254-61)
183. Urban IV (1261-64)
184. Clement IV (1265-68)
185. Blessed Gregory X (1271-76)
186. Blessed Innocent V (1276)
187. Adrian V (1276)
188. John XXI (1276-77)
189. Nicholas III (1277-80)
190. Martin IV (1281-85)
191. Honorius IV (1285-87)
192. Nicholas IV (1288-92)
193. St. Celestine V (1294)
194. Boniface VIII (1294-1303)
195. St. Benedict XI (1303-04)
196. Clement V (1305-14)
197. John XXII (1316-34)
198. Benedict XII (1334-42)
199. Clement VI (1342-52)
200. Innocent VI (1352-62)
201. Blessed Urban V (1362-70)
202. Gregory XI (1370-78)
203. Urban VI (1378-89)
204. Boniface IX (1389-1404)
205. Innocent VII (1404-06)
206. Gregory XII (1406-15)
207. Martin V (1417-31)
208. Eugene IV (1431-47)
209. Nicholas V (1447-55)
210. Callistus III (1455-58)
211. Pius II (1458-64)
212. Paul II (1464-71)
213. Sixtus IV (1471-84)
214. Innocent VIII (1484-92)
215. Alexander VI (1492-1503)
216. Pius III (1503)
217. Julius II (1503-13)
218. Leo X (1513-21)
219. Adrian VI (1522-23)
220. Clement VII (1523-34)
221. Paul III (1534-49)
222. Julius III (1550-55)
223. Marcellus II (1555)
224. Paul IV (1555-59)
225. Pius IV (1559-65)
226. St. Pius V (1566-72)
227. Gregory XIII (1572-85)
228. Sixtus V (1585-90)
229. Urban VII (1590)
230. Gregory XIV (1590-91)
231. Innocent IX (1591)
232. Clement VIII (1592-1605)
233. Leo XI (1605)
234. Paul V (1605-21)
235. Gregory XV (1621-23)
236. Urban VIII (1623-44)
237. Innocent X (1644-55)
238. Alexander VII (1655-67)
239. Clement IX (1667-69)
240. Clement X (1670-76)
241. Blessed Innocent XI (1676-89)
242. Alexander VIII (1689-91)
243. Innocent XII (1691-1700)
244. Clement XI (1700-21)
245. Innocent XIII (1721-24)
246. Benedict XIII (1724-30)
247. Clement XII (1730-40)
248. Benedict XIV (1740-58)
249. Clement XIII (1758-69)
250. Clement XIV (1769-74)
251. Pius VI (1775-99)
252. Pius VII (1800-23)
253. Leo XII (1823-29)
254. Pius VIII (1829-30)
255. Gregory XVI (1831-46)
256. Blessed Pius IX (1846-78)
257. Leo XIII (1878-1903)
258. St. Pius X (1903-14)
259. Benedict XV (1914-22)
260. Pius XI (1922-39)
261. Pius XII (1939-58)
262. Blessed John XXIII (1958-63)
263. Paul VI (1963-78)
264. John Paul I (1978)
265. John Paul II (1978-2005)
266. Benedict XVI (2005-2013)
266. Francis (2013—)
Prayer for Protection against Storms and Floods
Graciously hear us, O Lord, when we call upon You,
and grant unto our supplications a calm atmosphere,
that we, who are justly afflicted for our sins,
may, by Your protecting mercy, experience pardon.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Patron Saints Against Storms
When Moses returned from Mount Sinai to see the Israelites, he had with him the Ten Commandments. However, the Ten Commandments was not all that God had given to Moses on the mountain. He also received instructions on how to have his laborers construct the Ark of the Covenant. What happened to the Ark of the Covenant, and where is it today?
According to Scripture, we know the Ark of the Covenant was constructed and placed inside were the tablets of stone upon which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, Aaron’s staff, and a jar of manna.
“In it were the gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant.” – Hebrews 9:4
During the construction of Solomon’s Temple, the Holy of Holies was prepared inside to house the Ark. It remained there until one of King Josiah of Judah’s predecessors had it removed. The final mention of the Ark of the Covenants whereabouts in Scripture comes in the eighteenth year of King Josiah of Judah’s reign in 627 B.C., when he ordered the caretakers of the Ark of the Covenant to return it to the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
“He said to the Levites who were to instruct all Israel, and who were consecrated to the LORD: ‘Put the holy ark in the house built by Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. It shall no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Serve now the LORD, your God, and his people Israel.'” – 2 Chronicles 35:3
Forty years later, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon led his second Siege of Jerusalem. The Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and with it destroyed Solomon’s Temple. Neither the Book of Kings nor the Book of Chronicles mentions what became of the Ark following the Babylonian attack.
An ancient Greek apocryphal version of the biblical third Book of Ezra, 1 Esdras, suggests that Babylonians took away the vessels of the Ark of the Covenant, but does not mention taking away the Ark itself.
“And they took all the holy vessels of the Lord, both great and small, with the vessels of the ark of God, and the king’s treasures, and carried them away into Babylon.” – 1 Esdras 1:54
This account contradicts the actions of the prophet Jeremiah, who was said to have received a divine message just prior to the Babylonian invasion to take the Tabernacle and the Ark to Mount Nebo. There, he placed the two within a cave, sealed it, and said to those trying to find it that its location will only be revealed when God again gathers His people.
“When Jeremiah arrived there, he found a chamber in a cave in which he put the tent, the ark, and the altar of incense; then he sealed the entrance. ‘The place is to remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows them mercy.'” – 2 Maccabees 2:5,7
So where is the Ark of the Covenant today? Many theories have been put forth by archaeologists and by those claiming to have the real Ark in their possession. Some have claimed the Ark was buried underneath the Temple Mount, before Nebuchadnezzar’s men could find it. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church claims to house the real Ark in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum, a city in northern Ethiopia. An even more spurious claim was proposed by British Israelists that believe the Ark is buried underneath the Hill of Tara in Ireland, supposedly the origin of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow legend.
Unfortunately, the archaeologist community does not hold any of these theories in high esteem, and there’s no credible evidence to support their claims. In the end, the final location of the Ark remains known but only to God, and we may never find out what happened to the Ark until the Lord Himself returns.
Photo credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
When white smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel signifying a man has been elected to the papacy, he chooses a papal name and is bestowed with eight official titles. It might surprise you that of those eight titles, pope is not one of them. So then, why do we call the pope “the pope?”
In the very early years of the Church, the terms “episcopos” and “presbyter” were used interchangeably to refer to local congregations lead by bishops. The first usage of the word páppas, pope in Greek meaning “father”, to refer to a church leader was in regard to the Patriarch of Alexandria, Pope Heraclas of Alexandria. In a letter written by his successor, Pope Dionysus of Alexendria (reigned 248 A.D. to 264 A.D to Philemon, a Roman presbyter he makes mention of a “Pope Heraclas.”
“τοῦτον ἐγὼ τὸν κανόνα καὶ τὸν τύπον παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου πάπα ἡμῶν Ἡρακλᾶ παρέλαβον.”
“I received this rule and ordinance from our blessed father/pope, Heraclas.”
In the East, the honorific designation of “pope” was reserved for the Bishop of Alexandria. However, in the West it was used for any bishop. The earliest extant record of the word papa being used in reference specifically to the Bishop of Rome dates to late 3rd century, when it was applied to Pope Marcinellus.
The first usage of the English word “pope” arrives the year 950 A.D., in an Old English translation of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People making reference to Pope Vitalian.
“Þa wæs in þa tid Uitalius papa þæs apostolican seðles aldorbiscop.
In Modern English:
At that time, Pope Vitalian was chief bishop of the apostolic see.”
Today, the pope title continues to refer to the Alexandrian bishops, both Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Alexandria are known as the “Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria.”
In the West, the pope title became reserved chiefly for the Bishop of Rome around the 5th and 6th centuries. In 998, an Archbishop of Milan was rebuked for having called himself pope. In 1073, Pope Gregory VII issued a decree that no other bishop of the Catholic Church could hold the title except the Bishop of Rome.
Editorial credit: Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com
If you travel around seven and a half miles north of the city of Šiauliai in northern Lithuania, you will come upon a rather peculiar hill – one adorned in over 200,000 crosses and crucifixes.
The decorated mound is known as the Hill of Crosses and has been a site of pilgrimage for Lithuanian Catholics for almost two hundred years. Following the Uprising of 1831, when families could not locate the bodies of perished rebels, they would place a cross on the former Jurgaičiai hill fort. Over the generations, the practice continued and would come to include statues of the Virgin Mary, tiny effigies, and rosaries.
Following the fall of the political structure of Eastern Europe during World War I, Lithuania again declared its independence. During the Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles, the Hill of Crosses was used as a place of pilgrimage for Lithuanians to pray for peace, their country, and for loved ones lost during the wars.
During Soviet Occupation of Lithuania from 1944 to 1990, the site took on an even more special significance. People flocked to the hill to continue to leave their tributes, demonstrating allegiance to their national identity, religion, culture, and heritage. The Soviet Union thrice attempted to thwart the peaceful resistance, bulldozing the hill over. Despite Soviet attempts, each time the Hill of Crosses was replenished by faithful Lithuanians.
Ancient legends and mysterious folktales abound the Hill of Crosses, says one local:
“The hill has many secrets. According to folklore, there was once a church where the hill now stands. During a terrible storm, lightning struck the church and the tempest buried it under sand and rock with everyone still inside. Locals say that you can glimpse a ghost procession of monks at the foot of the hill at sunrise. Throughout the ages, magical appearances, visions of saints and sightings of ghosts have been a part of the hill’s history.”
One renowned story of the hill’s creation is the tale of a desperate father whose daughter had suddenly fallen ill. As the girl lay on her deathbed, the father had a vision of a woman who told him his daughter would recover only if he were to make a wooden cross and place it on a nearby hill. In the morning, he carved a wooden cross and rushed to the hill. Upon his return home, his daughter greeted him perfectly well again at the doorway. Since then, people have left their own crosses in hopes their prayers would be answered.
On September 7, 1993, Pope Saint John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses and declared it a place for hope, peace, love, and sacrifice. Today the hill remains under nobody’s jurisdiction and people are free to build crosses as they see fit.
Photo credit: A. Aleksandravicius / Ana Flasker / Matyas Rehak / Skreidzeleu / Andrius Maciunas / Fotokon | Editorial credit: A. Aleksandravicius / Matyas Rehak / Shutterstock.com
Although a majority have been lost to history, some of the earliest relics of the Church still survive to this day. Of the surviving artifacts, those associated with Jesus Christ Himself have been the most studied and fascinating of them of all.
The most well known of these artifacts include the Shroud of Turin, the True Cross, and the Holy Robe of Jesus Christ. However, one obscure and little-known relic you might not have heard of is purported to have the actual footprints of Jesus.
According to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, Saint Peter was fleeing from his persecutors in Rome around the year 64 A.D. Along the Appian Way outside the city, Jesus appeared to Peter who asked Him “Lord, where you are you going?” To which Christ replied, “I am going to Rome to be crucified again.” It is said Peter gained his courage to return to Rome, continue his ministry, and accept his crucifixion upside down.
Tradition holds that on this site of Jesus’ appearance to Peter, a church was erected. The Church of Domine Quo Vadis, also known as Church of Saint Mary in Palmis, is named after the question Peter asked Jesus in Latin (“Lord, where you are you going?”). According to tradition, at the center of the church is a marble block containing the impression of Jesus’ feet he left after His appearance to Peter.
The official name of the church alludes to the relic, as palmis refers to the soles of Jesus’ feet. In the past, the church had an inscription above its facade that was later removed by Pope Saint Gregory XVI in 1845 that reads:
“Stop your walking, traveler, and enter this sacred temple in which you will find the footprint of our Lord Jesus Christ when He met with Saint Peter who escaped from the prison. An alms for the wax and the oil is recommended in order to free some spirits from Purgatory.”
Today, the marble slab displaying Christ’s footprints in the Church of Domine Quo Vadis is a replica of the original, which is housed in the nearby Basilica of San Sebastiano Outside the Walls. The church is administered by priests of the Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel.
Photo credit: Jacopo Werther via Wikimedia Commons
