Christ is Risen! (still!)

Well....technically I am still within the Easter Season...until Sunday. Oh I just love Pentecost! But thats besides the point. 


The point is...its still technically the Easter Season so Im going to go ahead and pretend Im not so late in posting and sharing this! 

So, finally those 40 days of special prayer and penitence passed and April brought Easter!

My second Easter in Vienna, one full of new experiences, friendships, insights, responsibilities, and surprises! Let me explain…

After the overwhelmingly positive and touching response from those who participated in the Theological/Cultural Vacation over New Year’s, we decided Easter would be the perfect feast to once again bring people together from all over Europe and Austria, former volunteers, friends of Heart’s Home, and new acquaintances alike for special twist on Holy Week—a fusion of spiritual retreat and cultural discovery in the heart of Europe.

We had 15 guests from France (including the mom and aunt of Fr. Clemens!), Poland, Austria, Japan, Germany (not to mention our own respective countries within community) who were all put up through the generosity of our friends with free space in their apartments throughout Vienna from Thursday afternoon until Sunday evening.

A couple days before Holy Week--Monika teaching us the Isreali dance steps so we can help lead during the traditional Jewish Seder meal we would have on Holy Thursday

Fr. Jacques preparing the lamb shank for the Seder meal...

it marinated for two days and was cooked a total of 10 hours!

Blessed John Paul II, who Fr. Thierry named as this year’s saint for the Heart’s Home community worldwide, was also our guide for the retreat—bringing us deeper every morning into the mystery of our redemption through profound talks given by Fr. Jacques and Fr. Clemens.

Other than the fixed teachings in the mornings, we had quite a diverse and interesting schedule that went something like this…

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The women and men from Poland (5 in all) were the first to arrive, the night before the vacation began
Anjeshka is reading up on the "Service list" --like a family style holiday everyone participating also gets to help with setup, cooking, and cleanup! 

On Thursday we all gathered for lunch—a typical Austrian meal for Gründonnerstag (Green Thursday) as they call it in Austria—which should include in some way or another: spinach, eggs, and potatoes. The new little family of strangers gathered to celebrate the biggest feast in the Church calendar gathered around the table. 

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Kasha helping out with preparations for lunch

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Eggs in a Spinach Nest!

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"Green Thursday" table!

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Gathering for lunch

The meal was followed by an introduction to the weekend and then a walking tour through Vienna’s city center (given by…yours truly)—a fusion of historical info and theological insights gathered from a careful study of the talks given by Blessed John Paul II during his three papal visits to the country at the heart of Europe. We ended the tour at St. Peter’s Church on Graben right in time for the Holy Thursday Liturgy, after which we headed back to the house for a special Holy Thursday Supper! 

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We ran into Sidonia as we began the tour. Alina's trying to tell Maya not to take a picture because Sidonia was offended. But secretly I'm so thankful that she snapped this one because its the only one I have of this dear friend! 

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JPII + Vienna Tour

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Anti-war and Fascism Memorial

from JPII speech in 1998 (in Salzburg)--> "True peace comes from the heart. 'You are in the centre of the continent, like a strong heart", states your federal anthem. In past years, this land in the heart of Europe has joined the community of those who have set out on the way which has the unification of the continent as its goal. To build the new Europe, many hands and especially many hearts are needed that beat not only for profit and money, but for the love of God and man. My hope is that the heart of Europe will remain strong and healthy. Precisely for this reason, I pray that the thoughts and actions of all Austrian citizens will be inspired by a firm will to respect without reservation the dignity of each person and to welcome life in all its forms and phases. 

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Street-sweeping Jew at the Anti-War and Fascism Memorial

from JPII's speech in Salzburg 1998--> "...the concept of man, created in the image and likeness of God, is not a museum piece, but represents the keystone of contemporary Europe, in which the many building stones of various cultures, peoples, and religions can be held together for the construction of the new building. Without this standard the European house under construction is in danger of collapse and cannot last. (...) Austria, in particular, has shared in Europe's fortunes, exercising a decisive influence. It shows in an exemplary way how many ethnic groups in a limited space can live together in fruitful tension, working creatively to build unity in diversity. (...) Thus Austria is becoming the mirror and model of a united Europe which does not want to marginalize anyone, but to make room for all." 

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Hero's Square, Monument to Prince Eugene of Savoy, and the face of the National Library

from JPII's Address in Hero's Square in 1998-- "Dear brothers and sisters, whoever reflects on the  history of the Church with eyes of love will discover that despite the many faults and shadows, there were and still are men and women everywhere whose lives highlight the credibility of the Gospel. Today I am given the joy to enroll three Christians from your land among the 'blesseds'. Each of them individually confirmed his or her profession of faith in the Messiah through personal witness of life. All three blesseds show us that "Messiah" is not only a title for Christ but also means a willingness to co-operate in the messianic work: the great become small and the weak take the lead. It is not the heroes of the world who are speaking today in Hero's Square, but the heros of the Church. Sixty years ago from the balcony overlooking this square, a man proclaimed himself salvation (Hitler). The new blesseds have another message. They tell us: Salvation (Heil) is not found in a man, but rather: Hail (Heil) to Christ, the King and Redeemer!"

Returning to our ancestral roots, we prepared a Seder meal—complete with menorahs, traditional food, ritual prayers, four cups of wine, and all concluded with the best part—Jewish music and dance! Monika was our teacher (having had taken Israeli dance classes several years earlier…is there anything this girl doesn’t do?) and everyone was up on their feet taking part---from 85-year-old Frau Hattori, to Martin Bredl (the husband of Agnes) who swears that he hates to dance.

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Ritual hand-washing before entering the Seder dinner by the father(s) of the house

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Lighting the candles to complete the setting

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Waiting for the "Mother" of the house (a role Frau Hattori had agreed to fill) to arrive in order to start the meal

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Mathilde set the tables SO beautifully!

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Frau Hattori lighting the Menorahs

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Praying/Reciting/Singing the Psalms in German, Polish, and French

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Pouring the first cup

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Getting lost between languages

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Second cup

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Matzoh Ball soup!
Eating rest of the dinner and desert was too scrumptious that no one got pictures... 

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Then we finished the ceremony of the meal and got to dancing! 

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And that meant everyone! We didn't have to pressure or convince! It was pure joy! 

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And Monika was a wonderful teacher! 

We were guided into the silence, fasting, penitence, and sorrow of Good Friday by the morning reflection of JPII’s encyclical Salvifici Doloris. After the morning spent in silence and prayer with the possibility for confession, we ate our simple lunch in silence, listening only to classical compositions of Mozart’s Requiem. After lunch we headed to the Art History Museum where we were met by our friend and Austrian artist Clemens Fuchs who had prepared a special rendition of the Way of the Cross for us—an artistic way of the cross with 14 stations each carefully chosen from the treasures hanging inside the art history museum which depict the different stages of Christ’s Passion. Not only did he introduce us to the pieces of art, the history and artists behind the masterpieces, and the artistic techniques used, but he took us into his own spirituality as an artist and what touches his soul when he contemplates the Redemption Christ won for us as depicted in the paintings. 

Quite an amazing and deepening experience in itself, I was even more touched when Kasha (a Polish woman) shared with me how touched she was by this special Way of the Cross. She said it was like receiving a little treasure. That, in fact, the whole weekend, at least up to this point, was like receiving little treasures here and there—they were simply collecting little treasures that will remain safely tucked in her heart and memory for years to come. We attended the Passion Liturgy at Rochuskirche, the home parish of a dear priest friend of ours, and as always, the liturgy there was absolutely magnificent and moving. After the ending of the liturgy (not a mass), there was a candlelit procession of the veiled Eucharistic monstrance, which was then finally installed on one of the side altars underneath which a curtain was removed and there lay a sculpture of Christ lying in the tomb. In between my prayers I caught sight of a moving sight—more simply beautiful and more moving than the whole liturgy put together—the sight of a Father with his two children, coming up before the altar, kneeling down in Eucharistic adoration and then showing his children Christ. I can only imagine the sweet words he was using to gently explain to his young ones the reality of our salvation and our King lying in the grave while remaining victorious in the Eucharist.

Art History Museum 

Holy Saturday was also spent mostly in a spirit of silence: the silence of waiting and anticipation. Bl. John Paul II said that this silence of the Father after Christ’s death is something hard for us to grasp or understand in the midst of our project and progress driven world so used to immediate gratification. But, the mission of the Church is to listen to the Father’s silence, for it is in the experience of the Father’s silence that we receive Mercy. Without experiencing the waiting and patience necessitated by God the Father’s silence, we would happily be on our way only depending on our own strength and thinking that we ourselves have the key to success, to our lives, to our happiness. The Father’s silence is pivotal for the Redemption because we the redeemed need time to open our heart’s to the grace promised to us and won for us on the cross. But this silence is not, contrary to superficial belief, empty. It is a silence pregnant with HOPE.

It was exactly this impregnated silence—this hope-filled vastness and worldly emptiness that we discovered after lunch when Fr. Jacques gave us the introduction to Anselm Kiefer—an artist whose exhibition we were about to go visit. Kiefer viewed our post-WWII world as the reality of Holy Saturday. Everyone is asking or exclaiming, “Where is God?”, “How could He have let this happen!”, “He has left and abandoned us!” in the midst of all the pain and destruction. Why is the Father silent? Kiefer viewed art as facilitating movement—as an entryway to meeting God in our worldly reality. Art, in a spirit of Redemption, with a perspective of the “empty” reality really being impregnated with hope—the anticipation in the silence of Holy Saturday in which God has already won, already redeemed us, and yet we are so sure that he has abandoned and left us without a victory. 

Lunch on Holy Saturday 

Fr. Clemens' aunt fixing our door handles! 

Holy Saturday 

Holy Saturday

That evening, after the exhibition and some personal time we met back at our house to break the Lenten Fast with a traditional Austrian Easter Jause and some time simply together before heading to the Bishop’s Palace to gather around the Easter fire and prepare for the Easter Vigil. We looked on as Cardinal Schönborn blessed the Easter fire and the Easter candle and then led the candlelight procession (which we were a part of) into the darkness of St. Stephan’s Cathedral. We participated in the Easter Vigil and then 1am arrived with the ending of the mass and it was time to go sleep!

Reconvening for the Easter evening "Jause" and then off to the Easter Vigil at the Cathedral! 

Easter Fire in the Archbishop's Palace

 We greeted Easter morning with Laudes, followed by spoiled plans of a picnic on Kahlenburg overlooking Vienna. But it turned out to be a beautiful day of togetherness and joyful celebration anyway!

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Easter morning after a late night at the Vigil!

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 We ate Easter brunch, gathered for the priest’s concluding talks, and then prepared for the mass together in Karmeliterkirche.

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Cracking the hard-boiled eggs

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We prepared and practiced the liturgical music, lead by Fr. Clemens, and as a special bonus to our Easter celebration, Tomoko joined us with her two daughters for the day, and Tomoko offered to play for the mass! 

Tomoko poised and practiced....ready to play for the Easter mass

rehearsing the mass parts

even Keiko and Reiko came to the mass!

After the mass we had some free time to sit and talk, followed by an Easter picnic indoors and then the afternoon was free (for a visit to the Hundertwasser Museum with Fr. Jacques, or a traditional Viennese Kaffee und Kuchen in an Wiener Café with Monika and Tomoko) until 5pm when we reconvened and closed the retreat with “Regina Coeli”.

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Fr. Clemens' mom toasting to the Resurrection! :)


Regina Coeli

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this is Johannes...

One of our surprise last minute guests goes by the name Johannes and lives and studies in Graz. He had heard of Heart’s Home when Alina and I were in Graz earlier in the month giving presentations on the mission of Heart’s Home. Later, with no one else to celebrate Easter with and intrigued by the mission and presence of Heart’s Home, he decided at the last minute (he called and asked if he could come to the Retreat two days before it started) to come spend Easter with us. As he was leaving on Sunday, he thanked us for hosting the weekend, for giving him a place to spend the feast where, in the midst of international strangers, he immediately felt love and belonging. I was so struck by his words—I felt like I belonged here without question or reservation. I was so touched by his words and the reality of what I experienced over the weekend as well—to stand in a room full of strangers who in 4 days become a true family. It comes down to this—we are united in Christ to whom we all belong. 

(Note: those photos marked with an asterisk do not belong to me. they were taken by Maya, one of the Polish young women who joined us! She is quite a gifted photographer!)