Shopping Adventure & Weekend Jubilee for "Ragazzi" (Kids)

This weekend was BUSY!  Several BIG events going on here.  First one was personal - second was Church-wide.  Here's the story of both.

This weekend the Cardinal had some friends visiting Rome - they came by the house for drinks and dinner (out) the other day - and it was decided that they would come up to the apartment on Sunday morning for Mass.

An Aside - Here's something I've learned: Being a Cardinal is not all glitz and glamour.  It is, in some ways, a prison sentence (my opinion, of course).  It's not like a Cardinal - who is the head of a diocese and who has another job here in Rome - can, on any given Sunday, just show up at the local parish church (even his own titular church) and ask to concelebrate.  A Cardinal showing up is a BIG DEAL.  There is that sense of hierarchy - if a Cardinal is there he has to preside (at the least) if not celebrate the Mass.  (That's a slight variation - the highest ranking always presides but does not always celebrate...  For example, at a priest-parent funeral the priest-son always celebrates the Mass, but the Bishop is present & presides in choir dress, sitting off to the side.  It's a liturgical nuance.)  SO - unless there are other plans, we usually have Mass here in the apartment in our chapel - rather than a parish church).

The only photo I could find.  The Cardinals are in choir dress - present, but not concelebrating Mass.

I offered, since they were coming that early, to make breakfast for the 4 of us.  I've been having a desire to cook - so that gave me the perfect excuse.  He said that would be great - so I put together a menu: blueberry muffins, spinach scramble (with tomatoes, Hollandaise sauce and Feta cheese), breakfast potatoes, sausage.  So I needed to check our kitchen for the needed ingredients.

Now I know there is a BIG difference between baking SODA and baking POWDER.  But when it's all written in Italian...  there was a lot of running to the computer to translate labels.  So, I got the list of things we didn't have - and was ready to head off to the local food market.

Don't think I walked to the Giant food store (a local grocery store chain in PA).  No such thing.  It's all local food stores.  A fairly good size considering it's a store mid-block in the City of Rome.  But, it ain't a Walmart Super Center!  So... frozen blueberries....  hmmm... no.  Maybe some canned...  no.  In a jar...?  Not there either.  Found some fresh (at another store).  OK.  Milk & eggs.  They won't be in the refrigerated section - but in an aisle somewhere - go figure.  It's just different here.  Pam - non-stick cooking spray... NOPE!  Nowhere to be found.  Everything else was fairly easy, but I just had to search till I found it.

Notice the NARROW aisle...

OK - that task completed, now it was time to bake the muffins.  20 minutes at 375.  Oh, wait - celsius.  What is 375 in celsius?  Back to the computer - ah... 190.  OK.  But how do I turn this thing on?  There's an entire series of different symbols: arch above; arch below; a fan with heat coming from everywhere; some round thing with a pizza-looking symbol on it...  I decided on the arch above & below.  Seemed to work - a fan is running.  I let it pre-heat.  Hmmm... it's not hot.  I think you also have to set the timer - or it won't work.  (There are all kinds of energy-saving features here - like it or not.)

Everything else wasn't too difficult - it was just finding things in someone else's kitchen - and me without my own tools of the trade.  They came out... merely ok.  Tough (don't know why), but they tasted OK.  Everything else worked out fine and was nice.

JUBILEE FOR YOUTH:

This weekend, as part of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, was the Jubilee for children (really designed for 13-15 year olds).  There was a big gathering at St. Peter's Square on Saturday morning - with LOTS Of priests for confession - even the Pope showed up and heard confessions for an hour...

Saturday evening there was a big rally at the Rome Olympic Stadium for the youth.

Sunday morning a HUGE Mass in St. Peter's Square.  It was PACKED!  So, following our own Mass and breakfast, I took the Cardinal's guests up to the roof of the North American College for one of the most beautiful views of Rome.

Then we headed down toward St. Peter's Square for the Regina Caeli and blessing - and the tour around the Square in the Popemobile.  I was astounded at the crowd!  1000's of people gathered for the celebration of Mass - and many, many more gathering throughout the Mass for the Regina Caeli and the journey around the Square in the Popemobile.

We couldn't even get close to the Square - so we settled for a spot along the Via Conciliazione.  I'm sorry - I tried to take a video (and it would have been good) but I had an epic fail with my camera - I pushed the wrong button...  Sorry.  None-the-less, here are the photos of the crowd at our spot where the Popemobile would go past - twice.

The Holy Father also had a wonderful message for the young people gathered 

(from CatholicCulture.org):

Describing love as the “the Christian’s identity card, the only valid ‘document’ identifying us as Christians,” Pope Francis preached that love is “shown in real actions. Those who are not real and genuine and who speak of love are like characters is a soap opera, some fake love story.” 

Such love is “demanding, and it requires effort,” he continued. “To love means to give, not only something material, but also something of oneself: one’s own time, one’s friendship, one’s own abilities.” 

Christ, the Pope added, “offers us his faithful friendship, which he will never take back.” 

“The Lord is a friend forever,” Pope Francis said. “Even if you disappoint him and walk away from him, Jesus continues to want the best for you and to remain close to you; he believes in you even more than you believe in yourself. This is an example of genuine love that Jesus teaches to us.” 

The Pope also called young people to seek true freedom by choosing the good, rather than being content with “mediocrity” and seeking an abundance of possessions. 

“Freedom is not the ability simply to do what I want,” he said. “This makes us self-centered and aloof, and it prevents us from being open and sincere friends … Instead, freedom is the gift of being able to choose the good: this is true freedom.” 

Here's the entire Mass if you'd like to watch...