March 5, 2013 Tuesday: Divine Mercy Novena Week #5

Today’s Divine Mercy pilgrimage takes us to the city of Rome, to the ancient landmark of the Roman Colosseum. Many movies have been made about the gladiators, fight with the animals, and Christians who were condemned to death there. It has seating capacity of 50,000, and during 500 years of its use, it is estimated that over 500,000 people lost their lives in that colosseum. Before it was called the “Arena of Death,” and today it is a cultural landmark which hosts a very important annual event there on Good Friday: the Way of the Cross with the Holy Father. It is as if, the Holy Father and the Church are imploring heaven for the forgiveness of centuries of human sin that condemned people to death there.

 Many times though, that ‘Arena of Death’ can happen right in our hearts. We have seen movies where the crowd in the Roman Colosseum vote with their thumbs down to condemn someone to death. Who here has not been tempted daily with desire to judge others like the crowd in the colosseum? We may have thoughts like, ‘that good-for-nothing’ co-worker, spouse, family member, or friend. We may be tempted to blame them for every difficulty (including even the difficulties that are evidently caused by me). And how many of us had thoughts like, ‘he owes me more than this.’
 Do you ever wonder how bloodthirsty events in the colosseum came to an end? Around 400 AD, a Christian monk by the name of Telemachus was led by Holy Spirit to the Roman Colosseum. When he saw gladiators fighting, he went down to middle of the fighting floor and cried out to the gladiators and to the crowd who were enjoying the spectacle, “In the name of Christ, stop!” The crowd, enraged that someone would dare to interfere with their entertainment, stoned Telemachus to death. When Emperor Honorius heard of what happened, he issued a decree to end all gladiatorial fights.

In the Colosseum near where Roman emperors sat at watched the games, now stands a cross, as a memorial of all those Christians who lost their lives there. Before Romans used cross as instrument of threat, “If you cross us, we will put you to death on the cross.” Now the cross is a reminder that in the face of even the most heinous acts of hatred, blame, and sin, Divine Mercy of God triumphs over all. That is why Pope Benedict XVI reminded those gathered to pray the Way of the Cross the following: “Through the sorrowful way of the cross, the men of all ages, reconciled and redeemed by the blood of Christ, have become friends of God, sons of the heavenly Father...’Friend,' is what Jesus calls Judas and he offers him the last and dramatic call to conversion. 'Friend,' he calls each of us, because he is the authentic friend of everyone.” Recalling Christ’s love made manifest on the cross for us, his daily Presence, his tokens of affection, we begin to be able to show mercy. We have been forgiven much, therefore, we should forgive.