Stations

Our written itinery told us that we would have Mass that morning in the Seminary Chapel but we got a lovely surprise when we were told that the coach was collecting us to bring us into Vilnius Old Town. It was a beautiful morning. And we walked from Cathedral Square to the Divine Mercy Shrine. It was lovely to sit there during Mass and see the original Image of Divine Mercy look down at us. The Gospel today told of the lady whose faith saved her after she touched Our Lord’s cloak and was saved of her haemorrhaging and Jairus’s daughter who had died and was brought back. Fr spoke of her and Lazarus and said that although they were wonderful miracles how much more wonderful was the Miracle of someone with a mortal sin going to confession and being absolved. A person with a mortal sin is spiritually dead but being absolved of his sin he is spiritually alive. After all Lazarus had to die again, - food for thought. After Mass we had a little time to relax or go wandering. This was my uncle's fourth time on this Pilgrimage and he is great at remembering places so we opted to go wandering. We visited the Dominican church next to the Divine Mercy Shrine. The Holy spirit church – a beautiful ornate church. It is interesting that the ornate churches have such beauty and so also has the simplicity of the Divine Mercy Shrine.

After lunch in the Seminary we went to the local church. This church is a Dominican church and has a relic of the Holy Cross. The Priest came out and gave us all a blessing with the relic. We then headed into the wood for the Stations of the Cross. The Stations there are known as Verkiai Kalvary. They have 35 Stations; however we were just going to do the 14 Stations we normally do. When we set off the sun was spitting the stones, but we could hear the thunder in the distance slowly started to rain until a thunder storm came. We had to abandon the Stations at the seventh Station, and complete them ourselves in the Seminary. A few people decided to go back out to complete them outside and I was going to join them, but was persuaded not to, as the weather was still bad. It was just as well. I went into the Chapel and completed them there, and it was really my own personal stations. My favourite station is Simon helping carry the cross. I pray for all my Simons – all the people who have helped me in times of distress. Later on after dinner we had Exposition. A great way of unwinding.