TRULY PRESENT | REFLECTIONS FROM ROME 2024

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14)

There we were in front of the tomb of St. Peter as we celebrated the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass during the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. It all seemed like a dream, but it wasn’t. As I walked the halls of Saint Peter’s Basilica and realized that there were Saints in most of the altars, the verse from the blessed Apostle John came alive.

As a faithful Catholic, I believe and know that Our Blessed Lord becomes present in the Most Holy Eucharist. This is true of all my brothers here on The Rome Experience, but celebrating Holy Mass at an altar that is directly in front of the tomb of Saint Peter, just magnified what I already believed that much more. The sense of gratitude and amazement that I had for the Holy Celebration, how thankful I was feeling for the lives of the saints that made practicing my faith possible. To be surrounded by the most unbelievable witnesses in our Christian faith and not just that, but feeling embraced by the Holy Fathers as Our Lord makes Himself present in the Most Holy Eucharist. Words cannot begin to scratch the surface of what happened that Thursday. I am thankful for The Rome Experience, and the hard work that is put into this program so that humble servants who want to do the will of God can have an experience of what the faith looks like when it is lived and is fully alive. It ends in witness, that is to say, in martyrdom. The martyrs in those tombs have reaffirmed my vocation, and I can only hope that I open my heart, soul, and mind to the grace of God to be able to bear witness such as theirs.

Blessed and saintly popes of Rome, ora pro nobis.

Jorge Garza
Diocese of Brownsville