Baptistery of Lydia and Philippi
First Day in Greece!
Today our pilgrim group spent its first full day in Greece! The weather was dreary as we loaded the bus to visit the sites of Lydia’s baptism, described in the Acts of the Apostles, and ancient Philippi. Our new guides have given us a very warm welcome, despite the wintery weather of Europe. We drove through lush mountains and valleys filled with farms dotted with Greek flags and rain puddles.
We arrived at Lydia’s baptismal site during a break in the rain, and fortunately, we were able to celebrate Mass outside under a pavilion. There was a fast flowing creek that made its way through the area where it is tradition to have adult baptisms. However, a Greek Orthodox Church built in a hexagonal shape dominates the site. The beautiful mosaics inside looked like brand new versions of the ones we saw in the cave churches in Cappadocia, but they told the stories of Lydia’s conversion in Scripture and her baptism into the Church of Christ. At a first glance up to the dome of the church, Christ catches the eyes at the very top and center of all of the eye-popping images. For me, it was a wonderful reminder of the whole point of the day.
Our Mass was said under a pavilion next to the creek. Our sacristan team put together our altar on top of a placed, smooth marble slab already there for groups like us. The seminarians gathered in a circle around our altar and our two noble priests. Mass was said, and before the final blessing, Fr. Kasule had us renew our baptismal vows at this monumental site, recognized around the world by those that read Scripture. It was a wonderful moment for all of us to share together – a moment that now joins the many moments at which our class has expressed intention to live a life Christ called us to. Among these moments were the rites of Candidacy, Acolyte, and Lector. But of these moments at which we all said a hardy “I do!”, the baptismal vow is the most important, as it laid the foundations for us to begin our work in seminary. It was a moving moment for me. I was baptized as an infant, but I always give thanks to God for the choice my parents made to have their son baptized. I never want to take that decision for granted, and whenever I can renew those vows that my parents made for me, I want to say them out loud and proud! To do it in such a setting was a gift, and something I will treasure for the rest of my life. I made sure to dip my hand in the rushing waters of the creek to ground myself in the moment, ground myself in the land, and ground myself in the call that Christ calls priests and seminarians to.
We finished our day by visiting nearby Philippi, about a five minute drive around one of the many mountains. There were ruins of old roman basilicas, agoras, houses, and of course, an amphitheater. We walked and stepped over many dilapidated rocks until we came to what was the old cathedral of the ancient city. Here we read Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians in its entirety, a wonderful reading that explains to Christians how to live out those baptismal vows we had just professed before. It emphasizes the “thankful” nature of Christian living. A “thankfulness” rooted in the glory of Christ’s sacrifice for humanity, and as Fr. Kasule emphasized earlier in the day, a “thankfulness” rooted in being united with all Christians in the work of building up the Church.
Hunter Ostapowicz, Diocese of Grand Rapids
