Tag: Milan

Posted on

Gifts from Swamiji

Ramesha and I just completed a special project for our May Patreon video (a little behind schedule due to illness).

As part of it I got to talk about a gift that Swamiji gave me back when we stilled lived in Switzerland (the full story is part of the video).

But it gave me a reason to remember and reflect on other special items I’ve received from Swami.

In September of 2003 Swami went to Milan and Como for book release events and I traveled by train from Assisi in order to participate (it’s a long story, involving a suitcase full of books; missed train connections; an impromptu “choir;” fabulous meals; deep inspiration; and getting to know a crazy young guy named Fabio — I’ll have to write a full blog about it sometime).

It was definitely an eventful weekend, made even more intense by the fact that I stayed in the apartment of two devotees from Milan who I didn’t really know and who spoke virtually no English. It really was quite uncomfortable and awkward.

At the conclusion of the weekend I was supposed to take the train back to Assisi, but was invited to join the group at Swamiji’s hotel for breakfast first. This somehow got communicated to my host who dropped me off near the hotel on his way to work.

As I walked up to the entrance I suddenly heard a “hello” from up above. It was Swamiji, calling to me from a window on the second floor. He said he had something for me and would be right down.

I met him in the lobby and he handed me the little Krishna that you see in the photo. A unexpected and precious moment I’ll never forget.

Posted on

Blessed by “The Two Popes”

“A beautiful little girl with Down syndrome, got up from her seat during a papal audience and went toward the Pope. The security guards quickly moved in to take her back to her mother. The Pope stopped everyone and said to the girl, “Come sit next to me.” The girl then sat down near him and the Holy Father continued to preach while holding hands with the little girl.” From uCatholic

The other night we watched a movie called, “The Two Popes,” starring Jonathan Pryce (as the future Pope Francis) and Anthony Hopkins (as the outgoing Pope Benedict). Though largely fictionalized, it was moving, inspiring, and thought-provoking.

I was brought up as a Protestant; my family attended a Methodist church around the corner from our home in Milpitas. I had a number of Catholic friends throughout the years, but didn’t know much about their religion.

Living for four years in Italy and southern Switzerland, where the majority of people are Catholic, was an eye-opening experience for me. I loved hearing church bells coming from all directions on Sunday mornings. And I loved watching on Palm Sunday as a procession — with priests, altar boys, and congregation — wound its way through the narrow streets of the small village where we were living.

But what touched me the most was being there in 2005 while Pope John Paul II was dying. My father was visiting from California and we took him to Milan to see the magnificent Duomo. As it turned out, instead of walking around and admiring the impressive art and architecture, we sat in the back of the cathedral and joined the hundreds of people who were congregated there to pray for the Pope.

A few days later, for the first time in my life, I heard a bell tolling and knew that John Paul had died. The sadness was palpable throughout the entire region. But soon the bells were ringing again, this time joyously…celebrating the election of Pope Benedict.

I moved from perceiving “the Pope” as an abstract concept to having a felt awareness of his significance, and I found I could relate.

Fast forward to Sacramento Airport in March of 2013. Ramesha and I were waiting to board our flight when we saw on the television in the waiting area that there was a new pope. No one else in the gate area was paying any attention, but we were suddenly glued to the screen. And that was when we were first introduced to Pope Francis.

Again, I’m not Catholic, but in some indefinable way I feel like he’s my Pope. I think this is part of why I found the movie so very touching.