Holy year countdown.

[Rosina Lila]

Hello you all,
Next Monday, September 22,  at noon, will commence the festivities in
Santiago to mark the 100-day countdown to the opening of the Holy Door in the
Cathedral, which officially marks the start of a Xacobean Holy Year.
Spanish notables, religious and laic, as well as representatives from France,
Germany, Italy and other countries,  will attend a banquet at the Reyes
Catolicos Parador in Obradeiro; this will be followed by musical and other
celebrations throughout the day in the squares surrounding the Cathedral.
The Holy door will be opened by the Archbishop at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday,
January 1, 2004.
There is a very nice statue of Santo Domingo de la Calzada in the Cathedral.
The statue is in the third chapel to the right of the Holy Door, viewed from
the inside of the church.  Santo Domingo is generally represented as an older,
slightly stooped,  man in a hooded habit.  The statue in the Santiago
Cathedral is different. He appears, bareheaded, as an erect, strong, and determined
middle-aged man holding proudly a bridge on his right hand in which a
directional star (stela) may be discerned.  A female chicken (gallina) stands at his
feet. The statue is about one meter high and is located to the right of the
chapel's  altar facing in the direction of the Holy Door.
Although represented in a monk's habit, Santo Domingo was not himself a
priest;  when he applied as a candidate for the priesthood he failed the "entrance
exams" because he couldn't learn the rudiments of Latin and was considered too
dumb.  Wanting to be of service to God in other ways, he dedicated himself to
easing the way for Santiago pilgrims. Hence the bridges.
 Santo Domingo de la Calzada and its Cathedral are favorites of mine, and not
only because of the chickens. Although I don't understand them, the paintings
on the outside of the choir fascinate me, and I just love to see how the
light illuminates the statue of King David, playing a lyre, in one of the pillars
surrounding the altar.
As you know, there is a pilgrims' mass at the Cathedral at eight o'clock; now
the officiating priests invite pilgrims to remain, after Mass, if they wish,
for an explanation of the  meaning of the imagery and the history of the
church.  These explanations are given, in a very informal and friendly way, by a
multilingual priest in a sort-of question-and-answer manner.  The night that I
was there a pilgrim asked about the miracle of the hanged innocent young man
that didn't die; I was particularly curious because, frankly, it does take a
huge suspension of reason to take the happening anywhere near seriously.
He explained the miracle as a "modern times" parable, carrying the message
that human justice can be, and often is, unjust and wrong, and that human means
to dispense it are delicate and could be perilous, and our need to be very
careful about it.
As a lawyer who occasionally serves as a judge, that explanation has meant
very much to me and I share it with my colleagues often.
The chapel. or crypt, beneath Santo Domingo's tomb has been renovated and
offers a quite repose in which to rest and meditate, albeit, often, very often,
interrupted by the carryings-on of the rooster and his companion just above.
Warm regards,
Rosina
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