Time is a funny thing. It seems to just get away from you when all you want to do is cling to it. Time is escaping from me here in this land of wonder and awe. I have already been here for more than two weeks. I just can’t believe this. Yet, when I think about my time here in Austria, and all that has already happened, I can’t believe that it has only been two weeks.
Already, we have done so very much. From touring the glorious Melk Abbey, to seeing the sights of Vienna, exploring the wilderness on pilgrimage to Mariazell and experiencing the beauty of Salzburg and Munich. Each experience holds a special value. Each place is extraordinary in its own beautiful and unique way.
Vienna was the first major city we visited—and what a city to visit! Ordinarily, I don’t like cities whatsoever; Pittsburgh makes me cringe, (and that’s not only due to the Steelers) and I’m ready to just scream by the time I leave Cincinnati. But Vienna was different. The atmosphere had a certain charm. Nobody was in a hurry to get anywhere. People were just enjoying themselves, content with life and where they were.
Horse drawn carriages filled the streets, the clickety-clang of the horses hooves’ matched perfectly with the music floating from instruments as musicians performed on the streets. Quaint little coffee shops were found on nearly every corner. Cobble stone walk-ways led from square to square. Beautiful Hapsburg palaces and ornate cathedrals faced one-another as an example of the unity between Church and State.
Possibly the best part of my visit was touring the National Treasury Museum. The museum displayed fairy-tale-like garments; crowns and staffs and robes and gowns. A crib, decadently adorned, offered a lavish bed for a sleepy Hapsburg prince. Jewelry and treasure chests revealed the riches and luxury that the royal family experienced daily. The museum was full of grandeur, wealth, and fantasy. It was straight out of a Disney movie.
But all of this didn’t even compare to the final display of the museum. Because Austria was Catholic, along with other riches and treasures, the Hapsburgs collected innumerable relics throughout history. Pieces of the actual cross and first class relics of many saints could be seen.
One piece stood apart from all the rest. The actual veil of Veronica hung right before my eyes. The very climax of my entire experience in Vienna, maybe even in Europe, was at this moment. It was made of brown material; stains darkened it where Jesus’ face (His actual face!) imprinted in it. It wasn’t as clear as a photograph, but features were certainly distinguishable. Very easily, you could see His eyes, His nose and His mouth. One eye was swollen, a tear drop fell from the other. He had a long, narrow face. Even as a write this, I can’t believe that I saw that. In the Eucharist, He is physically present. I know this. But there is just something different about looking at a stained piece of cloth and knowing that the face of God is what stained it. And knowing that it was His blood—blood shed for me, for you—that stained it. It was so powerful. As I recall it in my memory, it is still powerful.
I think that it is for moments like these that God has us here in Europe. We have been given an incredible opportunity to be here. The time we have here is unique. God has a special plan for all of us; I think we need to remember that. When I started writing this, I wasn’t going to make it a sermon or something. I’ve actually tried writing a different conclusion a couple of times but the truth is, in the end, this is still all I can think of. God is here, waiting to reveal Himself. In the most unlikely of places (like a treasury museum), He will surprise you. He will lift you out of time. And then you will not lose time anymore. It doesn’t even matter anymore. Rather than cling to time, I think we should cling to experiences, to moments in our lives—to our Austrian experience.
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