No Abiding City

September 13, 2007

Today is a somewhat overcast day in Pollone and Mount Mucrone is completely hidden by the clouds. It was a good morning to walk down to the cemetery and visit the family crypt. In July 1989, Pope John Paul II made a visit here. He went down into the crypt and knelt to pray at the tomb of Pier Giorgio. It wasn’t until the following year in May that he beatified Pier Giorgio. So, his visit in 1989 was quite an honor for Pier Giorgio, for the family and for the entire town of Pollone. There is a stone marker on the outside wall of the cemetery to commemorate the visit. Just across the road, there is a large monument featuring Pope John Paul II and Pier Giorgio walking side by side verso l’alto.

Inside the cemetery, the Frassati crypt is located in the corner on the left. Above ground, there is the original stone marker which contains quite a bit of text. It begins with the scripture, “Why do you search among the dead for the living?” Then follows a 45-word description of Pier Giorgio: “At twenty-four years of age – engineering student – handsome -- robust – joyful – loved. He saw suddenly his last day and as always he greeted it serenely as his happiest day. He confessed the Faith with purity of life and charity of works. Death exalted him as a living standard of Christian youth.”

Praying here, I cannot help wondering what 45 words would be chosen for my gravestone. Most of us, of course, do not get that many words. And if we do, we are not the ones who do the choosing. There are many others buried in this crypt, most of them members of Mrs. Frassati’s side of the family. Pier Giorgio had an older sister, Elda, who lived only eight months and died before he was born. He, of course, died at the age of 24. Meanwhile, his younger sister just celebrated her 105th birthday and is resting in the room next to me as I write this. Life is such a mystery! We cannot know whether we will be given eight months, 24 years or more than 105. What we do with whatever amount of time we are given is what makes all of the difference.

When he was 22 years old, Pier Giorgio wrote a letter in which he contemplated the brevity of life. He said, “Since one does not know when Death will come to take him away, it is very prudent to prepare oneself every day as if one is going to die that same day; and so from now on I will try to make every day a little preparation for death, so that I shouldn’t find myself unprepared at the point of death and have to regret the beautiful years of youth, wasted from the spiritual side.” Less than two years after writing those words, death came for him.

Probably my favorite book is a series of Lenten reflections by Fr. Bede Jarrett, O.P., entitled, “No Abiding City.” It reminds us that in this life we are only pilgrims, mere travelers passing through and that here we have no abiding city. I am ever mindful of that here in Pollone as I pass through the same places Pier Giorgio once passed through and that his sister still passes through. When will death come for me? Will I find myself unprepared? Will I have wasted these years? The Christian life is never an easy one and I wonder if Pier Giorgio ever tired of doing good. He once said, “The day of my death will be the most beautiful day of my life.” With the perspective the passing of time allows us, we can see how beautiful the day of his death truly was. Far from wasting the years of his youth, he left behind an incredible legacy of charity. And from the Abiding City where he now resides he encourages us to do the same. ///cmw