Dear Divine Ma,
What Do You Want Me to Learn Today?
I’m sitting with Francis’ beloved disciple Chiara. At least—one foot away from where I am—she used to lie here, 600 years ago before they moved her body one floor below. Her coffin was made of concrete, or well smoothed grey stone, and the slab for the coffin’s top looked to be natural stone six inches thick. How concrete could absorb vibrations I can’t explain, but every time I come here, She is present. There is power latent in this seemingly empty tomb. Just like Jesus’s tomb in the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. No one could ever say that that spot has lost its power just because Jesus walked away from it. Likewise, the power here, in the mezzanine up the winding staircase above Chiara’s current resting place, is enough to blow your socks off. The stillness. The vibrant peace. We can feel her, all around us. She teaches still, through her empty tomb.