We enjoyed a long weekend in Hessen during the Ascension day weekend. Even Marijke joined us from Trumau. Jelle had to get her in the middle of the night in Frankfurt. We hadn’t seen each other since Christmas, except me.
We celebrated Ascensionday on the mountain in Swarzenborn. Together with around 60 other local believers who wanted to celebrate the ascension of our Lord and Savior. We climbed the mountain. At the side was a wooden plate: 638 meters above sea level.
It is a high platform in the landscape with a tower on top. You look into former East Germany. That was useful at the time. It is a former army base. We dived into German culture. There was music, Word, prayer and on such a mountain: especially a lot of heaven! And today we prefer to look to the sky as it reminded us of Jesus going to heaven.
Flowerfields surround the mountain Knullcamp. The dandelions are finished flourishing and are releasing their fluff balls in the wind. The lupines tower over the mountain ridge, daisies, white dead-nettle, cow parsley, rapeseed and much more for which I need a book!
It’s cold and cloudy, but nothing can stop me from enjoying myself thoroughly. We visited Fulda to see the church where the bones of St. Boniface are kept.
A statue of St. Laurentius can also be found there. Laurens comes across a large statue of the man after whom he is named. I am not allowed to add a picture here: “I also have a life” is the reaction of the ten-year-old.
After the death of Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. St. Ambrose is the earliest source for the narrative that Lawrence asked for three days to gather the wealth. He worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the indigent as possible, so as to prevent it being seized by the prefect. On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect, and when ordered to deliver the treasures of the Church he presented the indigent, the crippled, the blind, and the suffering, and declared that these were the true treasures of the Church. One account records him declaring to the prefect, “The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor.” This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom and can be compared to the parallel Roman tale of the jewels of Cornelia. source: Wikipedia
“Turn me around, one side is already done.” St. Lawrence is said to have said when he was roasted for giving the treasures of the Church to the poor and then presented them as Treasures of the Church. Always nice to pick up these kinds of anecdotes while strolling as a family. So don’t confuse Boniface and Laurentius if you’re reading this. (Click on the underline and you have a short link to the Wikipedia page where you can read more).
Judith made this impression of the atmosphere. Long live the technology. Don’t forget to turn on the sound.
Kind regards from all of us!
(Yes, there are some boys in the picture! On the right is Judith’s boyfriend, (also named Jelle(!) and left at the corner is a good family friend Chris.)