God Lives Among The Pots And Pans

A rare painting of Our Lady of Loreto, Italo-Cretan painting, tempera:wood, 17th:18th century

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or my first point, let me share the revered tradition behind the Holy House, aka The Home of the Mother of Loreto, which we commemorate today. This house was miraculously transported a total of four times before reaching its final location in Loreto, Italy. It is said that the house was first transported from Nazareth to Trsat, in what is now Croatia, after the Holy Land fell under Muslim control when the Crusades ended in the 13th century. After three years in Trsat, it was carried across the Adriatic Sea to a forest near Recanati, Italy. Local shepherds marveled at its sudden appearance and witnessed miracles associated with it. From there, it was moved to a hill owned by two brothers. However, disputes over ownership and access prompted its relocation. Finally, in 1295, the house was placed on public land in Loreto, where it remains today, enshrined within the Basilica della Santa Casa.

Tradition holds that these miraculous movements were guided by angels, a powerful sign of divine intervention. While some historical and archaeological studies propose natural explanations, such as the house being dismantled and transported by human hands, the spiritual significance of this sacred dwelling continues to inspire deep devotion, nevertheless. An authority on Loreto summarized the controversy over the Holy House’s miraculous flight, stating it has drawn “the ridicule of one half of the world and the devotion of the other.”

The second point I would highlight is the close proximity of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 and the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto on December 10 which tells us about the deep connection between the Immaculate Conception and the Holy House of Loreto. I would like to believe that the Holy House served a double duty of serving two purposes, namely, the two conceptions: Immaculate Conception (conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, St Anne) and the Virginal Conception (conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb). First, it was the house where the Virgin Mary was conceived and born. The second, it was the house where the angel Gabriel announced the Incarnation to her. After Mary's "yes," Jesus becomes flesh within the hallowed walls of the house. After Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, his growing-up years would be spent in this same house.

Saint Francis of Assisi himself prophesied that Loreto would one day become the holiest place on Earth. Today, this has become a famous pilgrimage site in this part of the world. 800 years later, his namesake Pope Francis on October 7, 2019, decrees the inclusion of the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto into the General Roman Calendar as an optional memorial to be celebrated annually on December 10. I quote, “This celebration will help all people, especially families, youth and religious to imitate the virtues of that perfect disciple of the Gospel, the Virgin Mother, who, in conceiving the Head of the Church also accepted us as her own.”

For my third and final point, while I haven’t been to Loreto, Italy, I have visited Nazareth, where the house first came from. In the Holy Land, the site of the Holy Family’s original home is still preserved and enshrined inside the Basilica of the Annunciation. I then searched online for pictures of the Holy House of Loreto in Italy that is enshrined within the Basilica della Santa Casa. I found that the Holy House of Loreto itself consists of three simple, unadorned stone walls, with a door on one side and a window on the other—measuring 31 by 13 feet (10 m × 4 m). Interestingly, its compact, enclosed structure reminded me of an oven. The idiom “to have a bun in the oven” is a metaphorical phrase that originated in English-speaking cultures to describe pregnancy. Pardon me—no pun intended—but I find it a fitting metaphor for the Word becoming flesh within the Virgin Mary’s womb. The imagery, with its simplicity and warmth, offers a lighthearted yet affectionate way to mirror the sacredness, snugness, and safety of every mother’s womb.

With this, people then came to refer to the baby in the womb as the bun in the oven. There is another bun baked in this oven-like house which is the Blessed Sacrament. It was well known that Jesus' Apostles and disciples began celebrating Mass inside the Holy House of Nazareth soon after Jesus' death and resurrection. From the earliest days of Christianity, this house was revered as a sacred shrine. St Teresa of Avila also had the famous phrase, “God lives among the pots and pans” highlighting the extent of God’s Incarnation. For St Teresa, a life of holiness was not confined to the temple but extended to all aspects of daily living in the kitchen, yes, including the "oven" where it all began.

It’s no wonder that the enemies of the Christian faith were so afraid of this humble home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph that they sought to destroy it. They wanted to harm or undermine the very source that would provide Christians with what they need to thrive, succeed, or survive.

Yet, through divine intervention, the home was miraculously transported to Italy, preserving this holy site for generations to venerate. And until today heavenly food is baked daily for the spiritual nourishment of the People of God.

Let me end with an excerpt from St Peter Chrysologus.

“He is The Bread sown in the virgin,

leavened in the Flesh,

molded in His Passion,

baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre,

placed in the Churches

and set upon the Altars,

which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.” Amen. Fr JM Manzano SJ