Epic Fail

I keep seeing this photo and just pass it by.  I see it on Dominican pages so I know it's a Dominican Rite Mass caught right at the elevation of the Host. Nice.  (ho hum)

I never noticed the background. 

Look at the wall.  It's not a wall.  That's the tomb of St. Dominic in Bologna, Italy.  St. Dominic requested that he just be buried under the feet of his brothers to walk over him.  His wishes were ignored.  His body was moved a couple of times, for beatification and canonization.  His final resting place is in the  Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna, Italy.

His tomb took centuries to build.  It is now called an ark.  Many sculptors added to it, including Michelangelo. 

It is beautiful.

Back to the photo.  Mass is being celebrated.  But not by just any priest.  The Mass celebrant is the 87th Successor to Saint Dominic, Master Gerard Timoner, OP. And the photographer captured the quintessential moment of the raison d'etre of every priest, the Elevation of the Eucharist.A

Awesome.  How could I miss that?