The last two days have been remarkable in all that I’ve seen but also in who I’ve been “with”.
We began yesterday with a taxi ride that took us about 3 miles from our apartment to the Borghese Museum and you’re thinking, “How fabulous,” but I left Heidi and Scott to view the magnificent pieces there, because I was on a mission. I continued on northwest for another mile, which led me through the park and then a very upscale neighborhood and finally to Our Lady of Peace, Prelatic Church of Opus Dei. Entering, I took one flight of stairs down and came to the chapel where the mortal remains of St. Josemaria Escriva are held until the Great Day or Our Lord.
I went up and sat on the right at the front and spent time in prayer with this great Saint and then prayed my Rosary.
After my time here, I headed back to the museum to meet my friends and then take another cab ride (about three miles) to the Appia Antica Caffe for lunch and then a walk down the Appian Way to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian.
The Appian Way was one of the earliest Roman roads and very strategic with construction beginning around the year 312 b.c. The stones you see here are the original and in places you can see where the ruts have cut into them. It is also very likely that Peter and Paul would have traveled this very road and also where Peter is said to have had a vision of Jesus and asked him, “Domine quo Vadis?” (“Lord, where are you going?”) You’ll be able to find the entire story if you don’t already know it.
The road led us to the Catacombs where we took the tour leading us down into the tombs. Until Constantine was Emperor, Christians were not allowed to be buried inside the city walls, so the catacombs provided such a place. There are no pictures allowed, so I’ve pulled some from the internet. There are 12 km of tunnels under the church and an estimated 65,000 people were buried here. I couldn’t help myself from touching the walls and soil. Many of the people buried here were some of the earliest Christians in Rome. In addition, when the barbarians were sacking Rome, the remains of both Peter and Paul were brought to these catacombs for safekeeping. We know this because of the graffiti on the walls, many of which reference the two Apostles… amazing!
Finally, another taxi took us to the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls and the tomb of the great Apostle to the Gentiles. I could not believe how empty the church was compared to the Vatican, but it does require a bit of an effort to get to. You are able to see exactly where Paul was buried.
I was fascinated with the columns in this place.
That ended our day with the exception of a really nice meal out and when in Italy you’ve got to eat Italian and the Ravioli and wine were wonderful.
Today was another early day and I went back to the Vatican for the tour of the dome. Heidi and Scott had taken this one before, so we went in different directions.
To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about this because of the number of steps involved and I do confess to being a wee bit winded at the top, but I did make it and the view was spectacular.
After coming back down, I had one final stop to make and after a little research last night, I knew where to find him: Pope John Paul II. You come across the tombs of so many great people, but then, like with Escriva, you come across one of your heroes and the world kind of stops.
The Rosary meant so much to him that today I stopped in the midst of all the crowds and prayed mine. So moving to be so close.
At this point my legs were jello and the crowds were massive, so I made my way back to the apartment where I’ve spent the remainder of the day napping and reading. I’m fixing supper tonight, so I’m off to do that, but one final thought: I keep talking about praying with these great Saints, but remember that some of the other great saints are your friends and your family. Take time to pray with them as well.
I’ve no idea what’s on the radar for tomorrow, so it will be a surprise to us all. Blessings.
J+
Candle in a Cave 