Rome!

After an exhausting time traveling, a great taxi ride to our apartment where we were able to learn the ways of Roman driving, we made it to our apartments.  After a checkin and change, we all headed off to meet at Piazza Navona.  My house was first in the square, so we decided to wait for the other two groups by enjoying our first Gelato of the pilgrimage.

Piazza Navona

From the image you can see St. Agnes on the right side. We ended up going into this 'small' church as our first stop on the spiritual side of the pilgrimage.  It's a beautiful church, just like every other one here.  Walking in, and walking in the square, I was taken back to my first trips to Rome as a college student. I find it so amazing that pilgrims have been coming to this city for nearly 2,000 years, all for the faith.  So many have died for that faith, right here in these streets.  So many have lived for the faith, and given so much.  These buildings are amazingly filled with such artwork.  How much dedication and time went into these?  When I go into these churches, I like to just sit and pray for a moment, then just sit still and soak it in.  I try to feel the history, the lives and souls that have been there before me.  I try to feel the connection with God and with them, and think about this great body of Christ we are a part of. I'm feeling a great amount of peace, or is it contentment when thinking about that.  So often I think I get lost in the day to day, my community, my church, my faith, etc.  I get so lost and isolated it gets cut off from the 'body of Christ'.

St. Agnes on the Piazza Navona

I think of Christ's words to Saul when he said "Why are you persecuting ME".  Often I am so far removed from that reality.  Today and this first day of pilgrimage, as we have begun to transition from excited travelers to pilgrims has really hit me right here. It's taken me out of that isolation, and put me back into the greatness of our universal Church.  Of course what happens when something gets cut off from the body, or from its roots, or from its source?  It dies.  But in America, we often pride ourselves for our individualism.  And in our culture of relativism and tolerance (except for religion, Christianity more specifically), that is the route most of us take.  Here as I walk into the Pantheon, see the dozen altars and the grandouer of it, think of the millions of pilgrims and faithful who have received the graces of the sacraments there, I've thought about that grace as water; flowing water.

Pantheon

How much has poured through these places?  So life giving!  And again I got back to my American individualism, prided over and held in high esteem, but how lifeless, how sad, how dark, how lonely it is.  No wonder we are having a faith and vocation crisis in America today!  My last image of this reflection, as I think of water and grace.  What if water was made for communion?  What would that drop of rain, that single drop feel like when it fell into the ocean?  I can imagine it's joy, its peace, its contentment.  That's my image for my visit to these first Church on our first day.  I have been that single drop of water, and as I sit in the pews, look around, and soak up the grace and history, I feel as though I have just dropped into the ocean.