A sigh of relief. Peace found.
I’m up early for 7am Mass at The Church of Saint Anne in the Vatican. (St Anne was the Virgin Mary’s mom.) I think I have an affinity for smaller churches. It’s just what I need to feel back on track.
One beauty of the Catholic faith is that the entire world is one the same readings schedule. And we all pray mass in the same order so while this mass is prayed in Italian I know exactly what’s going on. They even have the same tunes for the kyrie and allelujah!
I’m tired still but feeling a boost of energy. Which is much needed because next up is the Wednesday audience with the Pope. The line to get in is nuts.
Me and Six thousand Others 😳 shoulder to shoulder wrapping around the Vatican walls. Thankfully I grabbed a croissant and double espresso on my way to the line.
It took well over an hour to get into security.
Random sightings:
locks on the Vatican walls. A friend tells me this is a tradition couples started yo leave their mark. Kind of like carving initials into a wall.
Teenage girls take photos of each others’ eyeballs. Can someone explain that trend to me?
By the time I got to security the crowd got thicker. Everyone pressed forward inching our way together to security.
When I finally got through it’s a quick walk (with breathing room) to get inside.
The Pope had already given his talk and they started in with translators, each language taking a turn. I recorded the English one to look back on.
The pope ends the audience with a blessing over every soul there and blessing all religious items we brought. My Bible and all my rosaries are now blessed by Pope Francis!
Later in the morning I meet up with with my friend Aline. We met through a Catholic business network. Her and her husband are here working. It’s a relief to talk to someone I understand clearly.
Holy Cross in Jerusalem
In 327-328 AD St Helen (mom of Emperor Constantine I, the guy who made Christianity legal after his conversion to faith in the Christian God) went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She brought back fragments of the True Cross and one of the nails used in the Crucifixion.
How do we know it’s the real deal?
A dead man was resurrected when placed next to the True Cross. How’s that for proof?
The relics include fragments of the Grotto of the Nativity and the Holy Sepulchre, the joint of the finger of St. Thomas (as in Doubting Thomas who had to put his finger in Jesus’ side to believe in The resurrection), a part of the cross of the Good Thief and two thorns from the Crown of Jesus.
See photo here.
Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major
The art throughout this massive church is stunning. At the center though is the relic of Baby Jesus’ crib.
See here.
Aline gave me a quick tour of the train station before we part ways for the day. Boy will that lesson come in handy tomorrow!
I wasn’t prepared for the next tour:
Holy Stairs (Scala Santa)
St Helena brought to Rome the stairs Jesus walked in Pilate’s palace to receive His death sentence. The marble steps are still stained with His Precious Blood.
The marble is covered with wood steps now and has cutouts so that pilgrims can see the blood stains. I didn't get that’s what it was while I made the journey on my knees going up. Thankfully I at least had a prayer card that walks the faithful through a short reflection for each step.
See photos here.
The Roman basilica of St. John Lateran
Fun fact: This is the actual cathedral of Rome, not St. Peter’s in the Vatican. Here’s the history.
The name Lateran comes from the family who owned the original plot of land. St John represents both St John The Baptist and St John the Evangelist.
The basilica is lined with huge sculptures of the apostles. Again no photos allowed. So here’s a glimpse courtesy Wikipedia.
Closing out a big day is dinner with Portuguese sisters from Alliance de Santa Maria who are studying in Rome. They all have a devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. I’ll tell you all about her next week!
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