Memory

This weekend I am off to Sienna and then Florence. I have not been to Sienna before, and am quite excited to see it. Regarding Florence, I have been there once, but am just as excited to see it as Sienna. I have yet to see the David!

This post will not be long but I just wanted to say a few things. On Wednesday I had a lot of free time that I spent alone in the city. I had the honor of walking into at least 5 beautiful churches--to be precise, I feel as if every church here is breath-taking to some degree. After my 3rd church, I remember asking myself: "Will I remember this church?" To be completely honest, the answer is "probably not". I can't even tell you the names of the churches I visited on Wednesday. But then I continued to talk to myself: "Why, then, am I coming to these churches? Is it simply to see pretty art?" To this, I answered "no".

After a bit more time admiring the beauty of these sacred structures, it hit me: "While I may not remember each individual church, or a certain statue or painting, I will remember how I was consistently pierced by arrow's beauty." I realized that what I will remember about seeing these incredible churches is how they placed me in such a state of wander and awe. I will remember how awesome it was to experience the closeness of God through the work of human hands. I will remember that I was in a state of wander and awe. Such beauty in the church reminded me of the encounter between heaven and earth in the Liturgy: that something divine really does take place. My memory of the beauty of the sacred in Rome will be the memory of an experience, of a state of wander and awe, which is so necessary for our ontology. After all, if we are not in such a state, how can we humble our selves before God?

Expect a post upon my return from my first (excluding the orientation trip to Italy) travel in Italia!

Pax et bonum.

Few More Pictures

This is a picture of the ruins at the Villa di Adriano.

This was a private room of the emperor. He had his own private moat!

My favorite Roman basilica: Saint Paul's

One more picture of Assisi.

Sorry for not being able to put more than 5 at a time. I am trying to get Shutterfly working in order to set up a giant picture book so you can see all my pictures, but the internet here isn't that great and I am having trouble. Pax et bonum!

Finally a Few Pics

These pictures are from Assisi and Gubbio. While they are beautiful, I have come to realize that pictures cannot do the reality justice. They are special, without a doubt. But there is something real, something in the experience of the town, Church, the landscape, the sculpture, etc., that cannot be captured with a lens. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy them!

Also, I will hopefully set up an account on Shutterfly soon so that you all may see more pictures than just a little bit at a time!

Taken from up on top of Assisi.

This is from the friary on the very top of the hill of Assisi. I absolutely loved visiting this site in particular. I hope to go back.

I took this picture when I was watching the sun rise. It is from the top of the hill and the picture is of the Basilica of St. Francis.

I will put up more soon, if I don't get Shutterfly in the next couple of days. But right now, I have to do some home work! Pax et bonum.

Lost Again

I promise that this will be the last post I write without pictures! But I just arrived home at my dorm, and I must write about my day—especially the ending.

This morning, my friends and I booked our travel plans to Sienna and Florence next weekend. It was quite relieving to finalize our trip itinerary: I’m very excited for my first travel during my stay here. Regarding the destinations, I have been to Florence once before, and it is definitely worth it to see again. As for Sienna, I have never been there but it has been a place I’ve wanted to go to. I read Saint Catherine of Sienna’s Dialogue within the last year, and very much enjoyed the text—upon finishing, an interest to see Sienna certainly developed. Not to mention: given my deep love for Assisi, I’m sure that I will share something similar with Sienna, too.

Anyway, this afternoon I went to “Villa di Adriano” (Hadrian’s Villa). I’m talking about Emperor Adriano of the Roman Empire. I won’t get into all of the history, but a few points are necessary: He had built a villa—really a small city—outside of Rome (about one hour bus ride). This villa was totally self-sufficient, and immensely beautiful. It’s also interesting because Adriano had a deep love for the whole empire, and always wanted unity to be a strong element of it; accordingly, the material for much of the buildings were drawn from all over the empire’s borders—not just within Rome. Today, there are many ruins left—columns, floors, baths, pillars, walls, domes, ceilings, pools, etc. In some places, the layout of the structure is still quite clear. So, in a sentence: seeing the Villa di Adriano was an awesome look into the past, and I was, not surprisingly, struck by awe at the genius of the Romans.

In the night, I took Catherine out to dinner, which is always a special occasion. Following dinner, we met some of her friends at an Opera! I’ve never been to one: viewing my first opera in Rome was a hell of a treat. The music was touching. It’s always incredible to hear—really hear—harmony. I loved it.

Going home from Catherine’s place later that night was quite the experience. I had to take the “N6” because it was past midnight (and the 990, which I usually take, stops running around that time). I was on the N6, and as far as I was concerned I knew where to get off. But for some strange reason, I totally missed my stop. Figures… Anyway, after I kind of realized where I was, and that I was definitely beyond my stop, I thought “I have two options: 1) I can get off and try and figure out how to walk to my dorm, or 2) I will stay on the bus and wait for it to turn around”. I don’t know which option is necessarily better, but I did numero due. However, two things happened following this decision: the first is that I realized this bus has a long ass route, and the second really got me. The bus driver pulls the bus over on the side of the road—and note that by this point I have absolutely no idea where I am, and to make matters more fun, I’m the only one on the bus aside from the driver—and he decides to take a freaking nap. You got to be shittin’ me. I sat there, extremely confused, and just a bit nervous.

To my benefit, a dog walked by the bus and barked. This woke up the driver. Quickly, before he continued his paid nap, I jumped out of my seat and spoke a bit of Italian trying to figure things out. He seemed helpful, but nonetheless continued his nap. My over confidence with Italian made me act like I totally understood everything he said. But to be honest, I kind of just hoped things would work out.

To make a long story short: eventually (15-20 minutes), he woke up and continued the route. I watched very closely for my stop, and hopped out to be greeted by a 15 minute walk to the dorms. Finally home—and exausted—I’m writing this because I can’t believe I’ve been lost at least 3 times and it has barely been a week! Buona Notte!

Oh, when in Rome…

Please note that this post was written at 2:30 AM Sunday morning. I am posting it now at 10:30 PM Sunday night only because I was way too tired to walk down the hall after I wrote this for internet access in order to post it online.

Brother Sun: Sunrise, Creation, and a Friary in Assisi

In one of Francis’ most famous prayers, the Canticle of Creation, he praises God for and through creation: “Praise be to Thee my Lord, with all Thy creatures, especially for Master Brother Sun who illuminates the day for us, and Thee Most High he manifests,” is just one verse of the many. This prayer has, ever since I first encountered it, been one of my favorites. But this past Tuesday (19 Jan), I, for the first time, really experienced the prayer: I encountered creation, and with my heart experienced the power and creativity of Love which is exactly what this prayer of Francis proclaims. To be precise, I experienced the prayer, and personally made it my own—all without even saying the words.

It was 6:00 AM Tuesday morning. I woke up, took a shower, and walked up to one of the top of the hills of Assisi where a castle is located. It was dark when I was walking; I was planning to watch the sunrise. When I reached the top of the hill, I found a good spot to sit (although I was not quite sure which way was east) and immediately I was drawn to write poetry. Though I had no intention of writing anything that morning, I—fortunately and luckily—brought a small pad of pocket paper with me. I want to share with you what I wrote.

This poem is an illustration of what I experienced: the sounds, the sights, the feelings. I saw the sunrise with my heart, and therefore, I was able to see more. This is what I really saw that early morning. It, while words are always insufficient to truly detail one’s experience of prayer, is the closest thing I have to share the beauty of creation of which I encountered. Lastly, I was debating if I should post this poem. But, like I have said before on this blog: casus is the word for adventure. What greater adventure than the adventure of faith and prayer! The poem is deeply personal, and I rarely would share something like this, but this site is meant to be read by those that I love, and who knows when I will see the sunrise in Assisi again. Pax et bonum…

Not knowing where to gaze
to see the star of Heaven appear,
to the top of Assisi I went,
by a castle that stood near.

The east a mystery for me
until in the corner of a mountain
the light of God came clear.

Then the Angels, responding to the Hours' bells
flew around this sacred town.

In my imagination, a greater reality
for the Angels heavenly
flew about incredibly:

golden, noble, and
wings so pure.

O how I wish for all to see
this beautiful town of Assisi!

Apollo on his way
to make bright the new day;
the mountains, creation's peaks,
anxiously awaiting the light from
that first day.

Purple, orange, and yellow too,
the Creator paints creation's awe:
the heavens came down to earth today!

Church bells ring,
for the Sun is near,
praising Your entrance
we humbly fear.

May all live with Christ's good cheer!

The Angels staring at the Heavenly coming,
and I sit here, my heart becoming
a place for the Divine to make His peace
as I await His Liturgical Feast.

O Brother Sun, miracle of Creation,
Listen to His Church praise you with exultation.

Bless this day Sun of the Son
that all may adore with Creation's Song:

Praised be to God in Heaven above.
Praise to Him, our final abode.
He comes below to shed holy light
We bow down: He is our delight.

O men of earth, today has come;
the birds sing out to the Dawn.

Indeed it is true, and royal too,
that Creation shines
with the harmony of Love.

Come o Light, and
God look not
into our failings,
but may Your gift,

creation's Beauty,
be our praise
to Your eternal glory.

---

I want to say one last thing about my time in Assisi. Before lunch on the last day, a group of students made a huge hike (close to 3 miles) up the mountain to visit one of the first Franciscan friaries. The location was where Francis spent much of his life after his conversion. It was absolutely incredible. Creation was shining with the glory of God, and in a mystical way, creation itself was pointing specifically toward Christ. Creation is so marked by beauty that it seems only necessary for God, who is intimately bounded with His creation, to enter into it, redeem it, and recapitulate it with His own blood...

The friary had a couple of small chapels: simplicity was their mark. Sitting in the main chapel, however, I was totally mesmerized by that same feeling of wander and awe. Then, in the surrounding woods, there was a few outside chapels—one of which held the first altar that was there when Francis was. Once again, I was captured in awe. We were higher than the clouds, and could gaze into the neighboring towns and fields. Words cannot suffice to how awesome it was to see what I saw. Perhaps I am exaggerating it all; for without a doubt many of the others were not as mesmerized as myself. My only defense is that it is impossible to exaggerate something divine. It was a taste of heaven to see the divine creativity so prevalent within His creation.

The great theologian, Hans Urs Von Balthasar put it excellently: “Every experience of beauty points to infinity.” I completely agree.

The Beautiful Town of Assisi

As my last post made mention to, I recently spent about 3 days and 2 nights in Assisi arriving back at the John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) Tuesday evening. This will not be my last time in Assisi—how can I not visit, at least once more, a city of such splendor!

This will be the first of two posts regarding my time in Assisi. Forgive me if the second enters into the field of theology too heavily; I just could not help but think of the Divine when spending time in that holy, little town. To be precise, my writings on this blog about Assisi would be empty if they did not enter into my time of reflection while there—indeed, theology in Assisi was my “casus”, my adventure.
---
After arriving and getting situated in our rooms—recall that this was part of orientation—groups split up into different tour groups, and our guides gave us a tour of the town. I was, not surprisingly, touched by the magnificent basilicas: San Chiara, San Rufino, San Pietro, the Church built over the house of Francis, and, of course, San Francesco.

In the Basilica of San Chiara, I was honored to be able to stare at the San Damiano Crucifix—the original cross that spoke to St. Francis and called him to “rebuild” Christ’s Church. Chills ran through my body as I was able to look into the eyes of Christ that called Francis. In addition, I was able to look at the body of St. Claire. When they originally found her body, she was in excellent condition—not much disrupted by death. After exposure, however, her face began change. As a result, an exact wax model of her face was created. Now, the body, with the wax face is exposed certain hours throughout the day. When I walked into the basement of the Church to see this body, I saw a glimpse of it from afar, and my mind screamed with joy: “How beautiful!” If only we could all understand the beauty of simplicity!

Another Church worth mentioning is the Temple of Minerva. Once a Roman pagan temple, it was then converted into a Catholic Church—I think in honor of Mary (sorry for the uncertainty). I really enjoyed seeing this Church because on the outside it is clearly the architecture of a pagan temple. But, in it’s interior is beautiful Baroque artwork. It is not a very large Church, but the inside is quite beautiful. There is gold, remarkable paintings, candles, stunning statues, and a tabernacle that catches one’s attention instantly. How can one not think of God in a place that points to Him in every direction?

Then, of course, there is the Basilica of Saint Francis. I have always had a devotion to this holy saint, but my time in Assisi these past few days greatly reinforced and deepened my devotion. His basilica is outstanding. It is three floors, and three Churches. Upon walking into the upper level, a Jesuit priest in front of me—visiting Assisi for the first time—exclaimed immediately: “Now this is amazing.” I cannot say much more about that. There is just something “amazing” about entering into a place where not only the Divine is present, but a place where everything in it is focused on the Divine—the walls, the ceiling, the lighting, the pews, the floors, the altars, the architecture, etc. One’s prayer is one’s very admiration of beauty. Additionally, it is worth mentioning the lowest Church; here is the tomb of St. Francis. It is a tomb and a Church—there is an altar and Tabernacle. The Church is incredibly solemn, for it is not very light and the attitude is one of extreme reverence and silence. Yet, in a very mystical way, it is touching to be in a place where extreme and humble piety is the norm, life and death are honored, God is adored…

Indeed, while many of these Churches have a deep solemn presence, they are, simultaneously, intensely joyful. Being struck by their divine beauty is freeing, a true experience of what it means to be free: it is to look at God, and so to Love. I noticed that the solemn presence in these Churches were joyful because one could only look up, one could only say: “amazing”. The beautiful artwork and architecture reminds us of our home. We are, as Ratzinger has brilliantly stated, “wanderers and pilgrims” (it is our humanity). This implies that 1) we are nomads—without a home here, and 2) that we are going somewhere. Seeing the beauty present within these Churches touches the heart, and reminds us that while we are nomads here, we do have a home elsewhere—in the arms of God!—and that it is in those arms where we are journeying to. This the Liturgy points us toward and reminds us of. Beauty is an element, then, of the Liturgy; and so it is only fitting and freeing to see the place of the Divine Liturgy be a place of beauty, a place fit for a King.

After visiting such incredible places, and spending time in such a holy town, I was in a state of wander and awe. Pax et bonum!

[Note: I will try to get some pictures up soon.]

Roman Genesis

In the beginning…
My first day and night of Rome was great—a hassle at times, but great. As my plane landed, I was filled with energy: so pumped to be in Rome! In Italy! In Europe! The energy faded after waiting for luggage for over an hour, followed by a bus ride that would’ve been the equivalent to the nightmare of a person with motion sickness.

Arriving at the John Felice Rome Center—in Monte Mario—which is the place I will be sleeping, studying (good joke!), and eating at, stress began to boil on us students. As expected we were all exhausted; it was time, however, for registration. Lines…lines…lines… (Aside: My hatred of lines and waiting for what appears unimportant was reinforced.)

I also bought a phone. There is a chance that I jumped to buy this one phone that a company was selling in our building (oh, I forgot to say that the Rome Center is one building—there are only 200 or so students a semester). A bunch of students bought the package, and a bunch of students all had issues with their phones as well. Mine is working well now. If you want to call me: 348-514-3120. I think you have to enter a country code before those 10 numbers, but I’m not sure. When I figure out how to call me for sure, I will leave another post just for that. By the way, it’s free for me if you call me. 

At 5:00, we had a quick 45 minute Italian lesson. We all broke up into classes depending on what stage of Italian you were in. I was falling asleep over and over in mine: my tiredness was really getting to me. After the class, I went to Mass. Following Mass, Morgan, Courtney, and Bess went to meet up with Catherine and some of her friends. We met at the Vatican and went out to dinner—pizza e vino! One more thing: as I was walking through the streets of Rome, I was reminded of how much I just love Italy. To celebrate, all by myself, I bought a nice cigar.

Now the day gets interesting: returning home, we did not get on the best bus. Then we missed our stop. Realizing this, we got off at the next stop, and went the wrong way. I saw on the road a sign for this one college, and I started laughing hysterically. The reason? I recalled seeing that college not-very-close on the map to where we live. Great… We all laughed a lot, and after 30 minutes of walking, we finally made it.

I’m writing this on Saturday—my 2nd day. Not to make anyone jealous, the weather is beautiful today! And tomorrow: Assisi for the rest of our orientation. Heaven anyone?