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.