Bongiorno Roma!

Good morning Rome! We woke up this morning at 4:30 am, our bodies still struggling to adjust to the new time zone, but it was fun. We arranged our whole room so we could have the most space and unpacked everything.

We then went to Mass at 7am, which was amazing – there were probably 20 Sisters from two different orders, some of us visitors, and 16 priests celebrating Mass. They all celebrate Mass together because they work at the Italian Conference of Bishops and that’s when they can get in Mass for the day.

Mass was completely in Italian, but because it was the Mass we were still knew what was going on. It struck me that the Catholic Church is one of the only churches where you could go to a church service anywhere in the world and get a lot out of it. Even though it’s in the native language of the place, there’s the unity of celebration all over the world and the miracle of the Eucharist. It’s so incredible and deep that sometimes I’m overwhelmed!

And to be surrounded by the sisters and priests whose whole lives are centered on Christ and service… even a day. I feel an unspoken challenge to give up my life for Jesus everyday – what these people do with such joy! I feel like I’m on the edge of going deeper into the heart of Jesus. Please pray that Brendan and I are able to embrace this time and use it to prepare us for East Timor.

Ok, but back to pictures and stories and less commentary…sorry ;)

After Mass we came back to make breakfast and took this picture. This is the entrance to our home for the next three months. It is gorgeous, but simple. It has tiled floors, a stone staircase, those Spanish-type shingles, and a great balcony (which we will definitely use for card playing until it gets too cold). Here are some pictures we took from the balcony.

Brendan on the balcony and, yes, that is St. Peter’s in the background. It's only a 15 minute walk from our house!

I’ve got St. Peter’s in my hands!

Here’s Brendan by the door to our room. The doors were definitely made for people my size. Brendan said he feels like Gandalf in the Shire, and expects to have a few head injuries before we leave. Luckily the rooms have high ceilings, you just have to make it inside to get there – that’ll be the tough part.

Here’s Brendan in St. Peter’s Square in front of the Basilica. It was swarming with people today, even though it’s after the peak tourist season.

We got in line to enter St. Peter’s. Seeing it for the first time was awesome!

The Swiss Guards in their crazy outfits : )

Michaelangelo’s Pieta, made when he was either 19 or early 20s (our tour books have conflicting dates). But either way – wow… He truly was “remembering his Creator in the days of his youth.” It made me think of Mother Teresa asking us today to do something beautiful for God. Michaelangelo was our age when he sculpted the Pieta. What can we do in our own lives that would be beautiful for God?

Me at the holy water font near the entrance to the church.

This is the body of Pope Innocent, he was one of the Pope’s from early to mid 1900s. His body is still intact and not corrupted. In high school I read a book about this called The Incorruptibles. It’s the kind of thing that could turn an atheist into a Christian.

In the book there are a ton of examples from all over the world about people who were so close to God that their bodies did not know decay. Even though they died, their bodies had been so full of the Holy Spirit during their lifetime that somehow their bodies were preserved sometimes hundreds of years longer than they would have been naturally.

Here’s a close up of the stained glass window over the altar. The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We had seen this picture in the movie Fishers of Men and wanted to get one of our own.

One of the coolest experiences of the day was prayer in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. No cameras or video cameras were allowed; it was strictly a place of prayer.

It was probably one of the most beautiful things that I had ever seen. I’m typically not too impressed by decorations or gold or silver things because they’re more for show, but every decoration that covered the walls and ceiling drew your eyes around until they were fixed on Jesus in the Eucharist in a simple monstrance on the altar.

It’s in places like Saint Peter’s Basilica that it’s easier to remember the Jesus is not just one of us, but He is GOD – huge and all powerful and all knowing. It’s good to remember both.

On a less philosophical note, we got our first street meal in Rome. And Brendan, the cultured one he is, got a… hot dog : ) I wasn’t much better with a Salami Panini sandwich and we split an “Energade” (Italian Gatorade).

We eventually made it back to the volunteer house that afternoon, took a nap, helped clean, took a walk, and went to bed. All in all a fabulous day! Talk to you soon!

Love,

Rachel and Brendan

P.S. As it gets busier our blog entries won’t be this frequent or nearly this long. It was just a very moving and packed first day, so enjoy this while you can : )