Sunday 31 July 2011

Rome

Donna and I love to write together and we will keep the tradition going this year on our travels. We see things quite differently sometime so you can count on me to give you the better view of things:) pictures will follow as well. We arrived early Saturday morning and sleep for a few hours before hitting the city.

This year our travels have taken us to Rome Italy. Our apartment is just a block away from St Peter's Basilica. We are immersed in the rich sacred culture of the church. Stores close on Sunday. Statues, crosses and monuments abound. We walked into the cathedral and I was immediately moved by the beauty of the artistry, again reminded of why the artistic gifts were given - to glorify God. The swirl of languages around me whisper prayers and I hear God's diversity, see His face in shades of tan, caramel, pink and brown. He sings through the pipes of the organ and the voices that blend in harmony from the choir - Latin and Italian, chorus and chant. This is why we travel, to see and experience God in new places and faces, to be lifted out of the grind of the everyday ordinary and reminded of the miracle that is this life.

Growing up going to catholic school and weekly mass made today's time at the vatican seem to connect deeply within. The incense, the chants, the robes and communion all connected in a way that made me feel like part of knowing Jesus is to become part of something much larger than myself, the overwhelming sense of God in a place that has been offering worship to Him for centuries is quite cool. The character of this old city speaks as you wander through the streets and encounter history at every turn.