The Lord's Day in Rome

Dave wanted to experience a Sunday morning mass at St Peter's Basilica while we were in Rome. So after a European breakfast at our hotel, we took the subway to St. Peter's Square. Thousands of people were gathered in the Square facing a window with long, regal cloth hanging from it. Being relative quick studies, we learned that the Pope appears at the window on Sundays at noon to bless the people and deliver a message. It was fun to be in a crowd that wasn't cheering their favorite ball team, but a leading spokesperson for the Christian faith! We left to attend the 12:15 mass in the Basilica. Believers from "many nations, languages, and peoples" (for my Revelation Bible study students) were in attendance. Because the liturgy was in Italian, many participants had a hard time following it. There was an older man with his children and grandchildren around him in the first pew of the church. He was totally relishing the privilege of worshipping with his family at the holy of holies for Catholics! We took our clues from him as to when to stand and sit. Some of the younger generations seated behind us were taking their clues from us. So, it was like a "Mr. Bean" sketch watching the waves of parishioners engage in a series of false starts and stops with the whole standing and sitting thing! In spite of the humor of Christian aroebics, "the St. Peter's wave," there was something profound about the mystery of the mass...a liturgy that one can follow even if you can't fully understand the language in which it is being spoken. That being said, I can only  imagine the antics in the pews, especially for families with children, throughout the 2000 years of Christianity as countless millions of mothers and fathers tried to entertain their kids when the mass was in a language no one understood...Latin. Oh what a best selling book that would be! I found myself comparing the opulence of St. Peter's Basilica with the simplicity of  Jesus' message...what a contrast! The Beatitudes....blessed are the poor, peacemakers, the persecuted for righteousness sake, etc. Any church is made holy by the presence of God's Holy Spirit...whether in an open field, a grass hut, a functional building in Henderson, Nevada, or any other place on God's earth! Oh, I forgot to mention that the people's responses to the liturgy were supported by a small group of Italian men in suits...no women. After worship, Pastor Dave took the elevator up a portion of the way to the Cuppola (domed tower of St. Peter's basilica) and then walked the final 320 steps to the top. He took fabulous pictures from that perspective, which we can't attach to this posting, because they are on our camera instead of this IPad. then we took the subway to the stop for the Church of Santa Maria Della Concezione. It houses a museum where the bones of hundreds of deceased Capuchin monks decorate the walls and ceilings. Some have even been made into elaborate chandeliers. Lest we cling exclusively to this life, neglecting the longevity of the next, their saying is: " What you are, we once were; and what we are, you shall be." It was a sobering reminder that no one escapes returning to dust!  After lunch, we walked to the Spanish steps, then walked back to our hotel for the night.