When Words Aren't Enough.

Something I learned about myself:

I don’t fall to my knees enough. This may seem like a weird thing to ‘discover’, but as I have learned more about this city and it’s rich history, I myself have become more open to everything that it has to offer. With this openness has come a realization of how hesitant I am at times to be on my knees thanking God. In today’s busy, busy world we are told that our whole lives need to be a prayer and that we must pray without ceasing. What I realized this Monday night when I was praying before the Blessed Sacrament at adoration with the seminarians at the North American College (NAC) was although I acknowledge how good God has been to me with this opportunity to study in the city where He is so present, I won't fully appreciate everything this opportunity has to offer if I am not on my knees asking Him for the grace to embrace it.

The Best Thing That I Ate:

Cappuccino and croissant. I sincerely hope that the first thought that flits through your head isn’t ‘BORING, we have these in America. . .') because I may have to beat you up. . .although I will probably be too busy eating my beloved croissant/cappuccino combination to notice. Almost every single morning, I have ventured into a different ‘bar’—Italian code word for cute café that serves coffee, light lunches, etc to order breakfast. Without fail, every single morning has involved several things: me awkwardly shuffling in the door and immediately analyzing the situation to see if I should be paying ahead of time or after still haven't gotten it right. Then there is the whole language barrier thing which always involves a lot of ‘ciaos’ and crazy hand gestures—think of a ridiculous mix of charades and speed dating. 

(Side note: although Italians can be really loud, they are still ‘getting used to’ me shuffling into these cafes and not so quietly thinking out loud about what I should be ordering and the best way for them to understand me.)

An Adventure I Went On:

Although I haven’t been able to venture outside of Rome yet, I am still getting rid of my Rome ‘sea legs’. It is finally getting to the point where I feel like I can venture in and around the city and not clutch my map the entire time—it has also taken some getting used to just cross aka sprint across the street whenever there is the smallest probability that you will be hit by a motorcycle. A few mornings ago, Elise and I went to mass at a precious parish up the road (sidenote: it’s awkward when you accidentally say the responses in English loudly when everyone else is saying them in Italian. . .). We then ventured to some little street markets and then out away from Prati, the neighborhood where are school is, down to the river and up the hill near the Vatican. The view was amazing, and again I found myself constantly gawking in the beauty that is this city.

While abroad, I have also learned that you really need to be okay with self portraits. . .Okay, this has never really been a problem for me.

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

‘You are Peter’. This is ‘crazy’ in the sense that I could hardly grasp my head around it. Words will never be enough, so I hope these pictures convey what I am thinking.

Elise and I headed to the Vatican for daily mass, we went to noon mass at the Altar of St. Joseph which is located towards the front of the church. We were so rushed getting there and sprinting past large tour groups that by the time mass ended, I had momentarily forgotten where I was.

Absolutely breathtaking, I felt like I could sit in this one small part for hours and hours. 

Then I turned around, and the first thing that caught my eye was this:

Matthew 16:18

I then walked out from where I was at mass, turned around and the light was streaming through one of the side windows, a perfect spotlight on where the tomb of St. Peter is.    
                                                                         

For me to be at a loss for words is a pretty remarkable thing, but I have learned to not underestimate what can be done to me through the amazing things I am seeing in this city and this location in particular.

I have prayed the words 'one holy, catholic and apostolic church' my entire life, but at this moment, it all made sense. Like I said, crazy in a 'makes-you-think-twice-about-everything-from-that-moment-on' type of thing.

Don't worry, the silence didn't last long, especially after I saw a group of nuns AND school children within twenty seconds of each other.