Chapter 70 - Each Step of the Way
On July 10, 1972, I woke in Rome on my 36th birthday. It was the dawning of a very special day in the city that was known in ancient Roman culture as "Roma Aeterna" (The Eternal City) and "Caput Mundi" (Capital of the World).
In the morning, our group visited the Olympic Stadium and a sports stadium that was built by Italy's fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. These stops paled in comparison to our tours of St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. In my journal, I simply wrote, "Description is impossible."
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| St. Peter's Basilica in Rome |
As our guide gave us the history of this seat of Roman Catholicism, I remembered how a cardinal is supposed to have pointed with a sweeping gesture to the magnificence of St. Peter's Basilica and boasted to a visitor, "Never again will the church have to say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'"
To which the Vatican guest replied, "And sadly, she can no longer say, 'In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.'"
We were dumbfounded on seeing a marble toe on the statue of Peter having been completely kissed away by devout worshippers. My mind went back to the passage from Acts 3:12-13 when the transformed fisherman diverted attention from himself and John by asking, "Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus..."
In my mind, I could hear him saying, "Stop it. All glory belongs to Christ."
Not having more time to explore the treasures in the
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| Sistine Chapel in Vatican |
Vatican Museums left me frustrated. This complex originated in the early 1500s with Pope Julius II's collection of sculptures. Today, its displays are overwhelming, the most amazing of which is the chapel ceiling painted by Michelangelo.
In my lifetime, I have seen two edifices that have left me breathless and at a loss for words, the Palace of Versailles in France and the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The chapel's ceiling, painted between 1508 and 1512, is a masterpiece without precedent in the world.
During the afternoon, we visited the Domitilla Catacombs, the Papal Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls, the Coliseum and the Forum.
My snapshot impressions and memories included trying to comprehend the struggles of early Christians against a pagan culture and their determination to defy the Roman practice of incinerating corpses. They dug miles of tunnels on the outskirts of Rome in order to bury their dead. The Domitilla Catacombs extended for over nine miles.
The Papal Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I over what tradition holds to be the burial place of the Apostle Paul. Putting aside tradition and ancient history, I was most impressed by how the basilica's stained glass windows were replaced after being blown out by a gun powder explosion at nearby Forte Portuense in 1891. Instead of using colored glass, the windows were repaired by installing very thinly sliced marble. Now, when the sunlight shines through, the beauty exceeds anything man could have designed.
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| The Coliseum in Rome |
Seeing the ruins of the Coliseum challenged my imagination as I tried to envision it when 50,000 to 80,000 Romans would be drawn to watch gladiatorial contests, mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles and dramas based on mythology.
Here Christian martyrs were torn apart by wild animals while the crowds laughed and howled. From their blood, the Church took root and grew strong.
It is said that a bold advisor told the emperor Nero, "If we do not stop killing Christians, the whole world is going to become Christian."
My take-away memory of the Coliseum was that of hundreds of cats having claimed its ruins as their feral home.
At the ruins of the Forum we stood at the heart of the ancient city. This was the marketplace, the center of public life, the place for public speeches and criminal trials and even gladiatorial matches. It has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world.
Back at our hotel, one thought bombarded me, "After all of this, Rome fell."
During a pre-dinner walk, I found a beautiful blouse for Robbie.
At dinner, our men surprised me with a gorgeous umbrella, gold cuff links, "Happy Birthday" and "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow." They gleefully followed that with the serving of a specially ordered rum birthday cake. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.
After dinner, a merchant's daughter and her boyfriend
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| Trevi Fountain in Rome |
drove J. B. Betts, Jim Harvey and me to her father's shop in the Vatican area. I bought a statue of David, pins for Robbie and my mother, and a book regarding the works of Michelangelo.
Instead of going straight back to the hotel, we had the young couple drop us off at the Trevi Fountain. Remembering watching the 1954 movie Three Coins in a Fountain at a drive-in theatre, I threw coins into the water, one for Robbie, one for Rob and one for me.
Our group had left the USA on June 12. Now, we were scheduled to return. Home and family were waiting. London, Uganda, Israel, Athens and Rome had been great, but there is no place like home. And absence does make the heart grow fonder.
© 2015 Wayne Bristow
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