Day 8

Day 8
The tube system in Rome is in the shape of an X and is not like the complex UK or French systems. The one track has clean train carriages. The other line is grubby, but more noticeably, is so covered in graffiti on the outside that the windows are barely see-through.
We arrived at St Peter's basilica first and saw the Swiss guards in their funny costumes. They are quite serious guys. I remember reading that all are Swiss Nationals, Permanent army and have black belts in martial arts. Legends, to be sure.
I thought that both St Peter's Square and the basilica were larger than they appeared. But a friend of mine who visited some years earlier warned me against underestimating the size of the basilica. He said that you think it is not that big, but then you walk for a while and look up and realise that your perspective hasn't changed and then you realise just how big it is. It was true. In the sacristy, engraved on a huge marble wall are the names of all the popes from Peter, Linus, Cletus etc. all through to the present one - an impressive unbroken line of succession. The Pieta on the other hand was larger than I thought,only because everybody had said it was so small. I guess it is about the size of a small car. The Pope is in Israel at the moment so we never got to see him, but the sense of this as the spiritual home of the church was palpable. I know it sounds corny, but by the time it was time to move on, I felt as though I was about to leave my home. It was with a heavy heart that we left and went to get an ice-cream at a tiny shop on the road to the right as you face St Peters, called The Old Bridge Gelatari. Do yourself a favour.Get fat. Their icecream must have at least 5 trillion calories. That chocolate icecream is worth every one of them!

We returned to St Peters to visit the crypt where quite a number of the popes are buried below the Basilica. I sacrificed the visit to the Sistine for this so I hoped it would be worth it. It was - well after half an hour of standing in the wrong queue to climb the steps to the copula (the dome). Made me wish I had concentrated more in Latin. My Latin really is appalling! Down under the basilica, you can see a short description beside each sarcophagus / crypt and a small crowd had spontaneously knelt on the cold hard marble in front of the tomb of our beloved John Paul II. I was very deeply moved and found myself almost overwhelmed by emotion. We stayed for a while in front of the tomb to pray. You are not allowed to take photos, otherwise we would have posted. The tomb is simple. A slab of white and gray marble, perhaps 15-20cm thick inscribed with his name lying at an angle on the ground of about 10-15 degrees. A red lamp at the top. Touching in its simplicity. I know many in the secular media had bemoaned the fact that JPII never abdicated, but hung on until he died. Some said it was because he could not let go. But I remember reading the diary of Pope John XXIII and their passion for people and their salvation remained undimmed, burning so passionately within them, even though their bodies would not obey them anymore. I don't know how one communicates this to someone without faith. I felt such a sense at his tomb that I also have a duty to continue the work that he did until my dying breath.

After the crypt, we headed for St John Lateran, which is a Basilica some distance from St Peter's. It is the official church of the Bishop of Rome. It has quite an impressive frontage and large doors that dwarf everything. Once inside, you see that it is big. Really big. Not quite as large as St Peters, but not far off. The size of the statues of the apostles in the main nave are huge. The paintings and lattice work on the altar canopy is intricate. But then you look up. At the ceiling. Words simply fail. I could tell you about the light dancing off of the gold leave, the art..., but it cannot convey the sheer - i don't know.I was gobsmacked. I looked down at the floor and then back at the roof. Same reaction - disbelief. I went and sat at the back of the Church and just sat. It was completed in 324. People - normal people like you and me had been worshipping here for over 1700 years! The concept as I sat and tried to comprehend it, was just mind-boggling. I had only visited St John's because Kerry and Richard said I should, but as I had been so many times this holiday, was simply blown away by unexpected moments of stupendous and unexpected beauty / awe, call it what you like. I took a video of the place and my jaw still dropped when I watched it later.

For years, I had been one of those people that believed the Vatican should sell all its wealth and give the money to the poor. What an idiot I was! These treasures are priceless heirlooms of a family that dates back over 2000 years. Sure the materials and art have some nominal value, but nothing in comparison to the beauty that is our inheritance of those who have gone before us. It would be like trying to sell off your priceless family portraits and heirlooms. It is more than sentimental value. It speaks of a history of love - a labour of love: of one believer to another, encouraging and leading each other - and us that would follow - through their art and talent as artisans, to God. And a shared treasure that has been entrusted to us - not ours to dispose of but to prove our stewardship, so that as with the faith, we can carefully hand it on to the generations that will follow us.The people that created this were given the talent by God and granted the time on earth by Him. It is both His gift to us and our gift to Him.

Goodnite.