Rome, episode VII

Thursday November 16th, 2006
My day begins at nine; here I am at “Saint Paul outside the walls” by taking the bus 23. The weather is cloudy.

The cloister is beautiful. In front of the fountain come to me the words of the Samaritan woman: “give me lord of that water”, these same words inspired Saint Teresa of Avila. She is a great Saint; in her writings she is so sincere. Saints are living gospels, when I “hear” them in their writing I think to myself “it seems he, or she had really known Jesus, otherwise why a sensible man or woman talk with such ardor if he or she haven’t experienced a great encounter?”

Drawing of Saint Paul’s statue in the atrium.

I think of my beloved and put myself in God’s hands while beginning to read the book of Jean Pierre De La Caussade.
I the visit Santa Maria Majiore where the cradle of The Christ is said to be. I pray the Lord to teach me how to abandon myself to him.

In the evening I dine with Anca. The guy selling ice tries to be funny.

Rome, episode VI

My day begins by changing rooms in the hotel; my new one is bigger but also noisier because it is from the side of the road.

I begin my day by getting my ticket for the audience of the pope. An old nun handles me my ticket with a big smile, I thought I was late and it would be more difficult!!

All around me there are foreign pilgrims, mainly from the USA. The weather is sunny and I sit in the middle of a row. Next to me there is a priest reading his paper, his name is Mark I engage a talk with him. He is very devoted to Sainte Therese de Lisieux and shows me a relic of her bone given to him by a friend; what a coincidence, this same morning I was browsing a book in the cafeteria about the photos of Sainte Therese de Lisieux.

Then here comes the Pope, he is in his papa mobile and makes a tour around the crowd. I feel the responsibilities lying on his shoulders. I will pray for the pope more when I return to Beirut.



After the audience I have lunch with Mark then we go touring the city together sharing experiences. I feel grateful for this encounter. Mark talks to me about the book of Jean Pierre de La Caussade “Abandonment to Divine Providence”, a book I will buy later during the same day and begin reading as its subject is a main point in my pilgrimage.

We visit Saint the Onofrio monastery over the Janiculum hill. The monastery has a beautiful view over the city and an exquisite internal court surrounded by mural paintings.




Mark is bewildered by the fiat cinquo cento. he had never seen such a small car in the USA!!

Then we go back to Saint Peter Basilica, we go up the cupola, stairs are narrow but finally we arrive at the top where a beautiful view is waiting.

Mark is going upstairs.

View of a lateral chapel. picture taken fom the cupola.

Rome, episode V

After my tour in the park I have a delightful mushroom Pizza in front of Saint John of Lateran Basilica. I visit the basilica from the inside and have a walk in the internal court, very peaceful!

Inside the basilica confession chairs are present; each one dedicated to one language … what about Arabic? Shouldn’t the Church talk Arabic? It’s maybe our role as Christians in the Middle East to be a living Gospel.

I am a little shocked by people throwing coins over the tomb located under the altar, “a pagan way of doing” I said to myself.

At the end of the day I pass by the Coliseum and admire it from the outside then I visit two Jesuit churches: the church of Gesu and the church of Saint Ignatius where a dome is painted in trompe-l’oeil.

Seeing so many churches everywhere make me insensible emotionally to those beautiful religious artifacts, I ask Jesus for a new faith.

Rome, episode IV

Tuesday November 14^th, 2006

I begin my day by visiting the catacombs of saint Calixtus, I meet a Croatian priest in the bus, he shows me the way to take. At the catacombs I have to walk around 3 kilometers to get to the entrance, beautiful road, surrounded by green fields, the weather is sunny and it’s good having a brisk walk.

When I arrive at the catacombs I take the tour in French and get into the bowels of the Earth. There, I am not very impressed, and have no romantic views of sufferings of first Christians. What is happening, where have gone my emotions? Could somebody loose his faith in Rome? Is it possible? Or am I discovering a new faith, one that is not based on emotions? A Very new experience!

Same day, I rent a bike around the catacombs and go cycling into the Appia Antica Park. There is nobody to take my picture so I get a snap of my shadow. After doing this photo I find it’s a good idea; more humble than a direct photo… a direct portrait photo is arrogant, it want to catch the soul of the person and actually shows us only the external aspect and some of the internal part.. The photo of the shadow underlines that we are catching only part of the reality of the person in front of us.

Rome, episode III

Monday November 13th, 2006

Here i am in the church facing the hotel; I think of all the beloved and friends and present them to the loving Lord
Following are some photos of the day.

A man sketches a tourist at Piazza Navona:


Piazza Venezia: A couple of bikers arguing,
the lady seems so mean!!!


The church of Santa Maria de Loreto
from the monument to Victor Emmanuel:


Saint Matthew writing the gospel
(Caravaggio, Saint Louis Church):

At 5 pm I go to San Lorenzo center, its youth center in Rome near St Peter Basilica... the holy sacrament is exposed to adoration.

Here I am between youth celebrating the Mass. The homely is about faith… with faith you could say to a tree to get unearthed and planted into the sea… planted into the sea, not into earth where we usually plant trees. With faith Christians could grow into places normally unsuitable … Lord Give us faith!

At the end of the day my pedometer marks 11km!

What a beautiful experience… I am thankful.

I go to sleep like a baby.

Rome, episode II

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Its Sunday, I go to the mass at “Sainte Marie Médiatrice” (a Franciscan church next to the hotel). Miguel, a dynamic Spanish student at the school and two other students are at the mass. They lend me the scriptures in French. the entering hymn is "grandiose"; I am truly in Rome!!!!
After the mass I meet some French students at breakfast.
At noon here I am at Saint Peter’s square. The pope is at his window. In his address in French he says:
« Je salue cordialement les pèlerins francophones et je les invite à accueillir avec générosité l'invitation au partage que nous adresse l'Evangile de ce dimanche. Puissiez-vous donner de votre temps, de votre disponibilité, de vous-mêmes, et non seulement de votre superflu, pour que le Règne de Dieu grandisse au milieu des hommes. Bon dimanche! Avec ma Bénédiction apostolique. Je souhaite à tous un bon dimanche et une bonne semaine. Au revoir! »

I retain from it: “May you give from your time, your presence; from your own self and not only from what is superfluous for the growing of the kingdom of God among human kind”

Into the basilica I find the Church in its entire splendor. The Canossa episode, the tomb of good pope John XXIII, may he intercede for the Church.

Time goes by rapidly, here I am with Anca, a friend of my sister, she’s Dutch. We have diner together after a long walk in Rome. She’s a very deep and joyful person.

Rome, Episode I

Saturday, November 11, 2006.

7h30: I am at Milan Airport. During the flight from Beirut, Ali, from Tyre, South Lebanon was sitting next to me. He is going to Venezuela to visit his children. Very smart and intuitive person. Talking about the July war in Lebanon, he says to me that human life used to have more value than nowadays. A funeral used to be a very serious and sad moment in the village. I helped him doing his transfer in Milan.

I arrive at my hotel; actually it’s a “school of mission” of the communaute de l’Emmanuel. A number of rooms are used as a hotel (http://www.domusaurelia.com/)

I meet Chiara at the reception, very kind and helping person. She was the person I contacted to make my reservation.

I apprehend this stay in Rome a little bit, will it be boring? ...I will live each moment in my “true being” (mon être veritable). I praise the Lord.

My stay in Rome

This trip was initially programmed in September, but due to War in Lebanon, where I live, it was postponed to mid November.
For me, it was a new experience to travel alone and just for tourism. I was used to travel with other physicians to attend medical conferences. As you will see i was not decieved.

Why Rome? Because it is the Eternal city, where the Pope lives (our "new" Pope, Benedict XVI). Why Rome? Because of all the art one can admire...

It was both: pilgrimage and art tourism.