The day started bright and early for me. I struggled to sleep last night as I ate a huge cone of dark chocolate gelato, and I had a sugar
rush all night. I woke up about an hour before the other pilgrims in
my house. I just sat in bed and prayed until everyone else woke up. I skipped breakfast, as I do regularly, and we headed to the Angelus said by Pope Francis. I thought it was very beautiful, even though I
couldn't understand a word of it. I don't speak much Italian, but seeing the Pope and the way he addressed the crowd was awesome. I
couldn't imagine speaking to that many people all at once. After the Angelus, I ate a nice Panini and napped at the Angel House. For
those of you that don't know, naps are very important to me. I need my
nap, especially when I have to walk a lot, and I got very minimal
amounts of sleep last night.
After my glorious nap (yes, it was that awesome), we went to the Church of St. Ignatius. The architecture in this building was absolutely stunning and beautiful. I'm sure you've seen some pictures already, but the pictures do a disservice to the real thing. This is the only church I have ever been in that had optical illusions. The roof is flat, even though it looks like there is a dome. I couldn't get over the beauty of the place, and it was all painted by a Jesuit brother. I can't imagine Brother Casey painting anything close to this beautiful (no offense). After this, we had a lovely mass in St. Ignatius' room. It was amazing, and Fr. Johnson gave a thought-provoking homily about discernment. I enjoyed the change of pace. Going from one of the most beautiful churches on Earth to a quaint little room was nice. I also like the feeling of a smaller, more personal mass. After this, we went to Gesu, another absolutely breath-taking church. I saw the arm of St. Francis Xavier, yes, just the arm. I'll let you research that story if you are curious (warning, kind of weird). I saw some interesting artifacts that Ignatius owned, and it was cool to see just how humble and simple he lived.
Then we had a spectacular meal, and evening prayer. All in all, today was a great day. I feel closer to God than ever before, and I think this was an eventful day. I really loved learning about some of the Jesuit tradition, and seeing some of the beautiful artworks that these churches have. I loved learning about Ignatius' humble life style. I am thankful to all our donors and all the people praying for us. Know that we are praying for you as well.
God Bless,
Michael Blaschke.
After my glorious nap (yes, it was that awesome), we went to the Church of St. Ignatius. The architecture in this building was absolutely stunning and beautiful. I'm sure you've seen some pictures already, but the pictures do a disservice to the real thing. This is the only church I have ever been in that had optical illusions. The roof is flat, even though it looks like there is a dome. I couldn't get over the beauty of the place, and it was all painted by a Jesuit brother. I can't imagine Brother Casey painting anything close to this beautiful (no offense). After this, we had a lovely mass in St. Ignatius' room. It was amazing, and Fr. Johnson gave a thought-provoking homily about discernment. I enjoyed the change of pace. Going from one of the most beautiful churches on Earth to a quaint little room was nice. I also like the feeling of a smaller, more personal mass. After this, we went to Gesu, another absolutely breath-taking church. I saw the arm of St. Francis Xavier, yes, just the arm. I'll let you research that story if you are curious (warning, kind of weird). I saw some interesting artifacts that Ignatius owned, and it was cool to see just how humble and simple he lived.
Then we had a spectacular meal, and evening prayer. All in all, today was a great day. I feel closer to God than ever before, and I think this was an eventful day. I really loved learning about some of the Jesuit tradition, and seeing some of the beautiful artworks that these churches have. I loved learning about Ignatius' humble life style. I am thankful to all our donors and all the people praying for us. Know that we are praying for you as well.
God Bless,
Michael Blaschke.
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