The Second day of Christmas (Christmas is an Octave...)

So today I finally got to go to my Christmas mass as due to travelling and generally things involving finding a place to sleep prevented me from going to mass... more on that later.


But today I was kicked out of my hostel at 120pm (I was sleeping and it was lockout hours, aka cleaning time) But it was good to be forced out...

I took the opportunity to do morning prayers (yeah I consider anytime I just woke up as morning) in St. Mary Major (Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore officially).

This is the madonna on the High Altar

This is a relic of the crib that Jesus was laid in.
(Also in this crypt several saints, popes and St Jerome are burried)

The dome for ONE of the SIDE chapels

Which I found out later on in the day is the one Church I was looking for in Rome... the Church that Celebrates the first apparition of Mary (as Our Lady of the Snows). So that chalks up one of my things to do on this trip... three more left (Medjugorge, Lourdes and Fatima).

the eucharistic chapel

It's sorrta nice to have St. Mary Major as my "home" church in Rome (like I said its two blocks away).




After praying, went to the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. Just a few blocks down the road.


Where I ate a panino regulare and drank a soda for 4,60 euro (the comma is where in the US we'd us a '.')... which actually meant I ate for cheaper than I would in NYC... much much cheaper... aside from the soda itself costing as much as the sandwich... in NYC, It'd be about 6$ for the sandwich and 1.50$ for the soda (for about 8.50$ or 5,60 euro)



After lunch I was deciding on where to go... vatican or Coliseum... the Coliseum was my intention, but something made me turn one block and spend some euro for the metro ticket to go across the river...


Turns out it was amazing... St peter's square was goregous, and I really enjoyed it (a bit different than I remember).

The North entrance to St. Peters Square.

The nativity scene in the center of the square (I didn't think much of it... the one inside the church was much prettier I thought, but since people around the world know this one I'd figure I'd post a picture :-P )

I also bumped into an Irish plasterer/painter who noticed they were giving out tickets for something papal at the bronze gates...


So I went in line and now tomorrow, I'm going to a papal audience at 1030, but getting there at 730 (which means I should get some sleep soon) But while in line for the tickets I bumped into a Chinese Catholic young adult who was concerned over the state of faith in the west...

(a sign on the way to the entrance of St. Peters... apparently people who are falling apart can't enter... we thought it was discrimination! )

(Hetti decided to stick as close to me as possible, for fear the the kids who were playing with her behind my back would steal her away if she was ever let free... But she had fun the whole day making Italians and foreigners laugh and smile... she's great at that ministry!)

the chair of St. Peter/high altar

After we entered the basillica (Hetti and I, that is) we went to confession which was perhaps one of the places in the church that seemed almost completely quiet, despite the noise just beyond the ropes... (Granted I don't recommend everyone bringing a chicken to the confessional, but mine doesn't judge me like the rest of them do! Chickens are usually quite peckish.) I also did my evening prayer there and afterwards proceeded to Mass at the high altar. Aka, where St. Peter's chair is located. And I'd say located quite convincingly... the thing is massive, yet the art work that supports it makes it look like a feather!

This was from the nativity inside... very beautiful

This was something I noticed after I was talking to some people from California after mass, we were talking about Fatima, when I looked and noticed what people were standing on to look at the nativity! I really really wanted a full picture of it, but people kept crowding around, and I figured it was best not to disturb them.

After talking to Don and Linda, I headed around the church when I noticed that the Pieta was not crowded... It had been the first thing I had seen and had stuck me dumb by it's beauty when I entered the Basilica. So I went over and prayed a rosary before the kicked me out at closing time. I was really amazed how the Pieta was more beautiful in person than in picture (usually pictures do pretty darn good justice to art, and the real things all that much better). But I guess it's also the setting it's in that makes a huge difference.

After the basilica I bumped into a German lady, who I helped get a ticket (which was lucky because it seemed they were closed). And then wandered down the via del conciliazione where we went into another church (where mass was ending) that had another Nativity scene (these things are popular in this city! Of course it helps to have a church on every block). Afterwards I road the bus to the Termini (transit terminal), where I ate dinner for six euro (8 if you include the tip I gave) and then headed home.

(This was my six euro dinner, not pictured was an espresso)

The outside mosaics are lit up at st. Mary Major during the night... they were beautiful to behold.

So all in all, it's been a good day... lots of cool things, and lots of stuff I've done... tomorrow's agenda, pop in to see Papa B (Benedict the xvi), get a train/plane/bus ticket to Bosnia, and check out the coliseum... maybe also St. John Lateran, St. Paul outside the walls, and possibly The Sacred Cross, but I might save those for my return trip).

Keep sending those prayers... and well wishes.