The Catholic Church

Is the Catholic Church a Roman Institution or a global institution?

            I think that the Catholic Church is both a Roman institution and a global institution but definitely more global. Catholicism is the largest religion organization in the world. While most Romans are Catholics, so are many other groups of people in the world, especially the United States. Rome is the center of Catholicism and the Church is located in Vatican City. The city itself is so significant because the Pope resides there himself. It is also the center of unity of belief. It is fascinating how around 310 AD, Christianity became the popular religion and it had a domino effect throughout the world. Even though all this happened in Rome and basically started here, there is still a global influence to it as well.

               

                I think it is amazing how even non Catholics come to Rome to pay their respects to the church and to see the amazing tombs of the popes. While not all Catholic, people still find it amazing to come to these sites and find themselves astonished by what is in front of them. There are many places in Rome that have a biblical background to them such as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Papal Audience, Pope John Paul II burial site, etc.  Even those not catholic find these places sacred and take it as a “once in a life time experience”. It is definitely more a site seeing place than a religious purpose in my eyes.

            Personally for me, I highly enjoyed going to the Papal Audience last week. I have grown up as a Catholic and have gone to church every Sunday with my parents since I was little, and never have I felt so blessed in my entire life as when I was at the Papal Audience. I did not really know what to expect when I got there and was told about it, but once the Pope came out and started, I was in awe. Just being in his presence and around all the people that made huge journeys to come to see him was beyond amazing. I felt like I was part of a bigger family when I was in that conference room with my entire class and everyone from all over the world that was there as well. I guess I never understood how big of a deal it was to actually see the Pope. I was so excited when we were introduced to the audience and was on TV. It was such an honor to be there and I feel so blessed that we have someone like Danilo who has these connections.

            After being here in Rome for six weeks now, I have come to realize in my eyes that the Catholic Church is more of a Global Institution. There are so many tourists at all the places that we have visited and I find it hard to believe that every single one of them are catholic, which there is nothing wrong with. I just think it is cool how even those of not the same practice still see the beauty in all that is offered here in Rome and they take full advantage of it. Yes, I did grow up Catholic but I did not know the significance of a lot of things. Then, after coming here, it has definitely helped me see that and I am so happy that by taking this opportunity, it has made me become closer in my faith and has given me a better understanding of it.

Leisure Time!

What is leisure? To me, I feel that "leisure" is the time that an individual has to themselves to do something that is fun or enjoyable for them. Leisure is different for every person because everyone has their own interests and things that take his/her mind off work or stress. Some people like to lay on the couch and watch TV, some people like to take long walks, and others like to take vacations. Having time for you is very important because everyone needs time to relax, clear the mind, and get thoughts together. Depending on the type of person that you are, YOUR leisure time is going to differ from everyone else’s.

            From the time that I have been here in Rome, I have definitely noticed that Italians greatly appreciate their leisure time more so than Americans. Italians have a time period during the day called siesta, which allows them to close their businesses or leave work to go home to relax or take a break. Siesta usually lasts from around 1:00 pm till about 4:00 p.m. During this time, around here at least, there are not very many stores or restaurants open, like Johnny's and stores in Albano. At termini and the city of Rome stores do not close because people are constantly coming and going. It is almost weird for me because back in the United States, we work work work! People sometimes get only fifteen to thirty minutes to take a lunch break. In my personal opinion, I do not feel that is enough time to relax.
            When I return to the United States, it is going to be very interesting to see how I view leisure and how it has changed for me since I have been here in Rome. I really do hope that I take the experiences of the leisure I am having here and use them at home because they seem to be more meaningful, such as the leisure day at Villa Borghese. When we went to that site visit, Jackie and I rented a bike and rode around the park for an hour. Yes, it took some exercise, and it was not relaxing like sitting on the couch is, but it was relaxing in a way because we were outside enjoying the weather together. I do think that I am going to find more productive and different activities to do when I get back home because being here in Rome has definitely taught me that there is more to relaxing than watching TV or sleeping for a few hours.
            I really love how when we went to Villa Borghese that there were so many people out of all different ages enjoying the weather and outdoors. When I was younger my parents would take my sister and I on picnics or hikes and that was our leisure time. When I got older, I found my own ways of leisure which consisted of sleeping and watching TV like any other teenager in the US. I guess I never understood it when people said that they needed to go on a walk because they needed to relax because in my eyes, that was not relaxing; they were still moving around. From my experience here, taking a walk is one of the most relaxing things for me now. It is so beautiful here in Rome and there is so much to see. It takes my mind of things and I can enjoy what is around me!

Culture in the Piazzas

How do I see Italian Culture in the Piazzas?

Every day that we are out and about in the city, there are tons of people walking around and going about their daily lives. Although there are many people walking around, if you notice, there are usually large groups of regulars and a lot of the time tourists, hanging out in areas called Piazzas. Piazza del Rotunda in front of the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps are just a few very populated piazzas. Unlike in the US where we go to bars and other peoples’ houses to hang out and enjoy an evening, people come to these areas to hang out and people watch. These are known areas to eat lunch and relax on breaks from work or nights out in the town.

It seems like now a days, our generation has completely turned to the internet for socializing and meeting people. While not all bad, to me it is very in personable and we rely so much on Facebook, emails, texting, and Twittering. For Italians, I have noticed that they are not on their phones as much because they are out together and do not feel the need to check their Facebook or texting every two seconds like we Americans do.  People in the United States walk around texting and run into people while in the process; I am guilty as well. When I do see people on their phones here in Italy, it is usually on the trains when there is time to sit and relax.

The one free weekend that we had, myself and a few other people got a hotel in Rome so that we were able to go out and enjoy the city. When we went out, we all agreed that we had never seen so many young people out together in one area. We went to The Drunken Ship that night, and it was packed! There were not only Americans, considering it was an American bar, but there were people from all over including Italians. Where this bar was located was a piazza and you could definitely tell by the amount of people that were in the area.

In the piazzas here in Rome, I feel like you get to experience a lot of culture because a lot of different people come there to relax and hang out like what we experienced at the Santa Maria in Travestere. When we went there, there was also a piazza in front of the church where it is an attraction for the homeless. The fountain in the middle of the piazza, the Octagonal Fountain is a popular place for locals as well. Although not mentioned on our tour, there is a street off to the north side of the piazza called  Via Delle Fonte Dell’ Olio which is in the honor of the miracle with the candle stick in the church. The Santa Maria sopra Minerva also is another church that we visited that we visited that has a piazza outside of it.

I feel that you can learn so much from just sitting in any of these piazzas because you can just sit back and watch people as they go about their daily lives. I know that the one night that I went out and was in a piazza I had so much fun I felt like I was part of a bigger family; it is what everyone does. I hope I get more experiences in these phenomenal places so I can continue learning about the culture and the people in it.  

Does History Bolster or Limit Faith? My Opinion

           

History vs. Religion

I feel that the more documentation that we find about past events limits faith.  Personally, I have seen some places and events that have made me question my faith and what I have been brought up to do.  Since I was young, I have been told to “do for others as you would expect others to do for you.  What the Bible says is true, you have to have faith and trust in the Lord.” I do believe in what I have been told from the bible and church but I still find certain examples where my faith is tested and makes me question whether or not what I am being told religiously, is true or not.  Faith is the belief in something that you cannot see, something that is not tangible, and sometimes it is very difficult for me to have faith.

My faith is tested daily when I see people who are homeless and are begging on the streets.  Everywhere I turn there is someone else with a deformity, or holding cups just hoping that someone will give them a little money.  At home, I have always been the one to go and drop some of my spare change in these peoples’ cups.  Here in Italy it has been difficult for me because I want so badly to give to these people, but we were told that we should not.  Here in Rome, Italy, gypsies and the people who beg are frowned upon because of the lifestyle they chose for themselves when there are opportunities for them to get off the streets.   I always feel so horrible because there is no way to tell how bad the situation of these people really is.

Another reason I feel that documentation from past events limits my faith is from a visit my class took to the Scala Santa steps in Rome, across the street from the Basillica of San Giovanni in Laterano.  These holy steps were brought back to Rome by Emperor Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, because these were supposedly the steps that Jesus walked on His way to His trial.  The problem I see with this is there is no real documentation that this is true, and yet so many pilgrims and Romans come from all around to crawl up these steps.  I have a hard time believing that these were in fact the real steps that Jesus walked on, and not just some story to give people something to believe in.

Another visit that we took was to the Coliseum, where so many lives of people and animals were taken for the amusement of the Romans.  During the time between 72 and 80 A.D., up to 55,000 people would come and crowd in this arena to watch the death of another human being or thousands of animals.  Once again, when I was younger, the Ten Commandments were drilled into my head at church; One in particular, “Thou shall not kill”.  My question is, why was this accepted then by God and why did He allow all of this bloodshed to occur?  Yes, it is amazing to hear all the facts about what went on in this arena and how many lives were taken along with the details of how the killing was done, but then I just wonder why one of the Commandments says not to do this, and it still happened.  To me this just does not make sense.

Overall, I do feel that my faith is tested every day because documentation can only go back so far.  There are only so many records of events that have happened because in 70 AD, keeping records and documents was not as big of a priority as it is today.  I am not saying what I have said is correct, but it is a struggle for me and in the end I am going to trust what I have been told through the religious documents about the time when Jesus walked the Earth.