Today's Carpe Diem Snapshot: There's a lot going on in the scene I captured for posterity this morning. First of all, Cordelia always looks forward to this ritual of lighting a candle after Sunday Mass for our loved ones. And nowadays, we also remember to give thanks for her continued healing. There are real candles available (as opposed to fake electric candles) at this particular shrine of Divine Mercy at the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia next to the Vatican, which of course gives Cordelia the rare opportunity to interact with flames, which she enjoys. :) The plaque on the wall between the statue of St. Faustina and her relics commemorates the day in 1994 that Pope St. John Paul II oversaw the installation of this authorized copy of the famous image of the Divine Mercy above the altar (not pictured here), which transformed this historic church into the Shrine of Divine Mercy. Pilgrims from all over the world, such as the man praying in the photo here, come to kneel here and often leave a votive offering of thanks behind, as you can see on the wall next to the statue. Stitched into the altar cloth, partially visible in this photo, are the memorable words that are written below the image of the Divine Mercy, "Gesu, Confido in Te"- Jesus, I Trust in You.
Liturgical: Quinquagesima, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sanctoral: Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, France, 1858. St. Bernadette Soubirous, a fourteen-year-old shepherdess, receives the first of eighteen apparitions of Mary at a grotto, who revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception on March 25.
Human: 660 BC Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu; 55 AD Heir to the Roman Emperorship, Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, dies at the age of 13 under mysterious circumstances (assumed assassination by Nero and his mother Agrippina), leading to Nero's ascent; 1906 Pope Pius X issues the papal encyclical Vehementer Nos regarding the new French law of separation of church and state.
Natural: Why we should be aware of the psychology buzzword self-awareness and its applications in life and work.
Quote: "Know thyself." -maxim inscribed at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi
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