A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
The highlight of the Roman Forum tour for me was the discovery of the belly button of Rome! The Umbilicus urbis Romae is at the center of the city's origin myth.
"Roman legend related that Romulus, when he founded the city, had a circular pit dug in the Forum. The first fruits of the year were thrown into this pit as a sacrifice and all new citizens of Rome had to throw in a handful of dirt from their place of origin.
The Mundus (Latin, "world"), known only from literary sources, was an underground structure considered a gate to the underworld. It may be that the Umbilicus Urbis Romae was the external (above ground) part of the subterranean Mundus. The Mundus was ritually opened only three times each year. These days were considered dies nefasti—days on which official transactions were forbidden on religious grounds—because evil spirits of the underworld were thought to escape then."
It's easy to recognize several ancient and modern cultural echoes in the rituals and beliefs associated with this humble mound of masonry, reinforcing my conviction again that our cultural roots really are found in Rome.
Liturgical: Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Station Church: San Martino ai Monti
Sanctoral: St. Matilda (895-968), Queen of Germany. Founder of convents, monasteries, and churches.
Human: The birthday of Hannah Faith O'Connor!!
1879- birthday of Albert Einstein
Natural: Pi Day, an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (the 3rd month) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant figures of π.
Quote: "Coincidence is God's way of keeping anonymous." - Albert Einstein
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