A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
All good things must come to an end... Some of the mighty umbrella pine trees are toppling over in Villa Pamphili park and elsewhere in Rome, having reached the end of their lifespan (50-150 years). I stumbled upon this one during the afternoon today and spent a minute marveling at the bittersweet beauty of the uprooted tree, splayed out horizontally in contrast to the towering, vertical, living trees behind it, with their vibrant green against a brilliant blue sky. In my mind, it was a fitting scene to contemplate today, on this last Sunday of the liturgical year.
In the ancient Roman calendar, today was the beginning of a whole month of vacation and festivity, called Brumalia, in honor of Bacchus and Cronos. It's intriguing that the gods of wine and time were honored at the same festival- perhaps because wine makes time move slower? Actually, I think Bacchus has to do with the advent of the new wine of the season (novello) following the grape harvest and Cronos has to do with the shortening of daylight hours.
Coincidentally, last month I had a dream in which my Dad told me that, over the course of the next two years, he was going to instruct me about different types of Time. Ever since then, I seem to come across the theme of Time everywhere, including today. Of course, the entire theme of Calendar Class is about Time, so it's a lesson that I'm already attentive to, but always eager to learn more about- day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.
Happy New Year's Eve Week of the Liturgical Calendar! Next Sunday we begin a new liturgical year with the liturgical season of Advent.
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of man's thinking and living and organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ's royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.
Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon: Which Kingdom are You In?
Fr. Plant's Homily: Are you the King of the Jews?
Sanctoral: Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions, Vietnam (1791 – December 21, 1839; Companions d. 1820 – 1862)
Human:
Ancient Rome history today-- Brumalia began, a month-long festival in honor of Bacchus or Saturn (Greek god Kronos). The name of the holiday comes from the word: bruma, meaning “the shortest day”. It is believed that its celebration began with the first king of Rome – Romulus. The legendary ruler supposedly entertained the senators and army throughout the month. During the Brumalia festival, the goddess Ceres and Cronos were offered the pig and Bacchus the goat. The goat was considered to be the enemy of wine, so a sack full of air was made from her skin and people jumped on it. The ordinary inhabitants of Rome, in turn, offered sacrifices to Ceres (wine, olive oil, honey and grain). The festival was full of joy and the celebrating people drank wine. The Romans, who focused on the army, agriculture, and hunting, considered the shorter days of November as a period of rest from everyday tasks. During this holiday, prophecies were foretold for the rest of winter. The festival was celebrated until the 6th century AD.
The Writer's Almanac today.
Natural: Charles Darwin’s controversial Origin of Species published 1859
Italian: Ogni morte di papa (once in a blue moon)
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