A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
Today's Carpe Diem Snapshot was "supposed" to be captured at the big liturgy at the Basilica of St. John Lateran on the 1,700th anniversary of its dedication. Instead, I was in the park with children and parakeets. Literally. Some of our students were able to partake of the historic event, however. In Rome, there is a major historic event happening nearly every day of the year, which can cause just a wee bit of FOMO for someone who cares about these things. On the upside, wherever one happens to go in Rome, it's always a Carpe Diem opportunity, even with invasive parakeets.
Liturgical: Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Brothers and sisters:
You are God's building.
According to the grace of God given to me,
like a wise master builder I laid a foundation,
and another is building upon it.
But each one must be careful how he builds upon it,
for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there,
namely, Jesus Christ.
Great article on the history and importance of the Lateran Basilica!
Bishop Barron's Gospel reflections today.
Sanctoral: Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the oldest and highest ranking of the four major basilicas in Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the diocese of Rome, the official ecclesiastical seat of the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, not St. Peter's Basilica as so many mistakenly believe. The Basilica is also called the Church of Holy Savior or the Church of St. John Baptist. In ancient Rome this was the church where everyone was baptized. It the oldest church in the West, built in the time of Constantine and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324. This feast became a universal celebration in honor of the archbasilica, the ecclesiastical mother church, called "the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world" (omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput), as a sign of love for and union with the See of Peter.
Human: Today is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night in 1938 when German Nazis coordinated a nationwide attack on Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues. The attack was inspired by the murder of a German diplomat by a Jew in Paris. When Hitler heard the news, he got the idea to stage a mass uprising in response. He and Joseph Goebbels contacted storm troopers around the country and told them to attack Jewish buildings, but to make the attacks look like spontaneous demonstrations. The police were told not to interfere with the demonstrators, but instead to arrest the Jewish victims. Firefighters were told only to put out fires in any adjacent Aryan properties. Everyone cooperated.
In all, more than 1,000 synagogues were burned or destroyed. Rioters looted about 7,500 Jewish businesses and vandalized Jewish hospitals, homes, schools, and cemeteries. Many of the attackers were neighbors of the victims. The Nazis confiscated any compensation claims that insurance companies paid to Jews. They also imposed a huge collective fine on the Jewish community for having supposedly incited the violence. The event was used to justify barring Jews from schools and most public places, and forcing them to adhere to new curfews. In the days following, thousands of Jews were sent to concentration camps.
The event was called Kristallnacht, which means, "Night of Broken Glass." It's generally considered the official beginning of the Holocaust. Before that night, the Nazis had killed people secretly and individually. After Kristallnacht, the Nazis felt free to persecute the Jews openly, because they knew no one would stop them.
The Writer's Almanac edition today.
Natural: The noisy green "parrots" of Rome are actually red-ringed parakeets (one of the most invasive species on the planet)!
Italian: Italian Words You’ve Been Saying Wrong (and How to Pronounce Them Correctly)
Quote: "A saint is like one who has fallen in love and can think of nothing else but his beloved." --Ronda Chervin
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