A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
Ave Caput Mundi! Today, for my first Art and Architecture class of the semester, we headed to the Capitoline hill, the historical epicenter of Rome. The word "caput" means head, and the legend goes that a man's head was discovered buried in the hill during the earliest days of the building of Romulus' settlement. Somehow the head was identified as that of an Etruscan warrior named Aulo Vipsania. Over time the hill became known as Caput Auli, leading to Capitolium. Today, we visited the same sites that inspired Edward Gibbon to write The History of the Decline and Fall of Roman Empire, while sitting on the marble steps leading up to the Basilica of Santa Maria Aracoeli. Today we stumbled upon a remarkable continuation of culture at the basilica when we witnessed the Polizia Roma Capitale setting up for their annual Mass and Procession. In keeping with this location's VIP status as the original site of the temples of the Roman patron gods- Zeus, Juno, and Minerva- (as well as its proximity to the Roman senate next door) in the Christian era, this church then became the official church of the Senate, and other governmental bodies, such as the city police (whose plumed helmets on display today were most impressive).
"If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Bishop Barron's Gospel reflections.
Sanctoral: The Roman Martyrology (2004) commemorates St. Daniel Comboni (1831-1881), a missionary in Central Africa who combined the ideal with the practical, drawing inspiration from the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. His missionaries, known as the Comboni Fathers or the Verona Missionaries, have 4,000 members working in countries all over the world.
St. Paulinus of York (584-644) is also commemorated. He was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York. He was a member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Gregory I to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism.
Saint Francis Borgia, Italy +1572. The link is to an audio biography.
Human: 19 AD – in Daphne, near Syrian Antioch, Germanicus died, a Roman commander. It was believed that he was poisoned by Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, the governor of Syria, on the instructions of Tiberius, jealous of the growing popularity and power of Germanicus. However, this is only a guess, which is not in any reliable sources. Germanicus was one of the most famous Roman commanders. He became famous for effective campaigns carried out in Germania. At the turn of the year 15 and 16 AD he made two successful expeditions against Germans led by Arminius. He found and buried the remains of three legions who died in the massacre in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. When, in 14 AD, at the age of seventy-six, Augustus died, and Tiberius, unpopular among the people, came to the throne, there was a riot in Germanicus’ army in Germania. Soldiers who did not like Tiberius proclaimed Germanicus the emperor. However, he rejected the proposed title by accepting the will of Augustus and pacifying the rebellion.
The Writer's Almanac today.
Natural: Battling Mosquitoes in Italy – 5 Ways to Protect Yourself
World Mental Health Day 2024-- It's all about the little things, practiced consistently: breathwork, talking to a soul friend, listening to beautiful music, nutrition, random acts of kindness, small rewards, learning something new, getting outside in the morning, decluttering, scheduling relaxation, checking off a to-do list, and more.
Italian: Pista (track / trail)
Quote: “If we could be reborn wherever we chose, how crowded Rome would be, populated by souls who had spent their previous lives longing to inhabit a villa on the Janiculum Hill.”– Francine Prose, American Writer
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