ROME 22/06 – Day 26: Indulgences and indulgences

5:34 – 20:52 – 21:15 – HIKE!

More like “YIKES!” in Rome today.

It actually hit 104ºF.

Brutal, with the sun beating down.

The coverage of the chess tournament in Madrid continues.  I really enjoyed this comment.

Truer words…

Meanwhile, I am reading Vladimir Nabokov’s Luzhin Defense, which seems right, here and now.  HERE.  I’m using an e-book.  It’s also a movie which I have not seen.   I have on deck what seems like a fascinating read, the 1962 (a happier year) Candidates tournament in Curacao.  There was extreme drama.  And let’s not forget that in 72 was Fischer/Spassky.

Remember to patronize the wonderful traditional monks of Le Barroux and there great wine.  You can get 10% off with the code FATHERZ10   HERE   And if you are shopping online, please use – always – my affiliate links.  You can always find them on the sidebar, but here are a couple.  US HERE – UK HERE

Thanks for your indulgence about these digressions.  They are part of my Sojourn here in Rome and they concern aspects of life that bring some happiness and sustenance.

And extra thanks to recent readers who gave donations for the Rome trip. With the extreme heat, I’ve used a few taxis lately.  Decidedly not a guilty indulgence, I assure you.

They have a net.  Hmmm… not a good sign.

Look at this.  It is a beautiful piece of furniture, at least.   Look at the care and details.  You have a sense that, once upon a time, Catholics thought CONFESSION was important.

The wood.  The grate.

The chapel where Gregory the Great’s cathedra is and the altar with images of how he said Masses for the release of a soul from Purgatory, thus spreading to the whole of the Church and the foundation of the 30 day Gregorian Mass series.

MISSIS TRIGINTA
SANCTIIS GREGORIUS ANIMAM SUI MONACHJ LIBERAVIT.

Also, the famous Mass of St. Gregory, so often reproduced in different periods, which give us glimpses into old liturgical practices and vestments.

GREGORIO I P M CELEBRANTI IESVS CHRISTVS PATIENS HEIC VISUS EST

HAC IN CELLA GREGORI I
PONT. MAX. CELEBRATAE MISSAE ANIMAS A CRUCIATU PURGATORII
SOLVUNT

He would also sleep in a little niche.

Here’s the inscription…

 

S(ANCTI) GREGORJ M(AGNI) TITULO
ET PATROCINIO VENERABILEM
PLURIUM RO(MANORUM) PONT(IFICUM) PRIVILEGIA
TOTO ORBE CELEBREM
REDDIDERUNT
AD QUAM MANDANTE
S(ANCTO) GREGORIO
QUUM HUIUS MONASTERJ MONACHUS
DIEBUS XXX CONTINUIS
SACRIFICIUM PRO ANIMA
DEFUNCTI FRATRIS OBTULISSET
EAM MONACHUS ALTER
PIACULARIBUS FLAMMIS EXEMPTAM
VIDIT

I’ve many times shown you inscriptions in different Roman churches about altars enriched with indulgences from Popes that give the privilege of releasing souls from Purgatory.  This is where that comes from.

IMG_025207

A lovely floor.

Food was had last night with priest and lay friends.  It isn’t often that I go out.

A light lunch.

Appetizer at supper.

Spaghetti with lobster… and a neighbor digging in to take some.

The lobster read the consistory list and… well… look what happened to him.

Fish for six.  Sea bass in salt and herbs.

Heading home.

Ahhhh.  How I shall miss this.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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10 Comments

  1. Tony Pistilli says:

    Fabi lost yesterday because his bishop was restricted and couldn’t make any moves. Huh…

    Amazing to realize how strong Magnus is. Ian vs. Magnus did not even seem like a contest, and Ian is demolishing the field here.

    [Some of these games have been scary in their twists and turns. It’s an amazing field. I feel bad for J-KD. Actually, all of them have rather compelling stories and I feel for the lower tier. Even though we don’t have a strong reason to root for the ChiComs, DLR’s path to Madrid was amazing. RR, sort of the wild child in the pack. It’s all gripping. In any event, even the number two spot is going to be important, in the case that Magnus refuses to defend.]

  2. InFormationDiakonia says:

    That prosciutto e melone looks scrumptious! How I miss that from my Napoli days! It is NOT the same here in the US.

  3. Kathleen10 says:

    I’m sorry you have to leave. You love Rome and you appreciate it and all the history and beauty it has. Thank you for the photos, it’s all beautiful. Catholics of former days really loved God and the church and created so much timeless beauty. Only a cretin would not cherish all of it. The craftsmanship, the skill to make those things, even the floors are astonishing. What love they had.

  4. acardnal says:

    “Gotta love a bishop.”

    But the Queen reigns supreme!

    [And, these days, sometimes they are the same.]

  5. anthtan says:

    The confessionals are indeed beautiful, witnesses in carved wood to the Mercy of God.

    However – maybe I’m paranoid – I like the security of a door or at least a curtain. Seems a little more private. If I have to speak louder because father can’t hear me, I would feel more at ease.

  6. VForr says:

    First, the Marian shrines are such a delight. The only country I have visited outside of the U.S.A. is Ireland and I absolutely loved finding the roadside and street shrines. The one which stands out in my mind was at the roundabout in Carrigaline, County Cork, Ireland. It was a grotto and I loved discovering it.

    Second, earlier this month I finished a biography on Pope St. Gregory the Great. Thanks for the visual aids to go along with my reading.

  7. Suburbanbanshee says:

    Beautiful pictures, beautiful relics…

    How close we are to all our Catholic brothers and sisters, even the saints from long ago.

    The touch of a stone chair, the turn of a page… the taste of Christ’s Body and Blood.

  8. Rich Leonardi says:

    The Madonelle statues and placards dedicated to the Virgin that you find on countless street corners in Rome are one of my favorite features of the city — so much so that we bought one IIRC at St. Paul’s bookstore near St. Peter’s during our visit in 2016. It’s now our “kitchen Madonella.” I’ve posted this before — here’s a description from Frank Koran’s terrific A Catholic’s Guide to Rome, which he wrote for the jubilee in 2000:

    “There are also hundreds of Madonelle, statuettes of the Madonna, in niches on the fronts of buildings — especially corner buildings. Some are simple and unadorned, others ornamental — yet always tasteful. The best of these date from the Baroque period when they were decorated with stucco and wrought iron. This practice goes back to medieval times. The local Madonella was a neighborhood’s way of invoking the blessing and protection of the Virgin Mary. When the Angelus bells ran out at eventide, votive oil lamps were placed before these miniature shrines. These lamps helped to light Rome’s streets in the days before public electric illumination. As late as the end of the eighteenth century, more than two thousand of these Madonelle graced the office buildings and apartment houses of Rome. Some fifteen hundred have survived to our time, as a walk through the city, particularly the old districts, will reveal.”

  9. Rich Leonardi says:

    Make that Frank Korn; thank you, autocorrect!

  10. Thank you for the photos Father. Among your many talents, you are a good photographer. Your shots provide a view that others can’t.

    And hey why don’t we eat bugs, instead of meat, like They want us to? I mean, gee look at that yummy giant bug appetizer you have there!

    Safe travels.

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