The sun rose in Rome at 5:58.
Sunset was at 20:16:
The Ave Maria Bells hasn’t budged… in more ways than one… from 20:30.
Today, along with being the day of the Swearing of the new Swiss Guards, was a special Feast for the Diocese of Rome, St. John at the Latin Gate. It was, in some places, the Feast of St. Dominic Savio.
The Romans call the Feast of St. John at the Latin Gate San Giovanni “sott’olio… St. John in oil”, which sounds like how you pack anchovies in a jar.
The Church of St John at the Latin Gate is at site of the attempted murder of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist.
John was in Rome in 92 AD at the time of the Emperor Domitian. According to the very early Latin writer Tertullian who died around 220, in his work The Prescription of Heretics the Romans tried to killed John by boiling him in oil but John emerged unscathed thousands of spectators were converted to Christianity when they saw John miraculous protection of harm.
There is also a story that they tried to poison john with a cup of venom filled wine. As John blessed it, the poisons emerged in the form of a snake. That is why we often see John depicted with a chalice with a little snake or dragon critter crawling out. Another good reason to bless our food and drink. This is also why there is a special blessing for wine on the Feast of St. John just after Christmas.
After his miraculous protection from harm, John was banished from Rome to Patmos, where he wrote Revelation. A church was built on the place where John’s martyrdom took place near the southern part of the Rome’s wall. The aforementioned church is one of the Roman Stations during Lent. The building of the church goes back to the time of Pope Gelasius who died in 496, there are still roof tiles which have the stamp of Theodoric who ruled from 493- 526. The beautiful campanile or bell tower was added in the 8th century. the baroque decorations added in the 16 and 17th centuries were removed in the 1940’s.
There are different forms of martyrdom and not all of them are bloody. But authentic martyrdom is always a witness to the Faith of the person who is suffering and that witness bears fruit for the Faith of others.
Different forms of martyrdom can include dying to the world in different modes of living in the world, active and contemplative. Our reading today in Holy Mass today was a springboard for St. Augustine to look at this paring of figures, types of the active and contemplative lives, Peter and John, Leah and Rachel, Martha and Mary.
The cleaning of the travertine along the flank of The Parish™ on the Via dei Pettinari was completed. I hope they will do more.
Partly done from the other day.
All the way. And… someone left a carrot on the wall. Why? It is a perfectly good carrot. I didn’t disturb it in case its rightful owner returned looking for it. Res clamat Domino! Maybe it’s one of those situations when you find a hub cap? or a glove? You leave it there, but set it in a more visible place for the happy owner’s subsequent retrieval.
The Pastor of The Parish™ with the guys who did the work.
I noticed something when I looked up. Directly across the street from the church’s wall is an old palazzo of a Rome family who were the patrons of the chapel to St. Philip Neri inside the church directly across from the palazzo door. Up in the arch over the chapel is the coat of arms of the family which would have been framed in the window of (probably) the piano nobile.
I had never noticed it before.
And, in the travertine… who know what pilgrim carved this or when…
CLICK
Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links. US HERE – UK HERE WHY? This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc.. At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.
And there’s this. Hard to argue with the sentiment. A delivery truck.
Meanwhile in the Rapid tournament in Warsaw, my guy Wesley So is doing well. He was in the lead coming into Round 6, after which he is tied with the unlikable Hans Neimann, who may be growing up. I had the pleasure of seeing one game play out in which Wesley defeated “Puer” (for whom I have had a long dislike because of his shenanigans with the Candidates a few years back.
Black can mate in 4.
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.
