First off, I want to thank you for your thoughts and prayers, as they helped me tremendously to get through this week! I am doing much better now that the week is over and I can rest!
So, last night, I had a wonderful dinner at a place called Spaccio Pasta with my roomate and had some amazing Gelato afterwards. It was a nice reward for getting through the week and doing well.
Today, we woke up at 8am and got on the Metro to San Giovanni, where the Basilica of St. John Lateran is (see pic below paragraph). I had to meet a friend at 10:30 so we "church hopped" for a while. We went into Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. I took a seat in one of the pews for some personal prayer time which was well needed, while my roommate explored the church. It was a peaceful few minutes. I will go back for class one of these days, so I will have plenty of time to see the church in depth.
On a faith note, It seems that I have been put into many situations recently that force me to get out of my comfort zone, and to completely let go of doubt and fear and put my faith and trust in God, that He will lead me safely to where I need to go, because I do not know where I am. This morning was another one of those times, as I had absolutely no idea where I was, and where I needed to go. I didn't know how to get to my friend, so I simply prayed this prayer on repeat: "Lord, I have no idea where I am but I know that you do. I ask you to lead me safely to where I need to go. You are asking me to trust in You leading me, so in faith, Jesus, I trust in You." Prayers like this seem very simple, but they work wonders in my faith life, because I recognize that I can do NOTHING without Christ, and that He is the One leading me through this journey called life. It may be scary at times to completely surrender and let Him take over, but in the end, it really is the best thing we can do as His children- to let Our Father lead us :)
You will be happy to know that I did arrive where I needed to meet my friend, and with 10 minutes to spare! I didn't get lost, I was guided directly there with no problems! (Thanks God... I knew I could trust you...and the GPS!)
One of my favorite Scripture passages (something for you to reflect on)- "the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
My roommate was in the process of climbing on her knees the "Holy Steps" or "Scala Sancta" in a church nearby (these are claimed to be the very steps that Jesus climbed when going before Pontius Pilate during His Passion. The 28 steps were brought to Rome by St. Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great- and they are covered by wood to preserve them). Now, before one can do this, they have to go to the Sacrament of Confession and receive Communion. In doing this, it was stated by Pius VII that you gain an indulgence of nine years for each step. Then Pius X added that one must go to Confession and Receive the Eucharist. I will be climbing these Holy Steps in the near future. Beautiful!
Ok! Enough for now- it is time to get ready for dinner with the Seminarians at the NAC!!!
You are in my prayers!
Peace and Blessings!
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