(The Immaculate Conception is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. Wikapedia).
Tomorrow is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which celebrates Mary’s conception. It’s an orthodox holiday, certainly not one observed in my United Church of Christ calendar. That being said, I love the holiday because for three years running, 2016-18 I watched it celebrated in Florence. Everyone was out in the street for the 5 PM lighting of the Christmas tree in front of the Duomo, Santa Marie dei Fiori. One year I watched from the apartment I rented right on the on the piazza. (The Immaculate Conception is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. Wikapedia).
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I did it again. I can’t help but take pictures of Fra Angelico’s frescoes in the monk’s cells at the Convent of San Marco. I snap away every time I go there. As usual I arrived when the doors opened at 8:15, and thus pretty much had the place to myself. This year I spent more time looking, less time photographing. Walking slowly along the two corridors, looking in each cell, meditating on each fresco, became an inside prayer walk. A majority of the cells depict the crucifixion. The Dominican monks of fifteenth century Italy were expected to contemplate on Jesus’ suffering and death. I wouldn’t have wanted one of those crucifixion cells; my choice would have been the first cell on the corridor picturing Jesus in the garden with Mary Magdalene after his crucifixion and resurrection but before his ascension. When I was in college we studied Renaissance paintings from an historical and artistic perspective. We were NOT to tap into the religious story or attend to any spiritual feeling we might glean. That was the 60s and unless you were Roman Catholic school, there was no way to include both. In the classroom, art appreciation and religious decrement were mutually exclusive. Thank God I don’t have to deal with that any more. In Rome I prayed for peace in thirty-six different churches. I will continue to do the same in Florence, but prayer walks are my preferred way in this city. I’ve always claimed that I go to Florence to walk around with God, and that still holds true. The Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner.” How could I not say it as I walking along the Arno? This morning I started out among clouds. I stopped for a cappuccino and continued on my way. God’s creation was changing. I stopped in a little chapel along the Arno. God’s love remained constant. (I'm having trouble loading pictures onto my blog, so for now I'll only offer one of the sunny ones.) Here are the Annunciation pictures I took at the Uffizi the other day. I can’t get enough of them, so I snap them over and over and over again. Maybe I should be posting pictures of Holy Week to correspond to the current season, but I resonate with the beginning of Christ’s life, and with what God is asking of Mary—to be the Christ bearer. I keep asking what God wants me to bear and what I hear is hope and love. I did it again. I went to San Marco and took photos of Fra Angelico’s frescoes in the monks’ cells. Each scene from the life of Christ offers a metaphor for life: the journey from birth to death, from suffering to hope. Whatever is going on in my life, in the lives of those I know and love, or in the lives of the people in the world, transformation and hope in present in Jesus’ life, suffering, death, and resurrection. A friend suggested that each year we chose a word to live by for the upcoming 365 days. I have chosen one for this trip: WONDER. So, here I am again in Florence, living into a sense of wonder as I walk around with God. I’ve pretty much given up defining God—no words other than vague phrases: mystery, beyond words, a state of being, a sense of wholeness, contentment, deep peace in the soul, a feeling of that all is well. My experience tells me that knowing God comes to me when I am being in the present moment, no thoughts of the past or future, which is wise way to be when meditating. As I wander the streets of Florence in a sense of wonder, I’m in a in a different kind of meditative state. I’m not sitting still with an ‘empty mind’. I’m aware of the NOW, but I’m also drawing on the past; my past experiences do matter. The future is also with me, but to a lesser extent. I just had to share this with my prayerdiary friends about a post on www.acottagebythesea.net. Would you believe this? I was selected as one of two the blog stars for December 2018 by Lonely Planet for my 12/28 post “More Signs of a Solitary Traveler.” “LP Pathfinders: what did you write this month [December]’ in our Travel Bloggers and Pathfinders forum.” “Hey guys, Thanks to everyone who submitted their wonderful travel tales from December 2018! A big congratulations to the following blog-stars who made it into this month's new-look round up: @BobbbiFisher @ChrisGaillard You can check out the round-up in full, including why these blogs were selected, here: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/blog/2019/01/17/pathfinders-best-blogs-instagram-shots-and-videos-from-december-2018 Well done everyone! Keep up the wonderful travel writing and we look forward to reading more of your posts next month. Happy travels! Jack This is my last day in Florence walking around with God. Of course, I can walk around with God anywhere, because God is everywhere. Walking around with God is not a white privilege; you don’t have to afford be in such a beautiful place as Florence; God walks with everyone, everywhere, all the time--God shows no partiality. God is always there to walk with me. I just have to notice. Here it is again! A slideshow of Fra Angelico’s frescoes in the monks’ cells in the Convent of San Marco. At 8:15 I was the first visitor of the day, and for a while I had the place to myself. I have a set of these same pictures stored on my computer, so why take them again? Because these are of the moment, this moment of prayer. I’m more conscious of walking around with God in the early morning, at least when I’m in Florence. There are fewer distractions to draw my thoughts away. The streets are relatively clear of traffic, the sidewalks sparse save for a few runners; I don’t have to concentrate on maneuvering my way from spot to spot, from café to cafe. And then there is the heat; even in September there is the omnipresent sun. Very grateful for this morning. |
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