When pilgrims meet in St. Peter’s square they usually arrange to: “Meet under the obelisk!”. This great Egyptian monument is really a sundial which is delineated by the colonnade designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini from 1956 to 1667. The obelisk is a great monolithic monument which is made of red granite and stands more than 25 […]
Giovan Battista Salvi, otherwise known as Sassoferrato (1609-1685), is an artist of the 17th Century whose career was distinguished by the painting of great portraits and devotional images particularly of the Virgin Mary. Indeed, he is often referred to affectionately as the “painter of the Madonna’s”. His natural style, that depicted his subjects with a […]
A city like Rome, with its abundance of history and art, can, at times, produce sentiments of inadequacy and disorientation. Here we can find places that open our minds to the possibility of a recuperation of our Christian identity and roots. For a moment, let us abandon the noisy hub-bub of the streets and try […]
The 29th June is the day in which we celebrate the ancient feast of the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul, patrons of Rome. The importance of this Solemnity is shown by the fact that in the fourth century three Masses were celebrated on this feast: one at St Peter’s Basilica, the other at Saint […]
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in you We can place our hope in the Heart of Christ. That Heart, the invocation says, is salvation “for those who trust in Him”. The Lord himself the night before His passion as the apostles to have trust in Him. “Do not let your hearts be […]
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness We desire to draw near to this fountain of living water. We all desire to drink from the divine Heart which is the fountain of life and holiness. In it we are given the Holy Spirit, who is constantly given to all who draw near to Christ, […]
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful Is it not perhaps the Heart of Him who, “went about doing good” to all (Acts 10:38)? Of Him who made the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the dead to be raised up and the poor to have the Good News preached to them (LK7:22)? Is […]
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts In this way Christ is king of hearts. He never wanted to be temporal sovereign on the throne of David. He wished only for that kingdom which is not of this world and which, at the same time, is rooted in this world through the truth […]
Heart of Jesus, overflowing with goodness and love The heart of Jesus is a burning furnace of love”, because charity has something of the nature of fire, which burns and blazes to illuminate and heat. At the same time, in the sacrifice of Calvary the heart of the Redeemer was not destroyed by the fire […]
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity “Furnace of charity”. A furnace burns and, in burning, it consumes everything, be it wood or other easily combustible substances. The Heart of Jesus, the human heart of Jesus burns with love which fills it; and this is love for the eternal Father and love for mankind, for his […]