St. Francis and the Porziuncola

On Thursday morning we visited the Porziuncola, the original church 4th Century church that St. Francis started restoring in the 12th Century, which is housed inside the Basilica of St. Mary's of the Angels. The Basilica is absolutely beautiful, and looked stunning against the brilliant blue skies we had on Thursday.

St. Marys of the Angels

The Porziuncola itself is a tiny church inside the much larger Basilica. It was in this church that St. Francis kneeled before the Cross of San Damiano and asked what he was to do with his life after returning from a stint as a knight in the battle between Assisi and Perugia. He heard a voice telling him to "Go repair my Church, which as you see is falling completely in ruin." Francis immediately began restoring the small church. After a fall out with his family, Francis gave his life completely to Christ, beginning a religious movement that saved not only the small Porziuncola, but perhaps the larger Catholic Church as well. In 1216 Francis saw a vision of Jesus and Mary and when they asked what he wanted most, he replied that he wanted the Lord to grant a full pardon to all who came to the Porziuncola and confessed and repented of their sins. Jesus replied, "Francis, you ask much, but you are worthy of greater things, and greater things you shall have," acquiescing to Francis' request and telling him to get ratification from the Pope for the indulgence. Pope Honorius III granted Francis' request and the indulgence can still be recieved at the Porziuncola.

The Cross of San Damiano

The facade is newer than the 12th century, but the walls are original. We gathered as a group inside the small church to say the Profession of Faith, Our Father, and a prayer for the Pope and his intentions, which are the three of the five requirements for the plenary indulgence. The other requirements are to go to mass and confession within seven days of visiting the church.


The Porziuncola. Click the picture to read to Wikipedia article on the Porziuncola

Interestingly enough, Los Angeles means "Of the Angels" so the neighborhood where the Church was located was called "Los Angeles." Up on the top of the hill in medieval Assisi we visited "San Fransisco." Guess we know who settled California now.

Peace.

Back at the Villa

Hello! I just returned from a fabulous and whirlwind trip to the Italian region of Umbria where I visited Assisi, Norcia, and Perugia. I have SO many pictures and stories to tell about everything so it's probably going to take me several days to get everything posted. Thank you for your patience, and to whet your appetite I'll share one of my favorite shots from the Apennine Mountains.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="604" caption="The Apenniene Mountains"][/caption]

Get excited!

Peace.

TIAMLFTA the USA #10: Ice

Along the lemonade lines, (TIAMLFTA the USA #5) I am feeling the warm absence of ice in my life. I have had ice ONCE since being here, but that hasn’t exactly filled the gap. Apparently the nuances of temperature are not such a big deal here, as I have also been served many a lukewarm bowl of pasta or slice of pizza. When I get back I am going to only eat frozen or unbelievably warm things until I’ve gotten my palate back into the swing of things.

I assume that it will be hard to transition back to standard, comfortable life in the USA when my time abroad is over. So, to help me get psyched about the Kansas January and term papers that await me in the spring I am starting a list of things I am looking forward to Stateside. Look for more “Things I am Most Looking Forward to About the USA,” or “TIAMLFTA the USA” (pronounced “tee-am-left-a”) for short, in the weeks and months to come!

TIAMLFTA the USA #9: Seeing New Movies in Theaters

Sadly I did not make it to “The Other Guys” before I left the States, and I’m regretting it. Now I’ll have to wait for it to come out on DVD before I see it, unless I feel like watching it dubbed in Italian first. Same with “Eat, Pray, Love,” “A-Team,” and “Toy Story 3” (I know I’m a little late on that one—give me a break, I was in Ireland.) And don’t even remind me that I’m going to be missing the premieres of “The Social Network,” “Freakomonics,” and “Howl.” So much catching up to do come December.

I assume that it will be hard to transition back to standard, comfortable life in the USA when my time abroad is over. So, to help me get psyched about the Kansas January and term papers that await me in the spring I am starting a list of things I am looking forward to Stateside. Look for more “Things I am Most Looking Forward to About the USA,” or “TIAMLFTA the USA” (pronounced “tee-am-left-a”) for short, in the weeks and months to come!

Michelangelo and Faith in Humanity

Today we went to the Accademia Gallery near San Marco Square in Florence to see Michelangelo’s original sculpture of David. He completed this sculpture from a single piece of marble when he was only 23 years old, forever changing the history of art. The statue was erected to signify Florence’s independence as a city-state in 1504, depicting a young, strong, man preparing to attack the giant Goliath. Its equal had never been seen and it was immediately heralded as one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. When someone asked Michelangelo how he was able to complete such a masterpiece he said that the man was imprisoned in the stone and he merely took away the pieces of stone that did not belong to the man inside. This tells you something about the kind of artist he was.

The people of the Renaissance saw the body as the image of the soul, therefore a beautiful body spoke to the integrity of the soul as well. Knowing this makes the image of David even more beautiful. Michelangelo was able to sculpt this masterpiece because he believed in the dignity of the human person, a dignity that he captured through his beautiful artistic interpretation of a young man.

Let me tell you, it was breathtaking. The detail was mesmerizing and when you consider the fact that it was executed in stone it becomes even more amazing.

But I was also enamored by a series of seemingly unfinished sculptures Michelangelo was working on for the tomb of the Pope, who died sooner than expected, causing the new Pope to drop Michelangelo’s funding before he completed all the sculptures. There were several of these statues, and they are known as the “Slave” series because the men are still imprisoned in the stone. Although Michelangelo could have finished these statues and sold them for a lot of money, he never did. When asked why he said that he couldn’t finish them, not because he lacked the skill, but because he had lost his faith in human dignity. Quick history lesson: Between the time that Michelangelo was 23 and when he was about 45, the artists and leaders in the Renaissance saw themselves being close to gods. Then everything started to fall apart. Michelangelo was starting to lose faith in the intellectual empire that had overreached its bounds. He was no longer able to sculpt the god-like attributes of David because he no longer looked at people the same way.

I found this very interesting because it shows both what humans are capable of, and what they are not. There is a need to recognize our humanity and maintain a sense of God if we are to maintain our belief in dignity. Just something to think about.

Learn more about the unfinished sculptures here or more about David here.

Peace.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption=""David" by Michelangelo"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="One of Michelangelo's "Slave" sculptures"][/caption]

Artist's Prayer

Perhaps I should have mentioned earlier that I am currently following a program called “The Artist’s Way” during my time here in Italy. For those of you that are unfamiliar with it, the Artist’s Way is a 12 week program to help “blocked creatives” (read: people who like colors and words better than numbers) to tap into their creative powers and fulfill their dreams of doing the creative work they’ve always wanted to. I am on Week 4 of this course currently and I am in love! It is not always fun, because it includes writing three longhand pages every morning, which necessitates waking up earlier than I absolutely HAVE to, which, in college, is never a preferable, but I can already see the growth in my artistic life that is coming from it.

Read more about The Artist’s Way here at their website. I highly recommend this program! Julia Cameron is truly a gifted teacher and an inspirational artist.

I tell you all this to get to a point: One of this week’s exercises is to write an Artist Prayer, which I would like to share with all of you. This is my Artist’s Prayer, and you are welcome to use mine or create your own. Even outside the context of The Artist’s Way, I think this is a worthwhile exercise.

Dear Lord,

Help me to use my creativity to glorify you.

Free me from the doubt and fear that keeps me locked inside my own limitations and perceptions. Lead me to my passions, my mediums and my stories. Help me to see the beauty of your work so that I may also bring beauty to others. Bless me with patience and perseverance in faith, art, and life. Let me be your hands, your eyes, and your mouth in the world. Fill my heart with your love and your peace, despite my perceived successes or failures. Hold my hand as I take my daily leap of faith.

Thy will be done.

Amen.

Peace.