St. Peter's Basilica-Largest in Christendom

"Thank God," Lily, Violet and I chorused as we reached the portals of St. Peter's Basilica after the walk through the long colonnade and the ascent of the steps leading to its main entrance. We all stopped for a while to catch our breaths and to enoy the view of the entire square which is considered the grandest atrium of the world. In fact, a wide avenue lined on both sides with various shops was purposely constructed a few decades ago to enhance the picture-perfect setting. It is no exaggeration to say that to see the majesty of the basilica and its environs is worth one's visit to Rome!

Like a seasoned tour guide, I directed our group to the Holy Door which is opened only every twenty-five years. It is a very huge steel door engraved with scenes from both the Old and New Testaments. I related to them my first visit to Rome in 1975 when I was privileged to "walk" through the Holy Door on my knees as everyone else did. Because I was moved by the rare event in Church History, I sacrificed going through the snail's pace of a long queue on my knees for a second "walk." Yes, my handkerchief was wet during the religious excercise not from perspiration but from uncontrollable tears of penance and thanksgiving combined.

Immediately upon entering the basilica on the right is the famous "Pieta." The "Pieta" depicts Mother Mary with Jesus on her lap after having been taken down from the cross of His cruxificion. It was made by Michelangelo when he was only 24 years old. Of the many sculptures he made throughout his lifetime, it is only in the Pieta that he put his signature. One is awed by the fine lines and the expression on the face of the Blessed Mother in this sculpture. To think that the Pieta was carved out from a single block of marble!

I took the group to the huge circle etched on the marble floor right at the center of the basilica very near the steel entrance doors. That circle marks the spot when Charlemagne was crowned king during the brief period in history when a French monarch ruled Italy. Then I showed them the altar on the left side of the sanctuary where St. Pope Pius X lie in state. The statue of St. Peter sitting on a throne was a favorite among pilgrims for pictures. We followed suit in the pictures-for-posterity poses. Because of the millions of pilgrims to the Vatican through the years, the big toe of St. Peter has been markedly dimnished in size, somehow eroded by the constant touch of piety. Or was it due to the popular saying, "Touch St. Peter's toe and you will come back to the Vatican." Not to be outdone, we tickled his toe, too.

As I have mentioned before, St. Peter's Basilica is the largest church in the Christian world. It can accomodate 60,000 people! Can you imagine how enormous it is? The length from the main entrance to the high altar is equivalent to three (3) football fields and the height from the floor to the ceiling is 10 storeys high. The magnificent altar is adorned by an intricately carved bronze
"baldochino" made by Bernini. High above the altar is the image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove distinctly illuminated which evokes the loftiest of spiritual munificence. One look at it and its grandeur and awe will remain in your memory forever! Can you imagine St. Peter's Basilica during a canonization ceremony with all the lights, flowers and plants glowing in harmony with the purple robes of the many bishops, archbishops and cardinals and the pristine white vestments of the countless priests in attendance?

In front of the high altar is an opening with stairs leading to the alcove of the remains of St. Peter. We were lucky there was no mass in progress so that we were able to go down and pray infront of the tomb. It was like whispering right to the ears of the benevolent Prince of the Apostles. Through the centuries, he must have heard millions of petitions that would have encompassed almost every aspect of life and living!

Beth and Tina suggested that we encounter Reconciliation in the famous Catholic Church in the world. Everyone agreed to make the memorable encounter. The confessionals sporting different language signs are in the wide area on the right side of the altar. A man was helping direct pilgrims to their respective confessional. For some reason, he kept prodding Edda to the Chinese-speaking cubicle. Edda insisted on waiting in line in the English section but the man was adamant. It was a scene but I did not know how she managed to put across her message that she was not Chinese. After confession, we were able to see the incorrupt remains of Blessed Pope John XXIII which lie in state within the Reconciliation Area. The late Pope John XXIII was buried for 48 years but when he was exhumed for the Beatification Ceremony, they found his body intact- incorrupt!

Do you know the song, "In His Time?" It relates of God's timeliness. Remember the Bible phrase, "In the fullness of time," is an oft-repeated phrase when God executes something He deems right for the moment. Well, that was so vividly illustrated to us when we had all finished our Reconciliation. We learned that a mass was to be held at the side altar of a saint whose feast it was. At the moment, the name of the saint escapes my memory. So we immediately proceeded to the place and we all celebrated the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist. It was timely!

St. Peter' Basilica and the Square

From a distance, one sees the majestic Basilica of St. Peter as the backdrop of a large elliptical -shaped square surrounded by a colonnade of 284 columns set out in rows of 4. The square was designed and built by Bernini between 1656-1667. The colonnade was so designed that from afar it would seem as if it was only a row of single columns. It was constructed like the welcoming open arms of a mother so that now the colonnade represents the maternal welcome to all Catholics confirming their faith and to skeptics and peoples of different religious persuasions enlightening and reconciling them to the True Faith. Bernini's pupils built 140 statues of saints above the columns in the year 1670. A huge fountain and an obelisk adorn the square.

The Egyptian Obelisk is called "The Witness" because it used to stand near the place where St.Peter was crucified and thus was witness to the great apostle's martyrdom. It was subsequently transferred to its present site in the 17th C. A story goes that during its move the chains began to break due to its enormous weight. A sailor who was one of the workers saw it and was able to save the obelisk from being broken to pieces. As a reward, the palms used at the Basilica of St. Peter on Palm Sunday all come from his hometown.