Saturday, October 3, 2009

Entering the Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel)

The Sistine Chapel is the world's largest fresco work and greatest work of visual art on the continent. 

The Rome tour guide has the honor of entering the Sistine Chapel, sometimes even twice daily.  Such an honor to be able to say: "I have been in the Sistine Chapel hundreds of times."

Today I was in the chapel, twice yesterday and the day before that and ad infinitum.  Always an honor.  Never a dull moment.  Ever old, ever new.   

Earlier this week I had the honor to host in the chapel two old WWII veterans.  One is now 88.  The other was Maronite rite.  Just had another client who was last in the chapel in 1962 and another who was last in the chapel in 1958.  One time while in the chapel I even met Stephen Hawking in his wheelchair.  Such a holy place of prayer.  Such a liturgical space.  Let the world see it and be encouraged to believe.     

And thanks to all who tip their tour guides (Luke 10:7 "the laborer is worthy of his wages").  Yesterday while collecting headsets from a large group the happy clients in their generosity placed one coin after another in my shirt pocket (added up to thirty euro!).  Thanks, everybody.  Largest tip I ever got was 100 euro from a man who was not even Catholic.  And it always means a lot when clergy tip.  As a young seminarian our rector once instructed us that priests are to tip well and everybody in the room agreed. 

Make your pilgrimage to Holy Rome and see the famed Sistine Chapel.  See it to believe it. 

3 comments:

  1. Thanks John. Let me take you for a pizza and a beer next time I'm in Rome. Peter.

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  2. I wish my visit to the Sistine Chapel had been an edifying experience...okay, I'm going to whine now...but being herded into the Chapel with hundreds of people who were making A LOT of noise, even with the guides 'shushing' people every ten seconds, it was dark (a rainy day), no lights on (because of the damage to the frescoes, I'm sure) and I felt like something in Dante's description of Purgatory.
    I was so looking forward to it.
    Oh well.
    Maybe if I had been in your group it would have been different:<)!

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  3. I was there in the Sistine Chapel nine years ago last mo. I got to sit there and just stare in awe for twenty minutes. I will never forget it. How very wonderful.

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