{"id":9836,"date":"2016-09-05T14:52:03","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T19:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/?p=9836"},"modified":"2016-09-05T14:52:03","modified_gmt":"2016-09-05T19:52:03","slug":"as-it-was-in-the-beginning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/?p=9836","title":{"rendered":"As It Was in the Beginning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

A group of women standing behind me recited these words as they prayed the rosary. At 6:45 a.m., they were just a few of the hundreds of thousands gathered to celebrate the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.<\/p>\n

These words caught my attention as I stood outside St. Peter\u2019s Square. Each time they came back to that part, I recited it silently to myself:<\/p>\n

As it was in the beginning<\/em><\/p>\n

is now and ever shall be<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

world without end.<\/em><\/p>\n

Or, to put it simply, eternity. I find this an appropriate word to sum up the beginning of my study abroad experience in Rome, the Eternal City.<\/p>\n

This place is truly magical. Each winding\u00a0street has a surprise around the corner\u2014a lively piazza, a flowing fountain, the Pantheon (you should have seen my face when THAT appeared out of nowhere), or a welcoming gelateria. The city is a maze, but that\u2019s okay. Time and place don\u2019t matter when you\u2019re wandering around lost in the moment.<\/p>\n

Then, there is the Colosseum. Despite being centuries old and surrounded by apartments and a metro station, this structure isn\u2019t going anywhere. Even the Roman Forum, most of which is gone, is still eternalized in the soil.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1951\"<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1986\"<\/p>\n

And then I was given the opportunity to experience an everlasting moment. As I watched Pope Francis officially canonize Mother Teresa, I experienced the beginning of her eternal sainthood. It was beautiful and moving. For a moment, the Vatican was frozen in time.<\/p>\n

Before the canonization began, we prayed the rosary as a congregation. This time, I listened to the prayer in Italian.<\/p>\n

Come era nel principio, ora e sempre nei secoli dei secoli.<\/em><\/p>\n

As I reflect back on my first days in Rome, I pray the rest of this experience is just as eternal.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_2025\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. A group of women standing behind me recited these words as they prayed the rosary. At 6:45 a.m., they were just a few of the hundreds of thousands gathered to celebrate the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. These words caught my attention as I … <\/p>\n

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