I have just returned from a two-week, whirlwind tour of the Footsteps of Paul throughout Italy, Greece and Turkey. We landed in Rome, took a quick bus tour through the city, saw the Pantheon, and boarded a cruise ship that would be our home for the first 9 days of the tour. We set sail toward Sicily, where we viewed an ancient Greco-Roman amphitheater, a couple of churches, and a wonderful view of Mt. Etna. Got back on the ship, set sail for Athens, where we disembarked for a quick tour of ancient Corinth and then Athens, especially Mars Hill (see Acts 17:15ff for where Paul spoke the Greeks' statue to an "Unknown God"), the Parthenon, and a spectacular 360-degree view of the city of Athens. Back on the bus, back to the ship, and we set sail overnight for Turkey, where we visited ancient Ephesus and Miletus. Back on the ship, then sailed to Crete for a quick half-day excursion, and then back on the ship for a full-day and a half at sea back to Rome. When we got to Rome this time, we were actually allowed to tour for two days. We saw the Vatican (were standing in St. Peter's Basilica while the Pope was officiating at Mass), and all the artwork, including the fantastic Sistine Chapel. (As Steve Martin would say, "did you know that he painted that whole thing in one stroke?") We also visited St. Paul's Cathedral, where his remains are entombed; saw the Forum, and the cistern/prison where Peter and Paul were both imprisoned; the famous Coliseum, and several more churches/basilicas/cathedrals...
From Rome we went north to Assisi (my favorite town!), where we saw St. Francis' remains entombed in the church there; plus Ste. Clare's church and her remains. Then on to Pisa, (where they do not know the wonderful old hymn, "How Firm A Foundation") to see the banana-shaped Leaning Tower; then on to Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. After Florence, we traveled back to Venice, where we toured the city, saw the canals, and realized that it has become so expensive in Venice that they people who work there are forced to commute in from outlying areas.
Throughout the whole trip, the thing that occurred to me most often was that we were visiting places that not only shaped human history, but also our faith's journey. We were seeing the places where the Church grew up, as it were. We were witnessing the Church's growth from infancy to adolescence to adulthood. We saw places where Christians literally lived and died for their faith. Not just the biggies like Paul and Peter; but everyday, ordinary people. Christians like you and me.
The most spectacularly moving place for me was when we visited the Catacombes in Rome. We wandered around in the catacombes beneath the city for what seemed like hours - the places to which Christians fled to escape persecution - the places where the faithful came to bury those who had died. Every where you looked, there was a crevice dug into the walls where there would have been a body laid. In some places, whole rooms were carved out for large families. The bodies of the faithful would have been buried on these shelves, then covered over with tile or brick and sealed with a home-made mortar.
Wandering around in the places where people huddled for fear of their very lives. To think that Christians, who were suffering such great persecution at the hands of heartless, cruel, dictatorial leaders, had the courage to continue to meet together in these dark tunnels beneath the earth's surface in order to encourage each other to hold steadfast in the faith, it shook me to the core.
Ironically, there are still places in our world where Christians meet in secrecy. While on the cruise ship, I encountered my Stateroom Attendant, who asked me in the hallway, "Are you a Christian?" I responded, "Yes, I am." He then invited me to come to a small worship service where some of the crew would be gathered. He asked me to bring a message of hope - to a tired, yet truly faithful crew. Crew members from all over the world worked on this ship, over 1,200. Only a handful were dedicated to helping to hold one another accountable in their walks of faith. The worship service was on the second deck, near the bottom of the ship, and it was to be held at 11:30 pm. In so many ways, I was going back in time, traveling down to the catacombes of the Ship.
Yes, the sites were all delightful, inspiring, and awe-filled. But the best sights to see were not above ground. Yes, there are still catacombes. And there are still Christians who are gathering to help encourage one another, teach each other, and support each other in their efforts to be faithful witnesses to our Lord Jesus Christ. They were hungry for a word of faith from someone outside - a word of hope, a word of encouragement. So I shared that. And I was the one who was truly blessed.
Grace and peace,
Brad
