Grady's Corner: Rome is a City of Hope
I recently returned from a week in Rome. As a Catholic, I always find myself drawn to Rome as a kind of spiritual home, where I feel close to the heart of Christ and the graces of His Church.
Each time I go, I try to see something new. On this trip, there was a painting I hadn’t noticed before. In fact, my sister was the one who pointed it out to me.
Inside the Vatican Museums, there is a series of rooms known as the “Raphael Rooms,” featuring remarkable frescoes, many of which are quite famous and I am sure you would recognize.
On one of the ceilings, in the Hall of Constantine, is a painting known as The Triumph of Christianity over Paganism. This painting stuck with me. A shattered pagan idol lies on the floor, while a crucifix stands triumphantly in its place. In one image, we see the story of Rome and, in many ways, the story of Christianity itself.
As some of you probably know, Constantine the Great was the Roman emperor who legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire after centuries of persecution, during which Sts. Peter and Paul courageously ministered and were eventually martyred.
Constantine was the son of St. Helena, who was instrumental in spreading Christianity and is most famously credited with discovering the True Cross, bringing Passion relics to Rome, and ensuring shrines were built in the Holy Land, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Following the legalization of Christianity, many large Roman buildings and, eventually, pagan temples were turned into places of Christian worship. Where pagan idols were once worshipped and Christians faced persecution, Christ became the center.
Rome is a striking reminder that Christ's triumph over evil often comes through suffering and the carrying of the cross. Where St. Peter was buried, St. Peter's Basilica now stands. Where St. Paul was buried, the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls was constructed. The Pantheon, once a temple dedicated to pagan gods, is now the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs.
Rome is a city of hope, a place where we are reminded of Christ's triumph. Satan tries to hide that triumph in the midst of a fallen world or in our own suffering, but we know how the story ends. Evil, persecution, and suffering will never have the final word.
Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat.
Christ conquers. Christ reigns. Christ commands.
-Grady Connolly
