Calendar Class of March 16, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

It's Rome marathon day! This year we had a few students and a staff member running, which made the tradition much more exciting to watch. They all finished the race, considered the "most beautiful marathon in the world" as the course passes by so many historical monuments and architectural treasures. The other big race in Rome is the "Corsa dei Santi" or "Race of the Saints" on November 1st each year, the Feast of All Saints. Maya and I are planning to run the race this year!

Liturgical: Second Sunday of Lent

“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”

 Your face, Lord, do I seek.

Do not hide your face from me.

Psalm 27

Between Moses and Elias Jesus shows forth His divine glory, thus foreshadowing His resurrection. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. Today's Mass places before us the transfigured Lord and the model toward Whom we must tend, and our own transfiguration as the goal we must attain. We attain this goal by a profound realization of our sinfulness and need of a Redeemer; by preserving purity of body and soul; by combatting our passions and carnal instincts and observing the commandments and most importantly by participating in the Mass. —Excerpted from Cathedral Daily Missal

Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon: When Eternity Breaks Through

Fr. Plant's Homily: Listen to Him

Sanctoral: Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer, Moravia +1820

Clement Mary might be called the second founder of the Redemptorists, as it was he who carried the congregation of Saint Alphonsus Liguori to the people north of the Alps.

Human: William Buckley, first secretary of the U.S. embassy’s political section and CIA station chief, was kidnapped in Beirut – 1984. This history is worth knowing in light of recent events. History does tend to repeat itself.

Roman History Today

The rituals of the Argei took place on March 16 and 17, and on May 14 and 15. At the time of Augustus, the purpose of these rites was unclear even to the Romans themselves. In May there was a procession of pontiffs, vestals and praetors around the circusmade its way around a circuit of 27 stations (sacella or sacraria), where each of them was taken with a human figure made of reed and straw. After all the stations were visited, the procession moved to the Pons Sublicius, the oldest known bridge in Rome, where the gathered figures were tossed into the Tiber River. According to Ovid, this ritual was established as a form of endearing Saturn or Tiberinus. However, we do not know the exact reason for the ceremony.

Both the figures (effigies or simulacra) and the stations or shrines were called Argei, the etymology of which remains undetermined. The continuation of these rites into the later historical period when they were no longer understood demonstrates how strongly traditionalist the Romans were in matters of religion.

37 AD – at the age of 77, Emperor Tiberius died in Misenum on the Gulf of Naples. He was buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus. Ancient writers Suetonius and Tacitus claim that the successor of Caligula and the new commander of the praetorians, Macron, strangled the emperor with a pillow. However, it cannot be ruled out that Tiberius died a natural death.

455 AD – Emperor Valentinian III was assassinated in Rome, in the Field of Mars during the review of the army, by a faithful soldier Aetius. Petronius Maximus became the new emperor – prefect of the city, prefect of praetorium and consul.

Natural: How to train for a marathon for beginners

Italian: Perdere le staffe (to lose your temper / lose control)

Quote: "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up."

—Dean Karnazes, ultramarathon runner