Calendar Class of October 16, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

Today we had a stunning Carpe Diem surprise during our Art and Architecture class on the Aventine hill when we were given a spontaneous tour of the Knights of Malta property, the Villa del Priorato di Malta, by our friend, Michael Grace, a member of the Sovereign Council of the Order here in Rome. We not only saw the famous view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica that is sought out by tourists through the keyhole, but we were also able to explore the only church ever created by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the Santa Maria del Priorato. It is the vast collection of Piranesi's etchings that has given us the romantic image of Rome during the Grand Tour era, a trend which continues to this very day, as evidenced by the omnipresent long line of tourists waiting to get a glimpse of this view that we were graced to behold from beyond the keyhole this morning.

Liturgical: Thursday of the 28th Week of Ordinary Time

The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ is for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.

Romans 3:21-30

Sanctoral: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) was born in France to a virtuous and distinguished family. As a child she showed great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and by the age of 9 was practicing severe penances. In her childhood she became sick with rheumatic fever and was confined to bed for four years. She made a vow to the Blessed Virgin to consecrate herself to the religious life, after which she was instantly healed. She often had visions of Jesus, which she thought was a normal experience in the spiritual life. When she turned 17 her mother insisted that she establish a place for herself in the world. Margaret imagined that her childhood vow was not binding, and persuaded herself that she could serve God while living at home and continuing her penances and charity to the poor. She then joined her brothers at dances and began considering marriage. One day, upon returning home from a carnival ball, Jesus appeared to her and reproached her for her infidelity, reminding her of her promise. Margaret then entered a Visitation convent at the age of 24. Jesus appeared to her frequently, and entrusted to her the mission of establishing devotion to his Sacred Heart during a time when religion in France had grown rigorous and cold. Because of her visions she was greatly persecuted by those around her, until her virtue under suffering won over her enemies. Her visions were determined to be genuine and officially recognized by the Catholic Church 75 years after her death.

Human: 1813 Battle of Leipzig, the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I, sees Napoleon's forces defeated by Prussia, Austria, and Russia

1900 Great Britain and Germany sign the Yangtze Agreement, agreeing to maintain the territorial integrity of China and support the "Open Door" policy called for by the US Secretary of State

1934 Mao Zedong and 25,000 troops begin their 6,000-mile Long March from the south of China to the north and west

1962 Cuban Missile Crisis begins as US President John F. Kennedy is shown photos confirming the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba

1978 Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla is elected Pope John Paul II

Natural: 2017 Findings are published of a neutron star collision that occurs two months prior on August 17, the first cosmic event observed in both gravitational waves and light, confirming that heavy elements such as gold result from such collision

Italian: Clessidra (hourglass)

The word for an hourglass or egg timer in Italian is clessidra. It derives from the Latin clepsydra which in turn comes from the Greek klepsýdra (water clock).

Quote: “The sacred heart of Christ is an inexhaustible fountain, and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to his good pleasure.”-St. Margaret Mary

Etc.: During Art and Architecture class on Tuesday the ladies and I spent some time with everyone's famous stoic philosopher-emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Later that same day, my Cultural Debris podcast interview with Alan Cornett on stoicism was published! Marcus is surely shaking his head in surprise that his once-private journal, Meditations, continues to be a hot topic of conversation 2,000 years after it was composed in a military tent on the shores of the Danube. Have a listen here or watch it on youtube here.