Minas Tirith

I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan.  My dad read the books aloud to us many times as we were growing up and I love the way Peter Jackson has rendered the stories in film (for the most part.)  Being here in Rome I get flashes of the feeling that I am in that story and somehow have made my way to Minas Tirith.

Minas Tirith was the City of the Kings of Gondor.  They had an ancient history and ancient traditions.  Although, at the time the hobbits visited it was in a state of decline and not at the height of its former greatness.  So it is here.  The grandeur of the ancient dynasties is evident in crumbling statues and monuments.  The mighty cathedrals are tall and impressive but stained with moss and a history of corruption. 

I love the continuity of history I feel here. I love breathing in the air of antiquity (although Charis tells me it's just dust.) But there is a sense of sadness as well as I contemplate the history of mankind gone awry. And the history of the Church gone awry.  My soul cries out, "Come Lord Jesus, come!"