Leaving Rome: A New Beginning

The last week of Lent is an eventful one; there is the celebration and bustle of Palm Sunday, and then there is the solemn quietness of Holy Thursday through Holy Saturday.

At the beginning of Holy Week I had almost forgotten that our time in Rome was nearly at an end, but as the Triduum drew near I remembered it more and more with each passing day. In another week we would all be off home, or away on new adventures traveling around Europe. The togetherness we had all shared during the past weeks in the Eternal City would be gone, and while we were sure of seeing one another back at school, it would not be quite the same.

The thought of returning home is bittersweet. It is always a joy to return to the familiar things that one is used to, but on the other hand leaving Rome is something that for many of us will not be easy. What will home be like after having lived in the heart of the Church for so long? What will it be like to walk down a street without seeing a myriad of churches, or without catching a glimpse of some tantalising dome in the distance? What will it be like not to awaken early in the morning and hear Mass at St. Peter's Basilica?

Going home will be like starting afresh; you will wander about in a daze as you are reunited with your favourite old haunts. You will become aware of things that you never really noticed; the colour of that wall in the sun, the way that branch has always hung over the path. Yes, home and family will be sweet, but there will always be a slight shadow of what has been left behind.

In the joyous Easter season, as we celebrate Christ risen from the dead, we must also be joyous about returning from Rome, the city that has given us so much. After all, the time after Easter is one of rejoicing and giving thanks. I will rejoice at my return home and I will give thanks for the time here in Rome, but part of me will always look forward to another new beginning in the Eternal City.