Vive la confiance et l'amour du Christ!

Friday I finally visited le Musée national du Moyen-Âge (The National Museum of the Middle Ages), which is an impressive collection of liturgical art, tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and church artifacts from the early to late Middle Ages. If you love Catholicism or just have an appreciation for the Middle Ages, this is the museum for you. I spent the whole day there and when I finished, I wanted to go through everything over again. They have preserved a lot of altar pieces for display, and the intricate carvings (in the marble or wood) is so detailed - you have an appreciation for the craftsmanship that took place for something sacred to take place.


Also, the tapestries were amazing. The story and movement within each tapestry was impressive, but my favorite was definitely La Dame à la licorne (the Woman and the Unicorn). There are 6 pieces that look at the 5 human senses (taste, touch, sound, hear, and smell) with the final one called Mon Seul Désir, or My Only Desire. In this last tapestry, the woman revokes her material goods for ... and there are many theories: 1.) For Love or 2.)For Love and Christ. I obviously favor the second theory. It was so beautifully crafted and detailed; I think I spent an hour just looking at the tapestries in this room.

It was also equally impressive to see how churches had evolved over so many years. Sculptures, arches, and columns from churches (Notre Dame, Saint-Denis, and others) were on display and had been removed to make room for either new construction within each church or new sculptures.

After the museum, I went into a bookstore and found myself in front of the Sociology of Gender section. I was very curious of who was writing about Gender in France since the previous bookstore lacked selection. This definitely was outside of pop culture and seemed more thorough, and there was a good selection of past to contemporary writers (based on the copyright). Most of these writers were new to me, so I was very curious as to what they were writing about.


I walked over and spent the rest of the late afternoon at my favorite garden, le Jardin du Luxembourg.



The layout of the flowers and ambience are a good way to end the day, with Mass at L'Église Étienne du Mont.

Saturday was spent enjoying the work of Auguste Rodin. I feel like my appreciation for sculptures and the sculpturer grew exponentially while I visited le Musée Rodin (the Rodin Museum). During the rain, I stayed in the l'Hôtel part of the museum. This section is good because it's shows a lot of Rodin's work prior to his final pieces that are displayed in the garden. It helps prepare you for his work and to see the process that is involved. The fact that his initial models were all fashioned by his own hands and then the caster poured over allows you to see his brilliance. My favorite sculpture of his was the first work he did, which was actually rejected. In making the piece, he made a mistake and the only part that was salvaged in the headpiece (or bust as it is called) was the face, which is practically a mask. Nevertheless, he had a deadline, so he submitted it; and sure enough, it was rejected. Later he would comment that this was his best work because it influenced all sculptures to follow. My favorite sculpture to pose next to :) was le Penseur (the Thinker).




Before I knew it, the museum was closed and I was stressing out because I really wanted to go to confession before the Feast of the Assumption; but I knew I wouldn't make it if I headed back to Saint-Lambert's de Vaugirard. What's so awesome about Paris, however, is that each arrondissement has a number of churches available. So I knew that if I could find one in the area, then it would be possible to go. The security at the museum directed me to L'Église Saint-François-Xavier. Just my luck, confessions were to start not too far from when I arrived.


L'Église Saint-François-Xavier is stunning.


There are mini-chapels along the side dedicated to the Saints. The dome is covered in gold with the 12 Apostles painted and the sacrificial Lamb in the center. Christ is at the center when you look at the front of the church with vines coming from him. The mosaics are also designed as flowers throughout the church and the names of prophets from the Old Testament adorn the ceiling. When the lights are turned on, the entire altar lights up in gold.



So this was my first time to have confession completely in French. I was nervous because I was afraid I would say something that wasn't what I intended to say and was worried I wouldn't understand what my penance was. So beforehand, I had already written down the Act of Contrition in French. My worrying was silly and confession is really the last place you should be worried. Confession is the place for grace, restoration, and healing ... not anxiety! It was such a gift to be able to go to confession; I hope that as I get older, I never take it for granted.

He followed the rubrics as I had studied them from my class on reconciliation and anointing, which doesn't always happen when I've gone but he did. I don't know who this priest was; but he was awesome, and I could tell from what he was saying during my confession that he was prayerful. He spoke to me in French normal, listened attentively, and I understood what he was saying. And he ended with, "Vive la confiance et l'amour du Christ!" (Live the trust and the love of Christ!). I was so inspired that I ended up attending Mass that he presided at, and he was just as passionate during the homily. What a treat - praised be Jesus Christ!

I lingered around taking pictures in the church until I got kicked out ... oopsy! The hours on the schedule were right, but they were closing early. I bought a delicious pâtisserie to end the evening: une tarte citron meringuée. It was a nice twist to a classic tarte - that is, the meringue part of the tart.


Monday was spent looking for a café to just have coffee and organize my notes and planning.





I feel like I'm balancing a lot, and I'm alright with that. I'm tired when I get home, but it's a joy to organize and also do the tourists things, eat pâtisseries, and visit so many beautiful churches. Emilie, my flatmate, asked me if I missed Chicago or if I felt alone as I was on this trip. And my response to her was that my home is Christ. I am reserved for him alone. And where I walk, he walks alongside me, so I never feel alone. My joy and consolation when I get discouraged is Christ. Indeed, I also get angry ... and I get mad at him, too; but ultimately, it tends to be my fault...