Hope is not an illusion | Day 99 of my 2023 Journal

Day eight in Rome was Easter Sunday, so we went to listen to the Pope.

Listening to the Pope and sharing the event with thousands of other people on Easter Sunday will stand out as the most unique thing we did in Rome.

We came early and arrived in the third line, close enough for your youngest to make his way in front without disturbing the line of sight for anyone. We saw the Pope close by in the car driving by and felt the enthusiasm of the crowd.

It was a beautiful prayer. After four months in Italy, I was able to understand what he said, and I enjoyed it a lot. He talked about the resurrection of Christ as the annual reminder that hope is not an illusion — a beautiful angle on the message of Easter.

Hope is not an illusion.

Yesterday I talked about fear and how we have to move away from it. Now we are getting to the core.

Hope is what lifts us out of what is; hope is how we transcend. Not just spiritually but on all levels of life. We would not study a language without the hope that it will become easier over time. We would not fly to the stars without hope, and there is something out there beyond our imagination; we might never get up in the morning without hope.

When we dare to hope, we lift out of the gravity of what is and move into becoming.

The Pope talked about the wars, the suffering, and how we hope and pray for everyone involved and, indeed, for solutions, for peace. He talked about the personal Camino, how walking with peace and spreading peace is what we aim for and pray for everyone. He blessed the crowd and thanked God.

Afterward, we listened to the bells of the Cathedral while coming down from the experience.

We had our Easter Lunch by the river, a lunch I had made in the morning. Then we went for coffee and cake at the lovely vegan restaurant in Trastevere, Aromaticus, where we also later had dinner.

My sister's family joined (sadly, they were late for the Pope), and we enjoyed the sunshine, some street art, the Santa Maria Church of Trastevere, some geometry drawings, and ice cream.

Love and light

Cecilie Conrad

# 99 of my 2023 writing challenge - Read them all here