June 9 - The Vatican City

In our journey to the Vatican City, it was not a difficult mission to find God. Everywhere I stepped in the city, I saw sculptures depicting His image in men and women, intricate mosaics featuring religious scenes excerpted from the Bible, and just the overwhelming awe prevalent in the faces of many of the Vatican’s visitors. Everywhere I looked, I found God conveyed through his art on Earth. However, I didn’t really find his presence through the art on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or the gold inlay on the roof of the basilica, I found him through the stories of these artists. Michelangelo dedicated his life to expressing his love and emotion for Christ. He spent years working on these magnificent pieces of art that are now appreciated by millions of Christians across the world. His understanding of human anatomy amazed me by his work in La Pieta and just in his ceiling paintings. Pietro Vannucci and Raphael, with their works that developed classic expression created new ways to express this appreciation for creation. It also made me ask myself this question: What urges people to create these masterpieces? Why are they driven to spend years working on a painting, or a sculpture, just for their faith? This stumped me because I knew the answer was in the level of faith they had, but it didn’t make sense to my actual level of faith. So that’s the question I leave you with in this blog post: What motivates you to find and pursue your personal relationship with God?

John Knauss