2nd Day in Madrid, Spain

I was lucky to catch a scheduled 830 am mass which started at 915am at the Church of Our Savior and St. Nicolas in Calle Atocha 58, several uphill climbed steps from my hotel.

“It is currently one of the oldest churches in Madrid. The bell tower was built in 12th century; also the rest of church, but that rest of the building was rebuilt between 15th-17th centuries.” Yup, grace upon grace to stumble upon this 822 years-old Catholic Church!

That space of time allowed me to pray for sick relatives and classmates before the Lord of Mercy and with intercession from St. Pope Paul II, St. Rita, and St. Nicolas. Drops of coins lit up the candles automatically. I kept crying inside, tears could not be helped, much like hearing mass at another century-old Holy Family Church in Glendale.

I wonder if dropping good deeds like seeds sprouting in the garden are like lit candles automatically lighting our lives’ paths?

I am exploring on my own and stumbled on this plaque. Here lived Don Pedro Antonio de Alarcon. “Alarcón wrote another popular short novel, El capitán Veneno [es] (‘Captain Poison’, 1881). He produced four other full-length novels. One of these novels, El escándalo (‘The Scandal’, 1875), became noted for its keen psychological insights. Alarcón also wrote three travel books and many short stories and essays.

Alarcón was born in Guadix, near Granada. In 1859, he served in a Spanish military operation in Morocco. He gained his first literary recognition with Diary of a Witness to the African War (1859–1860) [es], a patriotic account of the campaign.”-@Wikipedia

Dinner at Oven was pesto pasta, whose fresh basil aroma was inviting, and mascarpone ice cream. Thank you, Madrid, you have been kind to me. Thank you, dear Lord, for this trip, stumbling on great finds.

#madrid #spain #donpedroantonioalarcon #churchofthesaviour