The occasional, often ill-considered thoughts of a Roman Catholic permanent deacon who is ever grateful to God for his existence. Despite the strangeness we encounter in this life, all the suffering we witness and endure, being is good, so good I am sometimes unable to contain my joy. Deo gratias!


Although I am an ordained deacon of the Catholic Church, the opinions expressed in this blog are my personal opinions. In offering these personal opinions I am not acting as a representative of the Church or any Church organization.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Wonders of the World?

We've all heard of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:
Colossus of Rhodes
Great Pyramid of Giza
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Lighthouse of Alexandria
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

...as well as the Seven Natural Wonders of the World:

Grand Canyon
The Great Barrier Reef
The Harbor at Rio de Janeiro
Mt. Everest
Northern Lights
Paricutin Volcano
Victoria Falls
There are also many additional lists of modern wonders of the world, none of which seem to agree. And then, thanks to an errant Google search, I recently stumbled on this website, describing "10 Wonders of the World You Don't Know". Six of these "wonders" are in Asia, three in Europe, and one in Africa. The only one I have actually seen up close and personal is #10, the Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines. As for the others, I will have to experience them online, since I have no desire to visit any of these wondrous places, particularly those in Libya and Myanmar.
Banaue Rice Terraces - Philippines

Since it seems to be all the rage, I think I'll create my own list of wonders, but restrict it to edifices constructed by us humans to worship God. I won't limit it to Judeo-Christian edifices, but will require that each is still standing and can be visited. I already have seven picked out, but someone may have some better candidates. I'll share my first two now, both in Rome: the Pantheon and St. Peter's Basilica. Anyone have any suggestions for others?

The Pantheon, Rome
 
 
Basilica of St. Peter, Vatican City

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