Mass at St. Peter's

I just got back from Italy! It was so great. The view was beautiful as well as the history. The most interesting thing to me in Italy was, of course, Rome! Growing up in the church, it sparked my interest to see Rome, the place where the gospel was spread and Christians were persecuted. I got to see Mamertime prison, a place where both Peter and Paul were imprisoned. There is a pillar that still stands where Peter was chained to. Also, an alter/monument thing is there with an upside down cross commemorating Peter's death. He chose to be crucified upside down because he thought himself unworthy of dying the same way his savior did.
I went to Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday! What a great experience! It was really fancy and traditional. The church was beautiful. I was kind of confused at the service though. It was very different from my typical Church of Christ service. First of all, it was in a different language, secondly, there were so many rituals that I didn't understand. Luckily, I got to talk to a member of the church after the service and he explained some things to me. They have these smoke things that they swing around throughout the service. He said it is to symbolize your prayers going up to God in Heaven. That is a neat idea i suppose. I am thankful that I know God hears me when I pray. I did learn a lot about the Catholic church from him. He was a nice man. I hope to attend other masses in the future!