Catholic Thought discussion

Summary

After Petronius returns to his home, which out of fortune had been spared from the fire. He is convinced his life will be taken by Nero, and he weighs the moral depravity of his enemies. If his life must end, he concludes he will do what he can to save Vinicius and Lygia. He tells Vinicius what transpired at Nero’s, and impels him to go save Lygia before she is rounded up. He is also determined to stifle the plans of Tigellinus and Nero. Petronius rests with Eunice, who he will dearly miss when his life is taken. A centurion arrives with a letter from Caesar, an invitation to listen to Nero’s new composition. The centurion also tells him he’s on the way to round up Christians for the games. Petronius goes off to listen to Caesar and he and Tigellinus are clearly in tension. But Petronius as the great arbiter of elegance is back to his advantage listening to Nero’s composition. On the way back he stops at Vinicius’ home. Through the streets he hears the chants of “To the Lions the Christians.” Vinicius is home in a desperate mood. He did not reach Lygia in time. She has been carted to the prison. He and Petronius decide to go to the prison. On the way, Petronius kills an abusive drunk, and from Petronius’s familiarity with the guards they are led in where the Christians are singing hymns.

For the games, an enormous wooden amphitheater is being built. Wild animals are sought from within and beyond the empire and then caged in Rome. Christians are being violently rounded up across the city. Petronius has Acte visit Lygia in prison where she brings Lygia clothing and food. Guards are bribed to prevent Lygia from being raped and other violence. Nero is fixated on providing the greatest spectacle ever seen in Rome. Vinicius does all he can to save Lygia, bribing everyone in the prison. He even wants to beg Caesar but Petronius advises against it. It would only harden Nero’s heart further. Vinicius offers himself as a sacrifice to Christ and cannot understand why Christ would let this tragedy happen.

Everything Vinicius attempts in trying to save Lygia fails. Finally the amphitheater’s construction is complete. It is finally coming to a head. The prisons are overfilled with Christians and disease was spreading. Vinicius passed whole nights outside the prison, kneeling and praying. He finds out that Peter was not imprisoned and where he is staying. He goes to Peter and finds him praying with other Christians. Vinicius asks where is Christ in this evil? Peter tries to comfort everyone and strengthened them with his prayers. Peter reminds them that Christ was crucified, and yet he rose from the dead. Raising his hands and his eyes fixed into a vision, Peter continues to pray and bless. When finishes, Vinicius falls to his knees at Peter’s feet and implores him to pray for Lygia. He offers his life to spare her’s.

After, Vinicius once again goes to the prison, this time with new hope from the power of prayer. He finds out that Lygia has taken ill and that one of the Pretorian guards is a Christian himself. Filled with a little more hope, Vinicius goes to Petronius’s house. Petronius tells him of an incident that happened that day at Nero’s. Poppaea had brought her child from a previous marriage to Nero performance, and the boy fell asleep in the middle of it. Nero hurled a goblet at the boy and injured him. Petronius believes that he and Poppaea can come to an agreement, Petronius saving her son Rufius if she saves Lygia. The first of the games are scheduled in ten days, so there is a little time to work the deal. In the meantime, Lygia is with fever, which has spared her from being defiled. Vinicius writes a letter to Lygia and delivers it himself to the prison. He spends another night outside where he has a terrible dream. When he wakes, he finds a retinue with Chilo at the center. Chilo has been highly rewarded and is an aristocrat himself now. Vinicius accuses him of betraying Lygia, and Chilo responds that when he was in need Vinicius had him flogged.

Lygia writes back to Vinicius, telling him no matter what happens she will always be his. She does not fear what might happen to her. Vinicius writes back that he will go every day to the walls of the prison and that he believes Christ will save her. Petronius meets with Poppaea, who he finds caring for Rufius who is now in a fever. He proposes the deal to her, and she says the only way to convince Nero to release Lygia is for the head Vestal Virgin to persuade Caesar. Poppaea leaves that evening to go to the Virgin, but when she was out two hired men carried out Nero’s orders to strangle the boy and toss his body into the sea. When Poppaea returns and finds the boy disappeared, she screams in agony.

The day of the Morning Games is here but these games will last all day given all the Christians that need to be killed. The amphitheater is packed, and the audience is amazed at the sound of the Christians singing hymns. Vinicius ventures down to the Christian cell where he finds many sewn into animal skins to be attacked by the wild animals. He finds Crispus there preaching repentance for their upcoming day of wrath. Two well-known gladiators were to open the games with a match. In the fight one makes a misstep and falls and asks for mercy. Nero, having lost previously with this gladiator refuses mercy, and the gladiator is killed. Next small armies of soldiers fight battles, and there is so much killing that the bodies are piled up and the blood runs across the entire arena. The audience is enthralled with the bloodbath. Chilo, on the other hand, not used to these games is repulsed by the slaughter. The Romans laugh at his innocence. Next the Christians are up to be slaughtered. They are led out dressed in animal skins, women with children and unarmed men. They kneel in prayer and look to heaven. Wild dogs are let loose upon them and they tear human flesh limb from limb and satiate themselves on the carcasses. Up above in the elevated section, Peter has been snuck in and, visibly moved, prays and blesses the martyrs below. Chilo watching flesh being torn off bodies faints from the revulsion. The lions were to be kept for the next day, but the audience in their bloodlust call for them now. Nero wishing to please and with more Christians on hand he gives the order to let the lions in. The lions storm the arena and gorge on the Christians. Blood is everywhere. Nero then lets all the wild beasts enter, and the spectacle becomes an orgy of blood. To clear the arena, Nero orders archers to kill the animals after all the Christians have been slaughtered. Bodies of Christians and beasts cover the arena. After the bodies are cleared, Nero steps down into the arena and with his harp sings his composition. Peter up above is seen crying.

At evening while the crowds are departing, Nero disappointed at not being praised for his song asks Petronius why the song was not appreciated. Petronius explains it was the wrong time and place, the crowd gorged on the bloodbath. Still he compliments the song and mentions a line that needs improving. Chilo, recovered, obsequiously compliments Nero’s song. They all talk about the Christians that in their dying moments are looking as if in a vision toward heaven. Petronius and Vinicius depart and they find Nazarius, the son of Miriam, at Vinicius’s home. He confirms that Lygia is still in prison, ill from fever, and he has been assigned to load caskets of the dead. Petronius comes up with a plan to place Lygia, simulating being dead, into a casket and have her taken out with the dead, where Vinicius will take her out of the casket. That evening they try the plan and as they wait for the procession Nazarius comes up to say she was taken to another prison, the Esquiline dungeons, before they could put her in the casket.

It was even more striking having St. Peter witness this.

The scenes in the arena are hard to read. So much blood and gore.

Kerstin wrote: "The scenes in the arena are hard to read. So much blood and gore."

They really were!