Church in the Castle

This fig tree, smelling sweetly of ripe figs, frames what used to be the main entrance to the castle, in the days when it was approached from the river. It's now the back of the castle, where almost no-one goes, and I walk past on the way to the main Catholic church, inserted into what is now the front of the castle.

One thing I've come to really appreciate about the Catholic tradition - the crossing oneself, while saying: Em nome do Pai, do Filho, e do Espírito Santo (In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). Some thoughts I had on this as I walked:

Father - We live in a Universe whose face is that of a loving Father. 
Son - This God took on human form to live among us and show us what that Father is like.
Holy Spirit - God can live within us through his Spirit.
Three-in-One - God is beyond our understanding.
The Cross - the secret to life - living self-sacrificially, like Jesus did.

(Last night, we went to the annual Dark Sky Party, just amazing, including a lecture on the stars, with lazer pointers up to them, and a blind - it was pitch dark - wine tasting. Learnt loads, but we were all dithering with cold, so glad when we decided to leave at about 2am. Very strange weather.)