What to do when Pope Francis misbehaves

1. My friends, we now have a pope who is utterly, completely out of control.  Out of our control, that is. As most popes are wont to be.

Yet with this pope... his "out of controlness" is a tad more unnerving than, say, his predecessors  Let Benedict XVI loose on the media any given day and... they were as mad at the Catholic Church as ever. And we traditional Catholics breathed our martyr sighs and fist-bumped each other, because Benedict was right.

Not so with Francis.  Now it's more like:

2.  Recently even our $*%*! President came out supporting the Bishop of Rome. Oh the horror and travesty of it all!

Do you know what Obama SAID?  This, according to CNBC: "I [Barack] have been hugely impressed with the pope's pronouncements.  Francis is somebody who lives out the teachings of Christ: incredible humility--incredible sense of empathy to the least of these, to the poor."

I mean, that's just--gasp--utterly and completely... AWESOME.  Cuz you know what?  What Francis is doing is right, too.

Why, yes.  The Catholic Church does call us to be humble.  To love the poor.  And while condemning sin, never to condemn a sinner. 

3.  I think our Holy Father is "on" to the fact that it's sooooo fluidly easy to slide from one to the other, from condemning homosexuality to condemning homosexuals, perhaps without even realizing that's what we're doing.  And it seems Francis is looking to change that.

Yes, even Barack Obama is impressed with Pope Francis.  And our knee-jerk reaction would be to automatically be depressed by anything that impresses that guy these days, right?  But you know (darn it):

In this instance, Obama is right, too.  Okay, that hurt to type.  My fingers are aching.  Ouch.

But it's true.

4.  No, I'm not suffering along with my traditional compadres in their maligning of the pope's methods. Frankly, I've been grinning widely every time this man does pretty much anything.  Such as:

• shunning regal apartments for life in community; 
• calling to encourage a woman who is pregnant out of wedlock and is keeping the baby
• publicly meeting to dialogue with atheists, attempting to find common ground with them
• proclaiming publicly that sinners can reach the kingdom of God, saying his mission is to proclaim the Good News to everyone

And many faithful Catholics are looking askance, deeming this pope to be imprudent, careless, and worse.  They're quoted as saying, "Who is this man who welcomes sinners and eats with them?"

Oh wait, sorry, that's misquoted.  That's Luke 15:2.

Ah, now you see my sadistic side: I have been positively gleeful watching people squirm over this pope. Because I think a pope who makes the complacent uncomfortable ain't no bad thing.

5.  Not that I haven't been made a little uncomfortable myself, so I'm right there with you that way:  I recently heard a friend of mine bemoaning that a liberal-leaning preacher was salivating over the changes that will doubtless take place in the church.  That in his personal misinterpretation of Francis's words, our altars would soon be honored by Mothers as well as Fathers.

And it's frustrating to see the "wrong" people think they're "right."  Darn it!  Because WE are right!

Right??

Yeah.  We can stand to be a little uncomfortable.

We committed Catholics are used to Benedict, who consistently presented perfectly chiseled dogma, which we then could wave at the world, stunning the unbelievers with the glory of Truth.  But now... the Holy Spirit (YES ,THE HOLY SPIRIT) has done gone and made "all things new" again.

Like we ask Him too, I might add.  That and kindling in us fires of divine love.  

6.  Now we are forced to be a bit more loving to those who are "wrong."  To be humble along with our humble Pope.  We are forced to dialogue, like he does, with people we haven't chosen to dialogue with before.  We have to slosh through the misunderstandings to find the heart of the matter.

So the next time the Pope "makes your job harder," and you have to tell the jubilant nun who feels ordination is imminent "what the Pope ACTUALLY means"... Make sure you are communicating God's love.  And God's truth.  And thank God that He has graced you with this knowledge.  And thank Francis for giving you the opportunity to share it, personally, again, in your very own words.

Love in action is not as comfortable as virtue in abstraction.

I think we all can agree that Francis is living the Catholic faith perhaps even better than he speaks about it.  He is setting an incredible example, casting a wider net to draw more people closer to God, to show the world what Christians really are supposed to be like.

This Pope has forsaken the trappings of his office to connect with his people, earning the ire of those who fear he has thrown reverence out with ritual.  In choosing his emphasis on humility, he brings to mind a couple of key people.  One is the original St. Francis, running around in a beggar's robes building churches by hand, scandalizing the church of his day.  And another is the Lord Himself, the Messiah who so greatly disappointed the Jewish leaders of His own time.  Who had the nerve to be born among cattle, who neglected to topple Caesar or even come down from the cross during His life as a carpenter and traveling preacher.  Who "stripped himself of glory..." Philippians 2:7.

Not such a bad precedent to follow, after all.

7.  Instead of clarifying what is wrong with what the Pope says, in both English and the original Italian, how about looking, say, for what is right in what he says?  Because I guarantee it, it's there.  Like (gulp) Barack says later in that interview:

"He's somebody who is--I think first and foremost--thinking about how to embrace people as opposed to push them away; how to find what's good in them as opposed to condemn them.  And that spirit, that sense of love and unity, seems to manifest itself in not just what he says, but what he does."

I'm now gonna write something that's gonna hurt my typing hands for a week:

Right on, Obama.  

Linked to The Conversion Diary

You had me at "Our Father"...

HABEMUS PAPAM!!  I'm celebrating with you all!  :) A pope from our continent.  By the grace of the Holy Spirit, a pope for our time.

Alerted by a text, I was sweeping with great alacrity as I waited for those curtains to open, watching beautiful St. Peter's Square on TV, packed and flashing with lights on a beautiful Roman evening, flags waving.  Toys flew into place over here...

Then he was there, white in robe and countenance.  He looked so fragile just now when he first came out... wanted to give him a hug, ya know?  It was a blessing to pray live for him with people all over the world.  Praying for his courage while being handed perhaps the world's most terrifying job.

But then he spoke, as casually as if he was addressing a Sunday morning congregation in his home parish.  I loved that he invited us all to join in praying the Our Father.  What a moment.

A moment marred only by the fact that my three-year old was in full-scale, fist and foot floor stomping tantrum because I had stopped Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for a glance at history.  I will remind you of this in a few years, dear Cece.  Meanwhile, glad the threat of corner time worked...

In over-zealous Pope Watch excitement, I had been up at 5:30 this morning, tuning on EWTN to see the smoke.  Around 6:45, I realized that 5:30 did not mean 5:30 smoke, and gave up staring dry-eyed at the plain pipe they call a chimney.  I then resolved to get my Pope news from the Facebook feed page.  But I feel so blessed I was able to watch Pope Francis come out on the balcony for the first time.

I am now going to settle in and watch the comments and conspiracy theories fly around the Catholic world.  As for me, I look forward to what God has in store for us with our new Pope! :)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,

and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18

This is NOT a....

zit.  See my nose?  No, it's not.  Nope. That, my friends, is where my sweet petite adorable 17 month old (also pictured here, greatly penitent) slammed a mug when she was "feeding" me.  It was about a week ago; it still hurts I wrinkle my nose, it's still red, and--most irritatingly--looks like a zit. And somehow I can't find time for "nose doctor" on my to-do list.

I don't think any of this holds a candle to the Conclave, huh? And yet I keep writing...

Lets see... This past week I was invaded by truly helpful inlaws. You know, the type of inlaws that take vacation time to come see you, help with your kids, and buy your kids a bunch of new furniture for their room. You know, that type. Along with visits from friends who assemble said furniture for you. May you all have such family and friends! Yeah, I'm super lucky.  No, not always lucky, but this past week, yes.  And very grateful.  We have now finally finally finally moved my two oldest into a renovated attic upstairs for their rooms.  Not that I've been like waiting for this or anything... (wooo hoooo!!!! :)

Other than entertaining these people by providing things for them to do, like rooms to rearrange and kids to shop for, my 9 year old had her first harp recital. Well, a duet. And yes, of course I have the video.  She's wearing a new (very colorful) dress purchased by my invading inlaws, naturally.

To close this seemlessly-themed post, I want to leave you with my pics from Rome.  Yes, we went their right after Israel; it was quite the trip.  First, I have a couple of pictures I took of our last two pontiffs while I was there:

No, I didn't know the above was a picture of a pope at the time; I'm not that good.  :) Here's a pic I took from up on top of St. Peter's Basilica; I'm told the smoke stack we'll be watching this week is visible in it...

Here's my boyfriend Dan who climbed up with me (yes, the walls are all curvy inside the dome like that):

Okay fine, here's the Dome too:





And finally, here's (some) proof I took the picture:





Hope for the Popeless

Been thinking of you all, and of "us".  It's an uncomfortable time in the church.  Yes, even as a "JPIIer," I can sense the vague anxiety and sense of sadness among those who loved our now previous pope.  While I pray, I feel peace and confidence knowing the Holy Spirit will guide His people.  Let us take heart even in our "fatherless" time, for Christ never abandons us. 

Speaking of "father," I have a few final (and encouraging) thoughts on my last post from a well-educated yet down-to-earth priest friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous; thus, he will hereafter be referred to as "Fr. Fungi."  (tee hee) 

To paraphrase a man of the cloth who loved dancing before giving his life to God (and so, still loves it without the same opportunity to do it): dancing is a natural part of the human existence.  Scripture holds plenty of references to people dancing before the Lord, such as when David danced before the Ark.  Fr. Fungi [I'm really enjoying this...] notes that the Mass itself can be looked upon as a sacred dance, a beautiful ritual to the glory of God.

So, while Fr. F would never sponsor such an event, he thinks it's beneficial for people to see priests as spiritual dads, mentors, and coaches, as people who can kick back and have fun too.  He hopes there comes a time when priests have established their sacred role and very human identity enough--and that their congregations will know them well enough--that they can, without giving scandal, dance here and there at an occasional event, in a proper context.  Not in costume, and not taking lessons, but just being young at heart while pure in example. 

Finally, Father commented that a priest letting his personality come out at social functions is a good thing, because if he's completely "other" then he's detached from his flock and can't really serve as an example for his people.  Priests aren't supposed to be unapproachable and unrealistic.  They are supposed to be witnesses of joy.

So, I now think "Father Don't Dance" isn't quite accurate.  How about, "Father, not the cha-cha"?

I hope for a pope, too, who is an witness to life's joy, a good teacher, a strong leader, a true example to his people.  This is also an exciting time where we wait and see what God has planned.  :)  Let's keep praying... 

"Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord."
                                                                                                             Psalm 27:14

 

A Pope, a Grotto, and lots of ice

So I woke up this morning, as I often do, and sleepily grabbed my good friend the I-Phone while I stumbled from bed.  (I wish I could say I made a morning offering first... I used to, daily.  After I became a mom, I made a morning offering and said, "Dear Lord, I make this morning offering for all the rest of my days.  Please apply it forward, because I'm going to forget otherwise.  Amen."  I hope this was efficacious...)

Anyway, I start scrolling down the Facebook feed wall (where were we before such technology?  I mean really... the 80's were the Dark Ages.) And immediately I see The News of the Day: Pope Benedict XVI retires at the end of the month. 

Yes, I found this information surprising.  But I read his statement, and it makes sense: he's getting on in years, he doesn't feel physically equal to the ginormous task anymore, and--while it hasn't been done since the Middle Ages--he is legitimately allowed to abdicate.  God bless him.  A great man, a brilliant philosopher, a worthy pontiff. 

What I found more surprising was the shock, horror, and disbelief of my fellow Catholic friends.  Tales of how the news ruined their day, and how they are having trouble functioning puzzles me.

Maybe I'm just being cold and detached, and am numb with the duties of motherhood--and okay, maybe I had a "thing" for the charismatic figure of John Paul--but it seems there is a plan to elect a new pope.  He will be given the same graces as all the popes since Peter, and--as Mark Shea mentioned in his blog today--he likely won't take the name "Judas I." 

Fellow Catholics, I understand we've been burnt out with elections of unfortunate outcomes, especially here in the US.  I understand there is always a lingering fear that somehow, with every conclave, the cardinals just might manage to find the closest eminence to an antichrist.  That we will be treated to a reincarnation of Pope Alexander VI, and we'll have a power-hungry, immoral Shepherd of Rome who will merrily father illegitimate children.

As exciting as all this is to contemplate, I'm sorry:  I don't think it's going to happen.  And even if we assume the worst case scenario: this is the Church of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, the first and foremost Shepherd of Souls.  What have we to fear?

Well I'll tell you one thing we really do need to fear around here: ice.  :)  Two and a half feet of snow is greedily drinking in the rain as we speak, in time for a nice freeze tonight.  Brrr....

Here's some pics right after the first day of being dumped upon by the Blizzard of 2013.  Very impressive stuff.  My kids loved it, of course.  Here's 10 year old Annemarie:

3 year old Cecilia, looking at "Yots and YOTS of snow Mom!!"

9 year old Claire trying to shovel out the driveway.  You can see she's standing on three feet of snow as she attempts this:

16 month old Felicity.  Yep, she'd be buried in the snow:

And as a follow-up to my last post, I'm throwing in some recently scanned photos of yours truly, at age three, when I really loved snow.  Here's me with my indoor snowman: I apparently wasn't feeling great and was so upset I couldn't go out that my mom brought snow in.  The snowman's in a pan I still roast chicken in!  :)  (Check out enormous photo of my infant face looming in the background on the massive TV in front of braided rug; I was still an only child at this point, ha ha):

My Mom and me and sleds:

In conclusion to this hodgepodge post: today's the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.  I've been blessed to visit Fatima, Knock, Medjugorje (okay, I'm not canonically counting that, never fear) and Lourdes, and the latter definitely holds a special place in my heart and memory.  To have the actual site of the apparition still there, intact: the grotto of stone, with the miraculous spring flowing from under it, the ability to bottle, drink, and bathe in said water... it was literally a full-immersion experience in the love of the Blessed Mother, and her Son who sent her to look out for us.  I will never forget looking at the burbling spring under the plexiglass, thinking how graces are always flowing towards us.  Surely enough for another Conclave.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!