Habemus Papam!

The first Latin American...the first Jesuit...the first Francis...

Jorge Bergoglio has a lot to live up to.  But what I have heard about him so far, he seems to be the right one for the job.

Last Wednesday we were just finishing up the noon dishes when a rumor spread that there had been white smoke.  Our TV room is on 2nd floor above the kitchen so we left the silverware behind and dashed up the stairs to see what was happening on TV.  (A couple of sisters on the dish crew nobly stayed back to at least dry the silverware and put it away...they did feel a bit abandoned but Pope Fever had taken hold.

When we got up there the TV reporters were saying it would be at least another 50 minutes before the new pope appeared.   Whew...all that excitement and then...waiting....

I plunked myself down in a chair to wait and listen to all the filler commentary.  I found myself glad and proud to be a Catholic as I looked out on St. Peter's Square and saw the crowds braving rain and cold weather to welcome the new pope.  "What other faith tradition has something like this?" I asked myself.  And what other faith would command such media coverage?  

I also found myself feeling sorry for the poor man who was now getting vested in the white robes of the pontiff.  I found myself praying silently in my heart for whoever it was.  What a load to carry!  So much scandal to deal with.  Nobody can ever be trained to be in charge of 1.2 billion people.  

When the cardinal came out and announced THE name, I couldn't make out anything recognizable as a name or a country.   I noticed the translators on TV didn't even translate it right away.   Our Sr. Lynn, who does not speak Italian, managed to be the first to figure it out.  I was pleased to have a non-European man selected and very pleased by the name of Francis.  

When he first appeared on the balcony I couldn't understand why he just 'stood there.'  "Why isn't he waving or gesturing to the crowd?" I thought to myself.   But then I thought, "What would you do if thousands of people were all looking at you?"  I would be like a deer stuck in the headlights.

Francis is a dangerous name to take - it's hard to live up to that one which is probably why no pope has ever picked it before.  

I just read where he spoke 'off the cuff' at his first Sunday window appearance and earlier that morning made an impromptu appearance before the public from a side gate of the Vatican, startling passers-by and prompting cheers, before delivering a six minute homily at St. Anna's, the Vatican's tiny parish church.  His security detail is not going to like this kind of activity, I'm sure!

The headlines at this time about the church are mostly about our new pope and generally positive.  In a short time this will be forgotten and other news will be fresher and more titillating.  The headlines will emphasize the scandals in our church again.  Or they will express how disappointed people are that the new pope isn't changing the teachings on abortion, gay marriage, etc.   

I plan to keep on praying for Pope Francis and for the Holy Spirit to guide him as he takes on this unimaginable job.

White smoke on the horizon

Wow, these are exciting times in our Roman Catholic Church!  Our cardinals go into conclave on Tuesday to begin an election for a new pope.  An interesting note about the word conclave -  Origin: French from conclave, a room that may be locked up; con- + clavis key.

The election of popes has a storied and colorful history.

From Wikipedia:  To resolve prolonged deadlocks in the earlier years of papal elections, local authorities often resorted to the forced seclusion of the cardinal electors, such as that first adopted by the city of Rome in 1241.  In 1269, when the forced seclusion of the cardinals alone failed to produce a pope, the city of Viterbo refused to send in any materials except bread and water. When even this failed to produce a result, the townspeople removed the roof of the Palazzo dei Papi in their attempt to speed up the election.  

In an attempt to avoid future lengthy elections, Gregory X introduced stringent rules with the promulgation of Ubi periculum. Cardinals were to be secluded in a closed area and not accorded individual rooms. No cardinal was allowed, unless ill, to be attended by more than two servants. Food was supplied through a window to avoid outside contact.  After three days of the conclave, the cardinals were to receive only one dish a day; after another five days, they were to receive just bread and water. During the conclave, no cardinal was to receive any ecclesiastical revenue. 

Hmm...imagine being locked up until you come out with the answer.  What if we locked ourselves into a room while discerning religious life until we had the answer?  Not a good idea most probably...forced discernment isn’t proper discernment.  Besides, it took me three years to discern...I would have starved by then!

I must say, having been in the Sistine Chapel in 2008, if you are a Cardinal that must be an incredible place to sit and muse who should lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.  The Last Judgment Scene that covers the wall behind the altar is a rather terrifying scene.  In the centre of the lower section are the angels of the Apocalypse who are waking the dead to the sound of long trumpets. On the left the risen recover their bodies as they ascend towards heaven (Resurrection of the flesh), on the right angels and devils fight over making the damned fall down to hell. Finally, at the bottom Charon with his oars, together with his devils, makes the damned get out of his boat to lead them before the infernal judge Minos, whose body is wrapped in the coils of the serpent.

If one seriously meditates on that, one would not take the election of supreme pontiff lightly.  

The stories in the Gospel remind us that sinners have always been in the church and will continue to be in the church, including our leaders.   My spiritual director related a story (not sure if it is true or not) about Pius VII and Napoleon.  Supposedly Napoleon had threatened to ‘bring down the church’ to which Pius VII replied, “If our priests have not managed to bring down the church in all these centuries, you will not be able to either.”  

The church is made of sinners and saints; mostly sinners.

Let's pray for wisdom and guidance for the Cardinals as they go into conclave on Tuesday.  

May they elect the man who can best guide us mostly sinners on our earthly journey to the Kingdom.

Fig trees, Manure and the spiritual life

Excerpted from a reflection I gave at our Saturday Lenten vigil service.

This gospel of this 3rd Sunday of Lent (Luke 13:1-9) once again gives us that very biblical image of a fig tree.  At least in Luke's gospel, Jesus isn't cursing it because it hasn't bloomed as he does in Mark and Matthew.  Here, the fig tree gets another chance and extra care...but the threat of later being cut down still lingers.   

We have a sanitized translation where the gardener says he will cultivate around it and fertilize it.  The literal translation is manure.    The ancients were smart enough to know to use animal waste even if they might not have known why it was so helpful.  If you go into the Lawn and Garden section of Wal-Mart you can find numerous sacks of various fertilizers or boxes of plant food to meet all of your planting needs.   If you look carefully at the description of the fertilizer usually three alphabet letters will stand out - N, P, K.  These letters stand for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.   These are the three main ingredients that plants need.  Think of them as “up, down and all-around”.  Manure is extremely rich in these ingredients, especially nitrates.  

Nitrogen helps keep leaves green, promotes healthier blooms and aids in the manufacture of chlorophyll. Phosphorous is primarily responsible for keeping the trunk/stalk healthy and helps with root growth and development. Potassium is a general help to the entire plant. 

The phosphorus component of our lives helps our trunk/stalk and helps us put down strong roots.  I would think of this as our monastic, Catholic infrastructure - the Rule of Benedict, the teachings of our Catholic faith, the sacraments, our monastic horarium.  

The nitrogen component of our lives is what we can see - the leaves, the blossoms, the fruits we bear.  I would think of this as all the acts of our daily living, speaking words of charity, acts of kindness, faithfulness to the Divine Office, Mass, lectio and adoration; how we live in community.

The potassium component of our lives is whatever is a general help to us.  This will vary for each of us.  It is those things that we do that help our spiritual growth and deepen our relationship with God.   For some it might mean keeping more silence, for others it might be some sort of fasting.

If any one of these components is missing, the whole plant will suffer.  If we don’t have the right quantity of each, those parts of us don’t develop like they should.

The thought I would leave you with is to have you ask yourself:  What areas in my life may need a little more fertilizer or different fertilizer?  Do I need more nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium?    Am I honestly bearing any fruit at this time in my life?  Or am I just exhausting the soil?  ouch!!