Here we go.
All the meetings are over.
A Mass for the election of a Roman Pontiff has been said.
Prayers have been prayed.
An oath of secrecy has been sworn.
One hundred and fifteen men in red have been locked in to the Sistine Chapel to cast their votes to elect us a new Shepherd, a new Servant of Servants, a new Holy Father.
The end of the first day of the conclave has brought us one great billowing cloud of blackest black smoke, leaving no room for doubt or guessing: there was a vote and there was no clear nomination.
And so we wait yet another day. And the waiting is becoming hard. I want to know who he is. Who is the man who will guide the Church forward?
I remember what this felt like last time, and this is so very different. Then, there was so much sorrow from the death of John Paul II, the only Pope I'd known. But by his side for many many years was another man I loved and admired a great deal, Joseph, Cardinal Ratzinger. The disbelief and utter joy I felt when the announcement of his election was made was powerful. I couldn't believe it was true; it was so unlikely that a man who had served for so long and talked about retiring so often, a man we knew so well would sit in the Chair of Peter.
This time I don't know any of the Cardinals well at all, though I know there are good men among them. I will have to get to know the next Successor of Peter from scratch. I pray that I will love him without reserve or comparison. I pray that no matter what the secular media says of him or speculates of him, the Church will receive him with wide open hearts.
I don't envy him for the yoke about to be laid across his shoulders. I don't envy the Cardinal Electors for the task they have in finding him.
Come Holy Spirit.
Come white smoke!
solitude + inspiration
My goodness, this is exactly how I feel too. In fact, I was looking at a list of cardinals and realized I was judging them by their looks...thinking "I hope he doesn't become the pope, I don't think I could like him..." LOL
ReplyDeleteI don't know who the next pope will be but there is this little impish pulse inside of me ;) that hopes the Holy Spirit's choice confounds the secular media with all their speculation and ignorance as to what the world is witnessing right now.
ReplyDeleteThe new pope will not be accepted by all but loved by many and he will be who the Holy Spirit determines is best for the Church at this point in its mission in this world. I'm on the edge of my seat also!
Your little imp must be happy, Bobby! I do believe the secular media is confounded.
ReplyDeletePraise God!
Lol oh it is Tess! It is! But that is only part of it. It was a bit selfish of me to say that, but, as you know I am rather tired of the way the secular tries to sway public opinion in areas where they have no clue. The Church has been and will always be a bone of contention in the world. If the Church began to accept and change itself to worldly ways then there would be no difference between what the Church and the world teaches. It would then become a human institution and not divine.
ReplyDeleteChrist is a stumbling block to many, so it stands to reason that the Church(Body of Christ) is also. Their ignorance showed through brilliantly when they sat there hoping that the new pope would bring in change(you know which ones I mean)when the Holy Spirit keeps false doctrine from being taught by the Church.
Popes may do or say things that are not right or even shameful at times, but we must look at what the Church has taught and the continuity of those teachings into today's world despite those bad popes. These teachings have never changed nor have the faithful ever had to accept things and believe in them for the salvation of their souls.
Seems to me it is just as futile for the secular to hope for an 'accepting' pope as it is for them to hope for a new Holy Spirit. Just can't be done!