The arrival of Pope Francis caused quite a stir, shutting
down the city like never before.
People from all over came to see a man whose progressive
ideas are breathing new life into the Catholic Church and to society at large. He's emerging as a compelling world leader, and
many of us are tuning in.
That's not to say that I'm on board with all his thinking,
such as his stance on homosexuality, adoption with same sex couples or
abortion, but his eyes and ears appear to be open, which is an important step
in the right direction.
He can't erase the Church's wrongdoings of the past, but he
is acknowledging them which will hopefully change the course going forward.
The Pope's presence here for the World Meeting of Families
has awoken in many of us deep yearning and faith that the world can be a better
place.
And it's not just that he's calling for people to pray for
it; he's calling on people to act upon it:
to help the impoverished, the immigrants, each other...to be the best we
can be.
In which case isn't this a humanitarian message, and not so
much a religious one? After all, it's
not just Catholics who want to be good people and live in a peaceful world; we
ALL do. We are all much similar than different, aren't we?
Thinking like this always gets me into trouble, leading me
to start questioning everything.
For example, what really is the difference between a
Catholic woman and me, a Jew?
I'm no theologian, but I'd say that one of the most noteworthy
hallmarks of each religion centers on the deity with which a relationship is
formed and a prayer is directed...so while I pray to G-d, perhaps my Catholic
friend would pray to a saint.
We could be standing side by side and praying with the same
intentions at heart: Make Bradley well,
bring a baby into Jane's life, don't let Derrick and Joy lose their home and so
forth.
What I don't get is why associating with a religion that we
call our own seems to create a divide that separates us far more than unifies
us. It's not like one entity is pure and
one is evil.
It's all supposed to be good.
I really like this, Judy.
ReplyDeleteWell put Judy. I agree that Pope Francis's visit last week, and most specifically to Philadelphia this past weekend, was an event that captured the eyes and ears of so many people of many different faiths. I, as a Catholic, found it so interesting to come across friends who were not Catholic but were glued to their televisions because they were so impressed with this man and what he had to say and also how he acted while he was here. Everything you said is so true, and I think that is what Pope Francis is trying to get across to us Catholics (and all the world too); that we should just love one another and treat each other as we would want to be treated. Also that God (no matter what God you pray to) is a merciful God and we should all turn to Him and trust in Him. It's really quite simple.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I wanted to correct in your blog was that Catholics don't pray to saints specifically, as one might pray to God, but rather we pray to the saints asking them to intercede on our behalf. We ask that they would pray for us, or our intentions (sort of a prayer partner with us as we pray to God). We are always still praying to God Himself. Celestine
HI Cel! My apologies for not stating the facts surrounding prayer in the Catholic religion accurately. I remember your telling me that you pray to saints who pray for you to God, but I am sorry that I wasn't clear. I have always loved the wisdom you've shared with me about your religious practices (as well as about life in general). Thanks so much for once again making time to comment!
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