The election
Pope Francis has absorbed me. I’ve
wanted to sit down and write my thoughts and yet it has been hard for me to
focus and concentrate. Seeing black smoke on that Tuesday afternoon actually
gave me chills and I did not sleep well that night, thinking I might be missing
the election of our new Holy Father. I
was home and saw the white smoke on Wednesday, and then had to meet my tax
preparer at 2:30 and missed the live broadcast of Pope Francis (what a great name) greeting the thousands in
St. Peter’s Square.
This is
the fourth time that a Pope has been selected in my memory. (John XXIII was elected Pope just after my
first birthday and Paul VI became Pope when I was VI.) I was barely cognizant of the elected of John
Paul I as I was in the midst of preparing for my senior year of college. His death after being in office for only 33
days got my attention.
An Adult Encounter
with the Church
As a
political science major, I was fascinated with the second papal conclave in 1978,
following the details through the newspaper.
(The internet didn’t exist and we didn’t have a TV in our dorm room.) It
was my first encounter with the Catholic Church as an adult. The selection of a Polish Pope was
fascinating. In the ensuing years, when news about the Church and the Pope became
center stage, I knew who he was and had an affinity to him.
Nearly 8
year later, I became a member of the Catholic Church and even saw John Paul II
during a trip to Italy. As the years passed,
my prayer life and relationship with God diminished as I became a full time
working wife and mother. I questioned many of the “archaic” views of the church. I did feel a person loss when John Paul II
died, but was busy with daily activities and missed his funeral.
A Call Back from the
Desert
I was
distant enough from my faith to be only vaguely aware of the 2005
Conclave. In My humanness, I thought
that this new Pope Benedict could not compare with JPII. I didn’t have any kind of connection with
Pope Benedict XVI until April 2008.
After the announcement that Pope Benedict was coming to DC, my 10 year
old son asked if we could go see the Pope.
I answered, “We’ll see”, as I thought that it was highly unlikely because
so many others would be more worthy to see him.
When I
received the call from the rectory that we had been selected to receive tickets
to the mass at Nationals Park, I felt like we had won the lottery. The experience of worshiping with the
successor of Peter and 60,000 other Catholics was the beginning of a reconversion
experience for me. I became a follower of Pope Benedict XVI after seeing him in
person and hearing the truth that he spoke.
I began to listen to his weekly audiences, read his books and watch him
on TV. While I was in Rome a year ago, it was a thrill to see him during the
general audience.
During
the past two years, I noticed that he was slowing down. His resignation took the entire world by
surprise, yet I am thankful for the years that he was our Holy Father and for
his writings. I have learned so much from him.
He has been my shepherd, leading me closer to God. I followed his last
public appearances and had tears in my eyes as he left the balcony of Castel Gandolfo.
An
Instant Admirer
Is
conclaveinesita a word? If so, then I
was one during this conclave. If I
wasn’t working, taking care of my family or praying, I was watching TV or
searching the web for information about the conclave. I spent significant time in prayer, asking
that the Cardinals choose the “one” who is to lead our church. And
Adopted a Cardinal! And as mentioned above, couldn’t sleep on Tuesday
night. And now we have Pope Francis!
This
time, I am in instant admirer and supporter of him. He is my papa - the successor of Peter. I will depend on him to be my shepherd. I
love you Pope Francis and look forward to getting to know you better! Thank you Lord, for bringing us the leader we
need for today!
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