Habemus Papam!

Now that the cheers in St. Peter’s Square have quieted and all has gotten somewhat back to normal at the Vatican, I’d like to take a moment to write about something that bothered me the day Pope Francis was elected. First of all, I couldn’t be more pleased with the choice the cardinals have made. Pope Francis is a man after God’s own heart through his humility and love for the poor. He demonstrated this beautifully in addressing the crowd for the first time. I think he’s just what the Catholic Church needs at this moment. He was an unlikely candidate, but the Holy Spirit knew what He was doing when those ballots were cast. Sometimes it’s those less likely expected to do great things that end up being the most influential. So with that being said, God bless Pope Francis as he begins the journey of shepherding his flock.

Social media played a huge role in getting the word out that we had a new pope. It was exciting to see so many posts of jubilation when Pope Francis emerged from the doors at the Vatican. I was filled with so many wonderful emotions by just watching it all unfold on television, so I can only imagine actually being there in St. Peter’s Square with the massive crowd cheering. I’d been there before and saw John Paul II in 1999 and remember the feeling of pure joy when he passed by. The man oozed of the Holy Spirit! I’m sure that being there for Pope Francis’ election was a spiritual rush as well.

As I was reading through all the posts on facebook, I was particularly pleased to see that our local Christian radio station had posted a picture captioned, “Houston, we have a pope”! I really appreciated that they decided to join in on the celebration even though there probably aren’t many Catholics on their payroll. Unfortunately, hurtful words came from fellow Christians. Some of the more popular responses were, “Why are they giving so much glory to that man? Only Jesus should be given this kind of celebration.” and “I thought this was a Christian radio station. Why is this news for us?” Christians should be careful not to wear their halos too tight...All it does is cause others to have a headache, and boy did I have a major headache after reading that hubbub. There are so many misunderstandings about the church that I would be writing for days, so I’ll try to keep this as concise as possible.

If you take away the "pomp and circumstance”, the fancy garb and the gold crosses and chalices and replaced it all with simple pants and shirts, you’d probably see things much differently. In fact, the men before you may look just like your neighborhood preacher or pastor. It’s hard to see past, especially if you aren’t Catholic, but we rarely notice all of the extra “stuff”. We’re too focused on Jesus, not the men up on the altar. Sure, we rely on them to guide us in God’s ways, but our hearts remain faithful to God and His words in scripture.

As Catholics, we believe that the pope’s teachings on matters of faith are infallible. What does infallible mean? It means absolutely trustworthy or sure. I think that just about everyone finds that their preacher or pastor is trustworthy. You wouldn't go to church otherwise if there wasn't something he or she said that really caught your attention and pulled at your heart strings. We trust our pope just as protestants trust their church leaders. We’re also falsely accused of idolatry when it comes to the pope and the saints.  We have never worshiped a pope or the saints and we never will. And let’s be totally honest for a moment here. Catholics are criticized because we give too much praise and affection to our pope, but don’t protestants do the same when they find just the right pastor? Not that it’s a bad thing to go from church to church to find a “home”, but a lot of times people (especially in the infancy of their faith) will end up in a church with a pastor that preaches just what they want to hear, but not necessarily what they need to hear. Or they go for the music or the socializing aspect of a faith community. All these things are great and actually essential, but are they becoming bigger and more important than Jesus and living our lives for Him? Is the pastor being given rock star status because he or she knows how to work a crowd? Is it hard to pray and worship unless you are jamming out to the band in the front of the church? If that’s the case, then something isn’t right. Although I don’t agree with what other churches may do or preach, I’m not saying it’s wrong. My point is that instead of folks pointing fingers at Catholics, why don’t they take a hard look at what’s going on at their own church first. Remove the pastor’s fancy words and charm, remove the music and remove the social scene after services. Close your eyes in the quiet of the church. Is God there? Do you feel Him without everyone around and all you can hear is a pin drop? Does He permanently dwell in that space? God’s love isn’t just a warm and fuzzy feeling you get or an emotion that gets stirred up during church. God’s love is alive and constant, and you should be able to sit in the silence of your church and sense Him there always, and I am positive that there are many churches that have that "walk in the door and the spirit is there" ambiance.

It’s a bad thing when anyone of any faith makes a man or a building or even their faith community bigger than God. We need the aforementioned to a certain extent, but it shouldn’t take precedence. How we worship God is a major life decision. Just make sure you fully understand why one chooses to worship the way they do before you try to cast any kind of judgment, and that goes for people of ALL faiths, mine included. Catholics aren’t dangerous or purposefully misleading others. How can anything that Jesus Himself instituted be categorized as either? After all the ups and downs the church has gone through for over 2,000 years, the foundations of the faith remain true…You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18) and This is my body…This is my blood…Do this in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

I think if God had not found favor with the church, He would’ve destroyed it by now instead of growing it to over 1 billion followers. If you know nothing about Catholicism, and if you have the inclination to try to disprove what Catholics believe based solely upon what you may have been taught, I encourage you to set sail and cast your net out into the deep and really learn about the church. Don’t be intimidated by all the information out there, but be intrigued by it. It’ll take time and lots of prayer for wisdom and understanding, but you may very well fall in love with one of the most beautiful gifts God left us with on planet earth…Himself in the Eucharist. Taste and see that the Lord is good! If you are a Christian and thought about maybe being a Catholic, you already possess the most important trait; your love and desire for Jesus. If you want to learn more about the faith, start with stopping by your public library and check out The Catholicism Project narrated by Fr. Robert Barron. It may also be available on Netflix. It’s a wonderful DVD series filled with great information and showcases different cultures that have embraced Catholicism and many beautiful places of worship around the world. If you find yourself hungry for more knowledge, start reading about some of the saints and become acquainted with them (St. Pio or St. Therese of Lisieux) or read other Catholic literature. I highly recommend "Rediscovering Catholicism” by Matthew Kelly. It’s easy to read and chock full of wonderful insight and information. My mission in writing this isn’t to slam other ways “to do” church or to convert you. I just want others to see that the church isn’t a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and to challenge and encourage everyone to learn about what they may not understand. I certainly don’t have it all figured out, but I enjoy all the learning I’m doing along the way about other faiths other than my own. And knowing is half the battle (If you are an 80’s baby, you should know exactly where that came from). There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).