Saturday, March 23, 2013

Pray for our Beloved Holy Fathers

It should be clear to anyone who watched the video or saw the photographs from the meeting at Castel Gondolfo that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is in markedly different health than he was when he announced his resignation from the papacy.  The white quilted coat over his cassock, worn even indoors; the tenuous gait assisted by a cane; the obvious change in his posture - all reveal an almost shockingly frail man and hopefully go to convince the conspiracy theorists that his failing health was certainly the reason for his decision to step down.   The affection he and Pope Francis have for one another will hopefully quiet the Vatican fashionistas who pay an alarming bit of attention to the newly-elected pontiff's every wardrobe detail but shockingly little to his resemblance of the Christ Who charged us with caring for the sick, the poor, the imprisoned.  One of the busy-bodies at Rorate asks: "Did anyone else notice that Pope Francis wasn't wearing (fill in the blank)? "   Why, no, I didn't, I was too busy paying attention to the bittersweet beauty of the current pope greeting the former and kneeling with him in prayer.  I was so struck by how youthful a 76-year-old man suddenly became next to the older and more fragile Pope Emeritus that I scarcely noticed anything else.

My prayer is that this meeting today will soften the hearts of the kill-joys at least to the extent that they will keep their mean-spirited observations to themselves.


6 comments:

  1. Some of these "supertrads" remind me of Joan Rivers on Fashion Police. So often their righteous protests are nothing more than thinly disguised bullying. I remember too well how a few of them treated Roz and Charlotte.
    More people to pray for, I guess.
    I thank you for keeping this blog going during what is obviously an uncertain time for you. In truth, I'd pay money to read it. Your writing enhances my life.

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    1. Oh, Julie, you just made my day after a very difficult start - being awakened in the wee hours because my son was in the ER. Thank God, he is OK, but only by the grace of God. I quite agree with you about the bullying, although that particular behavior is not exclusive to any one group. Still, I'm frankly shocked at the treatment our new Holy Father has received in the blogosphere from heavily traditional corners. Hopefully, some hearts were softened by what they saw yesterday. God bless you! Joyce

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  2. I watched a video of the meeting, and it was SO SWEET. I noticed the frailty of Benedict--it made me miss him all over again to see him though.
    I wouldn't know what the Pope Francis is supposed to be wearing anyway. All I know is he seems incredibly loving. Some I have read seem a little worried that he eschews tradition too much, I don't really know, But I trust him.

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    1. Same here, I wouldn't know either. I can't believe someone actually noticed what ring he was wearing vs. which one he wasn't. Good grief! I hope they give it a rest for Holy Week. The self-righteousness becomes tiresome very very quickly. God bless you! Joyce

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  3. Joyce, I never thought they'd film their meeting together...It hurt my heart to see Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI so frail- so plainly visible- I could hardly bare to watch..I love him and miss him.
    Mark Mallet had a beautiful post about Pope Francis, (only a week into his pontificate), already giving us an unwritten encyclical on the teaching of Christian simplicity. No document...just a powerful witness..
    I hope everyone stops complaining and just prays for both these Holy men of God.

    Love and blessings +

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    1. Yes Caroline, I hope so too. I hope they won't be like the Pharisees who realized Who it was they crucified only after it was too late. I love them both. God bless you! Joyce

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