Here comes the Pope!

Painting by Tim Langenderfer at AmericanCatholic

On Tuesday of this week, a plane carrying Pope Benedict XVI will touchdown on American soil and thus will begin six days of a papal visit to the United States. The blogosphere is abuzz with wondering: what the pope will say; what the pope won't say; where the pope will and will not visit; with whom the pope will and will not meet. You can even find blogs arguing about what vestments the pope will wear, what pastoral staff he will carry and what songs will be sung at the liturgies he celebrates.

The pope's itinerary is public so it's easy to know where he's going, what he'll do when he gets there and with whom he'll meet and talk. No amount of dismay on our part will change schedules and venues already vetted by the Secret Service.

That leaves open to our curiosity and anticipation what the pope will preach and speak to the Church and nation in America. I hope to be as open as possible to what his message might be. Like most Catholics, I have opinions about many things, including the present pastoral administration of the Church. I don't for a moment think I can simply divest myself of opinions I hold but I know that I can work at listening with my mind and heart as open as possible. And I pray that God will use the Spirit to help me listen for Christ's voice in Benedict's words.

Catholics understand the pope to be Christ's Vicar on earth. From the Latin vicarius, vicar means "one who acts in the person of." The pope's ministry is to act and speak in the person of Christ among us. That is the bishop's ministry in the diocese and it is the pastor's ministry in the parish. By virtue of our baptism, each of us is missioned to act and speak in the person of Christ in our daily lives. But the pope deserves a capital V on his title - not because of who he is personally but because of the office that is his. Thus, his words this week have a special claim on our attention as Catholic Christians.

It will be easy to listen only for what we hope the pope will say - and be disappointed if we do not hear it. Many will listen for things this pope will never say - and be angry when he fails to say them. Some will hear the pope address topics they hoped he would address - and be angry and disappointed that he did not address them as sincerely, fully and with the amount of remorse they expected. If the pope said everything, that would not be enough for some; and if he said nothing, that would be too much for others.

So, ahead this week is a unique opportunity for us to meet and hear the Vicar of Christ right here in the old US of A. I hope our hearts will welcome him and open us to the message he brings.

-ConcordPastor

(Post on Pope as Peter)