We had a New Pope celebration last night. Big dinner, dessert and lots of joy surrounding the choice of our new Pope! My children, at Catholic school, had been watching the "pope-cam" and got to see the white smoke, wait for an hour while Pope Francis spent time in prayer and then watched him come out and ask for all our prayers.
My 16 year old said last night, "I can't tell you how lonely I have felt, for so long, within our Church. This Pope is our gift from God."
It has been lonely. We have watched as our Church spent over $40,000 to stencil some wallpaper. We shake our heads as we see our priest on T.V. asking for money to build a 7 million dollar school. This same church who refuses to feed the poor but rather prefers to "refer them to Catholic Charities." My children cannot help but wonder why our priest wears his ray-bands, drives his new car and brings his Ipod into the confessional. When our priest encouraged us to tithe online and then print out the receipt to place into the offering plate as "an outward sign of our faithfulness," I just about lost my mind.
Yes. It has been lonely. And with tears of joy and thankfulness to God, we welcome Pope Francis, a lover of the poor, a man who understands the need to take our church to the streets, a man of humility and commitment to God. We will pray for you every single day.
