I’ve been out from work this week due to my pneumonia. Not much to do but watch t.v. Today, I’m watching some show when breaking news comes on. White smoke is rising from the Vatican in St. Peter’s square, which signals that a new Pope has been selected to replace Pope John Paul II.
It’s an exciting scene as thousands rush into St. Peter’s Square to await the announcement. The bells begin chiming, and the balcony is decorated with the papal banners in anticipation of the announcement. Finally, one of the Cardinals comes out and makes the announcement. It is Cardinal Ratzenberger. No, that’s Norm from “Cheers.” It’s Cardinal Rothlisberger. No, that’s the Steelers quarterback. It’s Ratzinger, or something like that.
Anyway, this was real interesting to watch. There was quite the euphoric scene as people rushed to the Square to see who the new leader of the Catholic church was going to be. I’m not going to make any comments on the church itself or editorialize on one man being placed on such a high pedestal. Hey, it was just a cool thing to watch live as it unfolded.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Pope John Paul II
There has been a huge outpouring of emotion and tributes to the recently deceased Pope, and I think all of it has been richly deserved. He was an amazing man who lived an incredible life and had a lot of influence. I had the privilege of being able to see Pope John Paul II on one of his U.S. visits.
In the Fall of 1987, the Pope came to Phoenix. My dad, a pastor, was able to secure a couple of hard-to-get tickets from the priest in the town we lived in (Fountain Hills, AZ). The tickets were for the mass scheduled in the stadium that is home to Arizona State University. Now, the actual name of this place is Sun Devil Stadium. But on this day, the tickets called it Arizona State University Stadium and some conveniently placed Papal banners obliterated references to "Sun Devil" inside the stadium.
Now, I am a Christian and I'm sure there are many that would be aghast at the thought of attending a Papal mass. Yeah, there were some Christian protesters outside the stadium, although I'm not sure exactly what it was they were protesting (and there were only a handful, quite the fringe group).
There was certainly a buzz as we waited for the Pope to appear, then wild cheers as the familiar "Popemobile" made it's entrance and circled around the stadium, which was at capacity and then some. What followed was what I guess is a typical Papal mass. At times, I had no idea what was happening as people recited back things and stood up. No matter, I wasn't there to judge anything, I was there to see the Pope. When he took the stage to deliver his message, it was amazing how quiet it was. There had to be close to 80,000 people in the stadium, and it was dead silent. His message, well, it seemed rather evangelical to me (sorry Catholic bashers). It was all taken from scripture I was familiar with and I saw no contradictions to anything I had been taught. Then, we took communion. Yes, I took Catholic communion that was administered by a priest. It all sounded the same (this is Jesus' body, etc.). The only difference is instead of having the wafer inserted into my mouth by the priest, I, like many others, just had the wafer placed in my hand. Logistically, it was pretty amazing how they administered communion to so many in such a short time span.
Then there was the music. I was expecting some sort of monotonous Gregorian chants the whole time. But no, the music was all quite contemporary. Not as in rock and roll, but songs that were recently written. One of them, "On Eagles Wings" is one of the prettiest songs I've ever heard. Although I doubt Christian circles would pick up on it because of it's origins (although 15 years later I finally did hear it performed, in my church no less). All the music was wonderful. The only weird part of the evening was an introduction by Erma Bombeck, the humorist/columnist. I don't know, kind of like a Billy Graham convention with an introduction by Dave Barry.
All in all, an extraordinary evening that I still remember 18 years later. It really made me think differently of the Catholic church. Yes, they've gotten some things wrong, but they've also gotten some things right. But I'm not going to worry about sorting them all out during this lifetime.
In the Fall of 1987, the Pope came to Phoenix. My dad, a pastor, was able to secure a couple of hard-to-get tickets from the priest in the town we lived in (Fountain Hills, AZ). The tickets were for the mass scheduled in the stadium that is home to Arizona State University. Now, the actual name of this place is Sun Devil Stadium. But on this day, the tickets called it Arizona State University Stadium and some conveniently placed Papal banners obliterated references to "Sun Devil" inside the stadium.
Now, I am a Christian and I'm sure there are many that would be aghast at the thought of attending a Papal mass. Yeah, there were some Christian protesters outside the stadium, although I'm not sure exactly what it was they were protesting (and there were only a handful, quite the fringe group).
There was certainly a buzz as we waited for the Pope to appear, then wild cheers as the familiar "Popemobile" made it's entrance and circled around the stadium, which was at capacity and then some. What followed was what I guess is a typical Papal mass. At times, I had no idea what was happening as people recited back things and stood up. No matter, I wasn't there to judge anything, I was there to see the Pope. When he took the stage to deliver his message, it was amazing how quiet it was. There had to be close to 80,000 people in the stadium, and it was dead silent. His message, well, it seemed rather evangelical to me (sorry Catholic bashers). It was all taken from scripture I was familiar with and I saw no contradictions to anything I had been taught. Then, we took communion. Yes, I took Catholic communion that was administered by a priest. It all sounded the same (this is Jesus' body, etc.). The only difference is instead of having the wafer inserted into my mouth by the priest, I, like many others, just had the wafer placed in my hand. Logistically, it was pretty amazing how they administered communion to so many in such a short time span.
Then there was the music. I was expecting some sort of monotonous Gregorian chants the whole time. But no, the music was all quite contemporary. Not as in rock and roll, but songs that were recently written. One of them, "On Eagles Wings" is one of the prettiest songs I've ever heard. Although I doubt Christian circles would pick up on it because of it's origins (although 15 years later I finally did hear it performed, in my church no less). All the music was wonderful. The only weird part of the evening was an introduction by Erma Bombeck, the humorist/columnist. I don't know, kind of like a Billy Graham convention with an introduction by Dave Barry.
All in all, an extraordinary evening that I still remember 18 years later. It really made me think differently of the Catholic church. Yes, they've gotten some things wrong, but they've also gotten some things right. But I'm not going to worry about sorting them all out during this lifetime.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Good Health Really is a Blessing.
It has been a wild ride the last week. On Good Friday, my wife and daughter were headed shopping when I suddenly started coughing really, really bad (I had been battling a bad cough for a week or so). Next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and we were off the side of the road and my wife was frantically asking me if I was okay. I was, like, "Huh?" I evidently passed out briefly and had no recollection of it. We headed to the ER, but nothing was found to be wrong. Got some medication and was sent home. Fast forward to the following Wednesday. I wake up with an excruciating pain in my upper right side. However, trying to be Mr. Masculine, I still get ready for work. While I'm in the kitchen, I start coughing bad again and the pain shoots up my side and is off the charts. I've never felt such pain. I can just barely regain my breath. My wife comes running in and asks if she should call an ambulance. I almost agree (note: I have a very high tolerance for pain, so when I actually say it hurts, by golly, it hurts). So, we head back to the ER. This time, an X-ray shows pneumonia. The doctor indicated that an irritation of the lung was causing the extreme pain. To me it felt like something was going to explode.
Anyway, this time I get some strong painkillers and antibiotics and have now been home laying around for three days. Nothing to do but sit around, watch t.v., and wait for Terri Schiavo to die. She died on Wednesday, now it's waiting around for the Pope to die. The news programs are already running the tribute tapes. Hey, he's not dead yet!
In my 40 years, I've never visited the doctor for anything more serious than an ingrown toenail. I've had remarkable health. I don't necessarily eat right and I'm not exactly an exercise guru. I really have been blessed. As my 6-year old daughter asked if her daddy was okay, I'm glad I was able to tell her I was, and inside I thanked God for the years I've already had with my wife and kids and hoped for many, many more.
Anyway, this time I get some strong painkillers and antibiotics and have now been home laying around for three days. Nothing to do but sit around, watch t.v., and wait for Terri Schiavo to die. She died on Wednesday, now it's waiting around for the Pope to die. The news programs are already running the tribute tapes. Hey, he's not dead yet!
In my 40 years, I've never visited the doctor for anything more serious than an ingrown toenail. I've had remarkable health. I don't necessarily eat right and I'm not exactly an exercise guru. I really have been blessed. As my 6-year old daughter asked if her daddy was okay, I'm glad I was able to tell her I was, and inside I thanked God for the years I've already had with my wife and kids and hoped for many, many more.
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