Praying for Papa

One of the things about being a Roman Catholic that I enjoy the most is the very real feeling that I am connected to such a large family in the Communion of Saints. At no time has this been more apparent to me than in the past month as we pray for the election of the new pope. This meant being united in prayer with so many people around the world, the cardinals themselves, and the saints in Heaven. It meant sharing in intimate prayer with family near and friends far. It meant bonding with both my traditional Catholic boyfriend and a non-Catholic writing friend over the movie "The Shoes of the Fisherman." It meant praying the Litany of the Saints with the 115 cardinals as I watched them enter the conclave. It also meant joining my previous holy papas in prayer for my new papa.

See, the election of a new pope is personal for me. My faith is at the heart of who I am, and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church is the Vicar of Christ. He is representing Jesus here on earth. My relationship with Jesus is intimate. Aside from Holy Communion and Holy Scripture, one cannot get anymore spiritually intimate than sharing Him with the men who are His spokesmen on earth. The Holy Father, like my earthly father, leads me as a father leads a child. He shows me the best way to follow The Way, The Truth, and The Life.


Blessed Pope John Paul II is the first pope to really make an impression on me. My relationship with this Holy Father mostly goes back to my pilgrimage to Denver, Colorado for World Youth Day in 1993. Papa, as I fondly call him, has taught me much over the years, and I continue to learn from him. His initial message of "Be not afraid" has continued to come to me over the years. I struggle with that as a prayer warrior. Fear is the number one evil that prevents us from doing good in this world. I don't want to fear, but I do. I try to beat it back. Papa helps me with his exhortation, but I can't do it on my own. It sure helps to know that I have such a large family in the Church to stand with me. Papa JPII has also implanted in me a deep sense of the sacredness of Life at every stage. It goes way beyond fighting against abortion and euthanasia, but my defense of life began there.


Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is my good German Shepherd. He has led the flock that God gave him with steadfastness, knowledge, and courage. His adherence to Church doctrine and tradition have given me an appreciation for the wealth of the Magisterium. I am surprised a bit by how this scholarly man has helped to lead me on the pilgrimage that JPII started me on. I did not think that he would really be a part of it, but as he has taken the courageous step away from the Petrine Office, he is teaching me that much can be done to help the world and individuals with prayerful silence. I am reminded that God's voice is found in the whisper (1 Kings 19:11-13). My Good Shepherd is demonstrating to me the power of prayerful silence in a world too loud. I must learn this as a prayer warrior princess. Funny how my German heritage lovingly taught me that children were meant to be seen, not heard. My German Shepherd is showing me that not seeking first to be heard gives me the opportunity to hear God. We must listen with prayer. B16 knows this-- he's teaching by practice, not by word-- very much like his predecessor did while embracing the suffering that comes with disease and advanced age.  

His Holiness Pope Francis has quickly become my new papa. I am smiling as a I type that; one can never have too many papas in the Catholic Church, especially when they line up so wonderfully! As the 266th  pope, Francis has immediately called to mind the natural progression from where his predecessors have left off. He began to lead us in silent prayer, just as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has committed his life to prayer for the Church. Pope Francis, in choosing to take up his name after St. Francis of Assisi, shows us who he is to be as papa. He will be the pope of "preach the Gospel always, use words when necessary." He will share with us his prayer for peace. His very first words and actions as our papa were words and actions of prayer and humility. He led us in prayer for my good German Shepherd. Then he asked for our prayers. But he didn't leave it to us to do on our own time. He asked us to pray right then over him and he bowed his head for several seconds. Actually, I didn't know that he had done that. I was doing as he asked. I had bowed my head, found God in my heart, and fervently did as my new papa bade. My "Our Father" was personal, not memorized words just tripping off my lips. It was a rather personal appeal to my Heavenly Father for my Holy Father. How moving it was to join my intimate prayer with the prayers of the tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square, with the millions around the world watching! I know that among those viewers some were not as serious about their prayer as I was. But I also know that so very many were. If I needed proof of that all I needed to do was to look at my Facebook newsfeed. But I didn't need proof. I felt it. It was in the holy silence that engulfed St. Peter's square when the youthful and universal crowd prayed with their hearts, minds and souls. When Pope Francis prayed for "urbi et orbi" (the city [Rome] and the world), he prayed for me.

I have great excitement about the papacy of Pope Francis. He has already has packed so many lessons for my ongoing pilgrimage. Bl. John Paul II physically led me in my World Youth Day pilgrimage. That was my first pilgrimage, and I have discovered that it never ended. To be a prayer warrior means to be a pilgrim, and to be a pilgrim means being a prayer warrior. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, now devoting his life to prayer, has said that he is "just a pilgrim starting his last part of his pilgrimage on this earth." Pope Francis invites me, all of us, to walk with him on this pilgrimage:

And now, let us start this journey, bishop and people, bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which leads all the Churches in charity, a journey of fraternity, of love, of trust among us.
"Let us always pray for us, one for the other, let us pray for the whole world, so that there may be a great fraternity. I hope that this journey of the Church that we begin today and which my cardinal vicar, who is here with me, will help me with, may be fruitful for the evangelization of this beautiful city.

That takes me to St. Francis again. Francis of Assisi was well acquainted with pilgrimages. He was a knight in search of victory for Christ. He learned that a life of Communion with Christ was to live as Christ. In Pope Francis I see images of him that show me that he is going to lead by example. He has laid down his life for the People of God. He has humility. He has the servant heart. He will continue to wash the feet of the outcasts. Several years ago I read an article by a priest who said that throughout history God has raised up great saints in times of great struggle. St. Francis lived during a very dark time in history. Our Church needed him. For more than 800 years, St. Francis has helped to rebuild the broken Body of Christ. During this dark, modern age, we too need great saints to be raised up. People like Bl. John Paul II, Bl. Mother Theresa, and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and others. I believe that Pope Francis will continue on the same path of holy imitation of Christ and he will lead me. He too will rebuild the Church, as Jesus commanded St. Francis. He will do it stone by stone, person by person. Every pilgrimage begins with a single step... It continues with each single step. Onward, Church!