Power To The Pope-ful

At a core level, somewhere beyond our religious ideology and distinctions, the Pope's visit has stirred something sacred. It has stirred our faith. It has sparked a little hope in the human heart, a sense of possibility and connectedness, a hint of excitement and celebration.

During his American tour, Pope Benedict XVI has talked not only of divine matters, but of human frailty - issues such as sexual abuse, war and human rights violations. Nothing has been off the table. He has demonstrated that the mundane and the sacred are not two distinct poles - one to be discussed freely in the public forum and the other to be hidden away in the private recesses of our personal landscape. They are inextricably intertwined, woven together into the very fabric of human experience. Beauty, truth, divinity, ecstasy are expanded states aspired to by every human heart, even as we grapple with the sometimes grim reality of the human condition. We are all seeking meaning, seeking to understand the contradictions of our lives, seeking integration within ourselves and connection with the broader whole.

It is this common search that holds potential for us to move beyond religiosity and divisive dogma into the realm of celebration of spirit - exaltation of the divine without bias of form or practice. While proselytizing Catholicism may have been part of his agenda, the Pope seemed more interested to bear witness to the sacred in all things, affirming joy and beauty while also addressing with compassion areas of human pain and constriction. The response from the American people was one of wide-spread embrace. Even non-Catholics felt the effect of his presence. We surprised ourselves.

Pope Benedict's visit was an example of how we can naturally recognize the holy, and be affirmed by it, without having to invoke the boundaries of religion. Faith is a universal concept. Holiness, sacredness, divinity, communion, celebration, exaltation, prayer, reverence are all universal energies that can unite rather than divide. We have the power and the connectedness of heart to transcend divisive religious distinctions and expand into unity of spirit. We can become "equal opportunity" people of faith. We can seek to find the higher order harmony that unites all faiths into one human congregation.

While we're at it, let's make room for the sacred in our public discourse, not just during Papal visits but tomorrow and the next day. Let's not strip it out, sanitizing our discussions into a secular safe zone. Let's instead call upon the sacred as a guiding force, beyond ideological distinctions, to bear witness to our mutual search for meaning and wholeness.

Despite the many woes of our world, we are on an evolutionary path toward recognizing our interconnection with this planet, with each other and with spirit. The Pope's visit was a sweet reminder. The divine is all around us. Despite our many troubles, we need not look further than our own heartbeat to know the sacred animation that governs our very existence.

May the blessings of the Pope and the many spiritual leaders who walk the path of interfaith harmony be a source of upliftment. And may we all seek unity of spirit in a time when we have come to view religion as a source of division...but when our world needs sacred connection more than ever.

Comments

[jukesgrrl]

I think we talk entirely too much about faith already. I'd like more discussion about what needs to be DONE and less talk about what we believe. You have your beliefs, I have mine. Let's make "how we can make life better for EVERYBODY" topic one.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Sorry, but the various gods tell their sheep what to want and gods can't be argued with.

[CatholicJoe]

Gee John, I bet you"re one of those "Progressives" who thinks for himself, LOL.

[wheelskeepturning]

Raised a Catholic and I saw a lot of things I didn't like among the clergy. I will have to say that the message of the church and the basic 10 commandments, the time I spent in church meditating and feeling the comfort of the church will be with me forever. I saw a Pope, a man, who is the representative of God on this earth and I was impressed by him. I don't know how you can feel thru the medium of tv, but I really felt inspired. Even in my doubts about the church and its leadership I still knew that the "message" was the true one. I can see by reading blogs before me that there are a lot of doubtful people out there. I don't know what you all believe in but by the state of the world I would say not a lot. Just think if we all really did care about our brothers and sisters all over the world. If everyone had a full stomach, freedom to follow a dream for the future, a way to education and most of all a community full of love and hope. Am I hoping for Utopia or a life lived the way God intended?

[JohnFromCensornati]

"Just think if we all really did care about our brothers and sisters all over the world. If everyone had a full stomach, freedom to follow a dream for the future, a way to education and most of all a community full of love and hope."

Just think.
What does any of that have to do with invisible friends and infallible popes?
Nothing.

"Am I hoping for Utopia or a life lived the way God intended?"

You mean the god that intends to eternally incinerate most of our brothers and sisters all over the world because they don't believe a story about the dead rising?
That one?

[CatholicJoe]

John, you seem to have a direct line to God. Even our "infallible" Pope doesn"t know who or how many people are going to hell. But highly fallible you reckon most of the world"s population is going there. Wow.

[TazExprez]

I personally think the Pope's visit to America has been positive. It took some of light off of "bitter-gate," "lapel-pin-flag-gate,"and other non-scandals. The visit provided a positive distraction to the media and those "God bless America" statements from the Pope can't hurt.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Maybe we could get The Queen to visit during the last week of October!
She could kiss King George W's ass in public and give a bunch of really positive speeches.
Couldn't hurt to have a really old, pompous, out-of-touch church leader in crazy costumes distract the media for a while.
God (R) save The Queen!

[CatholicJoe]

Or maybe John you could actually try and understand the message that Pope Benedict was trying to convey? You seem to think that any view not in alignment with yours must be out of touch.

[smilodon1]

The pope is a big nothing and totally out of touch. He contributes nothing and is a waste of good oxygen. Too bad so many are ignorant enough to think he's important.

[CatholicJoe]

Mmmmm, so you think the leader of the oldest and largest institution in the history of the world is unimportant?

[ExPatriot70]

all that odious institution has done is perpetuate a myth for the last 2000 years while bleeding money from those actually believe this nonsense. The pope is nothing but an old man in a pointy hat and a bathrobe

[mandycat]

The only emotion this visit stirs in me a mixture of boredom and irritation. Why millions of our tax dollars are being spent so George Bush can preen around having his picture taken with a man in a dress eludes me completely. If the pope wants to lecture us on morality and hector women into taking their God given place as second-class citizens, he can do it on his own dime.

[CatholicJoe]

Mandycat it"s good that you"re sooooooo concerned about how our tax dollars are spent. However I would have thought that such an outlay was warranted given that the Pope is the earthly leader of true Christianity, and a successor of the Apostle Peter. Also you accused the Pope of "hectoring women to be second-class citizens". I must say I missed that bit of the Pope"s speech. Could you tell every body when and where the Pope said such a thing? Or are we to presume that like most Catholic haters you have much in common with the father of all liars?

[JohnFromCensornati]

Could you please tell everyone when and where god said that the pope was "the earthly leader of true Christianity, and a successor of the Apostle Peter"?

BTW - I love the "true" christianity thing!

[Clinton]

The wonderful gullible masses. What opportunities await the many religious con men to enrich themselves. Just watch your kids around these creeps, you never know what they'll try when no one is looking.

[CatholicJoe]

Clinton, it seems like many Catholic haters you have trouble with specifics. How are these Catholics that came out to see the Pope gullilble? Also, do you object to all con men and creeps, or just those linked to some religion? I've read numerous books written by the Pope, he certainly doesn't seem like a con man or a creep. Are you familiar with any of his writings? I suspect not.

[Kathei]

Thank you Stacy Lawson for this article. The last few days were a wonderful respite from what this country is usually given by way of the news media. Instead of having to listen and see to repeated news media reports that provided us of the negative behaviors of people in power, we were able to see and listen to reports of a person in power saying positive, uplifting, and supportive words to everyone.

[musicman42]

And while we're at it let's forget all the scandals and just pray some more. Because after all, the Pope does nothing but pray for things like world peace and looking around, we see how effective THAT is. God spoke to George Bush and told him to invade Iraq. If they both speak to God, then there is a conflicting message to say the least. Oh, I know. War means peace. My bad. I forgot.

[Kathei]

Musicman42:
If the Pope did nothing but pray then he would have stayed home and prayed.

[musicman42]

You are so right. I'll pray that he stays home next time.

[JohnFromCensornati]

I guess you can see whatever you want to see.
That's religion.

[aceholiday]

he's fooling you. the pope is no better than you or me.

[CatholicJoe]

Aceholiday, What are you talking about? The Pope never said or implied that he was better than anybody. But I have no problem saying he"s a better Christian than me. I"m sure your negative comment is indicative of a deeper hatred of all things Catholic.