Blessed is He

If I were there...
as You came riding in an ass,
Would I join the crowd
and raise a palm to hail You.
Or would I ignore You
and not be starstruck by You.
If I were there...
Would my heart be so
disposed to know,
"Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord".

And now...
with many stars that shine
would my heart be so..
that it may be so disposed
and not be deceived...
that I may know who
truly comes in Your Name.
Would I just be
a part of a bandwagon,
not really knowing.
Would I just be
sitting on my own wagon,
clinging only to mine.

O Lord of Light.
O King of kings.
Your love and friendship,
let me know.

O Lord of Light.
O King of kings.
In Thy Sacred Heart
let me be.

After Thoughts on Benedict XVI

The media coverage of Pope Francis had been tremendously positive, even with the liberal mainstream. Yet, there is something odd about it. There is a subtle distortion in the picture so as to discredit the predecessors. There are only three bloggers who corrected the false innuendo in their blogs. There is even a hashtag of #everyonesPope. I should be happy but the way things are presented it almost looks like they are heralding a NEW POPE and a NEW CHURCH. Curious, indeed. It could be just my overly active rational and creative mind. Anyways, Cardinal Ratzinger has lots of enemies and as his coat of arm is, he sure was treated like a beast carrying the burden of the Church.
However, this got me thinking again of the papacy of Benedict XVI. Why did I feel a sense of something beautiful being taken away? There is no Tridentine Mass yet within my reach, so I am not a Traditionalist. I am not even a Mozart person, this Ipod is filled with Himig Heswita. Yet, BEAUTY is how I would describe it. Yes... because it is about TRUTH. It is Truth. Beauty is the very face of Truth and Jesus was visible and became personal in the Church.
There is one other thing I realized about Benedict XVI's papacy. Although it is all about Jesus, while Mary is always mentioned in the end as a model, companion and intercessor; And I am not even sure if the religious organizations would consider him a Marian Pope like JP2 and Pope Francis. He may even be perceived as an enemy of the over the top Marian movements. Yet, looking at Benedict XVI's papacy, his actions were in obedience to the wishes of Our Lady of Fatima. The Eucharist was received kneeling down and taken by the tongue. He brought back reverence and the Divine in the Liturgy. His fight for doctrinal faithfulness. His cleansing of the clerical life and the consecrated nuns. Everything was put in place and in motion. It just needs to continue and not be derailed.
Benedict XVI, in spite of, hindrances was actually taking orders from our Mother Mary. He didn't have to talk so much about Mary because he became like Mary pointing to Jesus. He became like Mary pierced with a sword in the heart, yet pondering all in his heart.

Reality Check. The happenings in the past weeks had been distracting of Lent. We again focus on the Cross and allow Jesus to be part of our history.

"our Blessed Mother came from heaven, offering to implant in the hearts of all those who trust in her the Love of God burning in her own heart." - Benedict XVI

A Pope for the Rich

I have to admit that I was offended by Pope Francis' seeming rejection of everything Benedict XVI, in spite of, the good words he had for him. It unleashed Benedict XVI's detractors to come on and discredit him. And It hurts when your Papa is being attacked. I just felt that he was disrespectful of his predecessor and arrogant in wanting things his way. A little bit of detachment from the mass media including Vaticanists, bloggers, and tweeternalities help stabilize the emotions and focus on his merits. And its about time to accept that the Papa who had teaching us how to bike had already let go and we must go on and show him we can do it- grow in faith.

With that out of the way, I see the hope shining in the papacy of Pope Francis. His JESUIT SPIRITUALITY in a FRANCISCAN PERSONA is exactly what the West and the elites of the Third World needed. As he focus on a life of simplicity and a deep care for the poor; the mainstream media, the elites, and the practical atheists watch in astonishment. As they watch, they are the ones being evangelized. It is a novelty for the West and the rich. On the other hand, the practical atheists are enchanted with the bishop of "Les Miserables", and surely Pope Francis is the realization of that. A Richard Dawkins will not surrender his pride to the intellect of John Paul II and Benedict XVI; But it can be melted by the poverty of a Pope in the same way that Malcolm Muggeridge was changed through Mother Teresa. It will be exciting when that happens.
Pope Francis, likewise, has a political correctness in him which can attract unlikely people. The politicians and the pro-RH people are already falling in love with him. So, we can cheer on. Pope Francis, thus, could very well be the gift to the West and the elites. We will see a different group of papanatics emerging.

Still, I have fears as I have seen those with Jesuit spirituality in a Franciscan Persona before. But it is something we just need to bring to prayers.

The real drama that had begun February 11 and a bit of shaking up on the 13th of March. It was really something.

One thing is clear, in spite of, whoever is seated in the Chair of Peter, God will continually reach for us to be drawn closer to Him. That is ultimately what we have to respond to.

I Miss Pope Benedict XVI

Humility seemed to echo in the Catholic world. But to me, the portrait of authentic humility is Pope Benedict XVI.

As a cardinal, he used to commute and walk, garbed in his black suit and collar but when he became Pope he accepted the changes in his life. He said a total "yes" albeit with fear and trembling.
Benedict XVI became a pope and he shared generously his heart and mind. But he left all the rest of him. There was no more Ratzinger.
He accepted the gifts given to him be it a pair of shoes, a car, solar panels but also the misinterpretations, adulation, and criticism. He wasn't just a giver but he allowed himself to be a recipient deeming himself in equality as children of God.
Benedict XVI allowed himself to be helped. No arrogant self-sufficiency that everything can only be done well and right by him. He recognized that he could be assisted with the household, with security, with writing his books. It is necessary to fulfill what he is called for. It was different, he used to answer every letter he received. He used to grant invitation requests to the houses of different colleges. As pope, he should abide by the protocol.
Benedict XVI knows that what he has to offer was not his alone so he honors and respect his predecessors from whose wisdom he had received.
Benedict XVI knows he is a creature and he honors the Kingship and Beauty of the Creator. Elevating the Creator in His rightful place and letting God be God in our lives - the King, the Author, the Source of all Love.
Benedict XVI knows that the man is distinct from the office he holds. He knows his mission but he knows he is dispensable. He steps down.

I feel more orphaned now that we have a new pope. More than the time Benedict XVI abdicated. Pope Francis is likeable, he is very much like the Jesuit-formed Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle whom I admired. Pope Francis is actually like our parish priest and the many wonderful priests around. And that is why I feel orphaned because I do not have a pope.

In spite of it, we are never really orphaned because God is our loving Father, Jesus our saving Brother, and the Holy Spirit who leads and breathes love. Thus, we remain faithful. In humility and trust, we accept what God permits and discern what God truly wills for us.