Happy Easter to All

It will be a busy day, so I may not get to catch what's going on with Pope Francis till afterward, but I've got a nice picture of him up on my computer wallpaper today. In fact his ear is sticking out on the side of this screen and his hand is on the other side. There is a cross on his shoulder.

G-d Bless each and every one of you who read this out-of-the-box blog. And G-d Bless those who don't. There, that pretty much covers everybody.

 Breaking Tradition in the Name of Jesus

Yahoo news continues its coverage of the unconventional actions of Pope Francis. An article by Nicole Winfield describes some of the actions that we are already familiar with and adds a few more to the list:

• He shuns the use of the ermine-adorned, red velvet cape (also called a mozetta) that past popes have used while engaging in their papal duties; instead he only wears a white papal cassock.
• He refused a golden pectoral cross.
• When receiving traditional pledges of obedience from the Cardinals, he would not sit in a chair on a pedestal, opting instead to stand at the same level as the other churchmen.

Visit: http://news.yahoo.com/popes-foot-wash-final-straw-traditionalists-004235548.html 

Catholic conservatives were happy when ex-Pope Benedict worked to revive the pomp and ceremony associated with the Church. These clerics wanted a return to the way things were before ex-Pope John had changed them; for example, perhaps masses would be said in Latin again. Pope Francis' nonhierarchical approach upsets these conservatives. They want their pomp and vainglory untouched. 

Why does this recall the Sanhedrin of Biblical times? Or King Herod? One can see an image of Jesus in his simple garb as he confronted his gold-bedecked enemies. They, so rich and powerful, feared that this ragged being would bring their temple—and hence their power—down. The money changers of today are fearful once again because their wealth is tossed aside by a man who they call the Pope.

Didn't Jesus Christ break the rules of his time? Didn't he flout tradition and heal the sick on the Sabbath? Didn't he baptize people? Didn't he "profane" the temple by scattering the money changers? Didn't he utter what was considered blasphemy in his time?

Hardcore traditionalists also do not like Pope Francis' interfaith approach, for example, his calling for "the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters." This statement was made in a prayer ceremony designed to recalled the suffering of Christians in the Middle East. Their complaint is that this attitude could create religious relativism—a concept that warms the cockles of my progressive heart. What about the conversion of Saul, who eventually brought Christianity to the gentiles after receiving a message from G-d in a dream about diversity?

And Pope Francis' unusual foot-washing ceremony yesterday is a story that really has legs. It won't go away! That is because traditionalists are highly peeved that he broke liturgical law, which requires that the ceremony only be performed with men. It is supposed to reenact "Jesus washing of the feet of his 12 apostles during the Last Supper before his crucifixion, a sign of his love and service to them." Ergo, only men can get their feet washed by the Pope.

The conservatives claim that Pope Francis including women in the rite could lead to a slippery slope—this one change in the rite could lead downhill to the ordination of women. Oh I wish! I would consider it an uphill change, but I know that's not going to happen on this Pope's watch.

Indeed, one traditionalist cleric/blogger, Rev. John Zuhlsdorf warns: 

What liberals forget in their present crowing is that even as Francis makes himself—and the church—more popular by projecting [a] compassionate image, he will simultaneously make it harder for them to criticize him when he reaffirms the doctrinal points they want him to overturn.

What the Reverend doesn't understand is that not every liberal is crowing about progressivism in the Church theology. We know that remains unchanged. Some progressives are remaining as cool to the Church as ever. However, I am one liberal who is crowing—but it's about about really conservative changes that go back all the way to the time of Jesus Christ. That means no pomp, no hierarchy, and no riches—just simple living and giving aid and comfort to the poor instead. When I say conservative, I do not mean what we think is "conservative" today. I mean going all the way back—all the way to the heart of why Christianity came to be—to relieve the suffering of humanity, especially the poor.

The rest is all politics, and it's all man-made, with the emphasis on man! These people forget that the first person Jesus appeared to after he rose was Mary Magdelene. He instructed her to go and tell the men about it. Within the mores of Biblical times, I believe, Jesus did his best to include women in his gathering but women just weren't able at that time to rough it on the road.

Why, after all, is the Virgin Mary, such a central figure in Catholic theology? Why are so many Catholic songs and prayers addressed directly to her? Have you heard any complaints from Jesus about that? I haven't.

This liberal says: "Viva Pope Francis!" Unchurched but happy, she waits for the rest of her progressive agenda to come to fruition in the Church, someday, with some other Pope, in some other time. For now, as they say in Argentina "Basta!" It is enough. Jesus broke tradition. So, it's traditional for Pope Francis to break tradition.

 The G-d Dream

I mentioned something that I call my "G-d Dream" yesterday. Given that nothing new has flashed on my screen about Pope Francis, let me share this with you. I had this dream between the night of January 6th and the morning of January 7th, in this year (2013). I e-mailed my sister about this dream, because it struck me with unearthly awe. I now wonder if this dream perhaps heralded the election of Pope Francis. Some of the themes in the dream suggest some of the symbolism that he is offering to the world. What follows below is an adapted version of the e-mail, with names removed (——) to protect the privacy of people and places.

Now let me talk more about the spiritual dream I had. It was quite weird but very, very clear and plain. In the dream I get a phone call from —— in the wee hours of the morning, and she is telling me she is upset because yet another person died. It was somebody she thought I knew but actually the person had been with —— before I had gotten there. I gave her my sympathy and we got off the phone. I started thinking about why all these people were dying, and suddenly, I see Jesus and a bunch of modern people walking down the street toward me. They were all modern though—none of those robes and things.

Jesus/God starts telling me that all these people were dying because he was clearing out all the souls that weren't going to heaven and the rest of the souls on Earth were potentially able to go to Heaven. It wasn't literally meant to mean that every person who was currently alive is among the only people to go to Heaven and that none of the people who were currently dead could not—it was more like the idea that spiritually alive souls could and spiritually dead souls could not.

Anyway, I was brought to this lovely place with "offices" set around a central area. The walls between the "offices" were all clear glass and outside was sunshine and nature. I was offered a plate of fruit and cheese to eat and I ate a part of an apple and a slice of cheese.

The "offices" were really where each of around 8 or so of us lived. Each of us had a job to do and the job was to tackle an aspect of soul development. We had to help any souls that came to us for help and advice. For example, one that I remember had to deal with sexuality and that person had to help people deal with their sexual problems. That person's job was NOT to stop people from being gay or from having sex or masturbation but rather how to deal with these things in a loving and gentle way—how to get satisfied without causing hurt or damage to the soul or other people. The rules were not rigid in any way. Another person dealt with diets and how foods we eat affect our health. That person's job was to try to help people understand how food affected their bodies. I was one of the group of advisors, and my job was education.

Nobody was above or below anybody else. God was at the center, but it was like the Table Round, except that it was rectangular. Everybody was equal to everybody else.

Then Jesus/God said that all of us had to be able to deal with troubled souls if we wanted to continue our jobs. I stood up and said that I couldn't do that. Then Jesus said to me that I could, that I was already doing it by advising people who came to me to learn things. He was telling me that it wasn't my job to straighten out people who were total nutjobs—just to help people who came to me in need by giving them something that I had to give them. So I decided that I could do that.

At one point I was showing Ma around, but when I was showing her it was like each person was a jar (like the "students" we had in our "classes.")*


(*Note: This refers to a childhood game of school that my sisters and I played. We gathered jars around our home and arranged them in classes to be our "students.")

We would get messages typed up about each soul's problem and then we would address that soul's problem.

Then [my husband] woke me up...

I interpret this dream to mean that we are all like apostles of G-d and that we are not supposed to go around preaching or laying trips on other people about that. Instead we are all given opportunities to use whatever unique gifts we have to help other people along their spiritual paths to Heaven. We are not supposed to go around preaching gospels or telling other people that we are superior or anything like that. We aren't supposed to threaten other people that they have to do things our way.

What we ARE supposed to do is do what we do best and any time we get an opportunity to help another person, we are supposed to extend ourselves with what we have to help that person.

It's not like a church or anything. It's just a simple message like Jesus said to "love one another as I have loved you." Each apostle represents an aspect of human life and struggle and each apostle spreads this love of God through doing what he or she can do best. I think that's the way Jesus actually ran things when he was down on Earth, but then the whole thing got all fouled up with a hierarchical church with all the trappings of power and coercion. I think it was supposed to be spread in a much more natural and gentle and peaceful way. And the way was by letting people come of their own accord. When people are ready to be helped, they will come and any apostle will know what to do to help that person.

To me it was a profoundly spiritual message that I believe came straight from G-d. It was not any kind of ego thing or any kind of thing meant to set up any churches or cults or anything. It was just a way of life and a message to tell anybody who might like to know—go out and do your thing and help people when you can and that is the path to salvation.

Not any right or left wing thing. Not any specific instructions about what to eat or what to wear or how much money to make or what kind of sexuality to have—just to live as best one can and to try to live from the heart with kindness and love.

It was a very beautiful message. I don't know why I received it, but I really liked it. I found it interesting that my "job" was education. I'm not a teacher by trade, but I am involved in the business of preparing information for doctors, and I guess I keep on learning lessons in life so that, when someone comes to me with some needs, I can answer those needs by educating that person—but NOT as a didactic "authority" and not by being "always right,"—more just by living and failing and succeeding and finding out about my good points and my bad points. More by sharing when I am ASKED to share (the lesson of ——, our sister to me—DON'T share when not invited to!). More just by offering what I have learned when people ask it of me in some fashion or other.

It's very hard to explain this in words, because it's not like going around and saying, "you must do it my way because I am some big shot authority." It's more just like saying, "oh, you want to know about this. Here's what I have to give you. Use it as you wish to."

I think that is why I had to spend SO much time learning not to force my opinions on others, because that is the opposite of educating. Real educating is learning from people all the time and simply offering it out to people as one goes along. —— says it's like that essay I wrote about my experience in the Ohio hospital.†

(†Note: see my post on Home page entitled "How a New York Chauvinist Pig Learned to Love the Middle of the Country," which was written on July 8, 2012, as I was recovering from surgery I received in an Ohio hospital after I was injured in that state.)

I think this was a very interesting dream. I feel like it is a kind of revelation that I am not useless or without any mission or message in life. I think it was saying we are ALL here for a purpose—each one of us has a purpose—which I already knew that—and that no matter what our circumstances are, we are of use.

Shroud of Turin Program

Shrouded by Lack of Information

Oh drat it. There is a report that, on March 31st (Good Friday and just happens to be my mother's birthday this year), there will be an international "viewing" of the Shroud of Turin. This is a gift of ex-Pope Benedict and Pope Francis is expected to talk before the viewing. I want so much to see this.

The problem is that there is NO information about timing. I found two ITALIAN times (11:10 AM and 17:10–18:40) but these are very imprecise. Why aren't they on the hour? What do they mean in terms of U.S. programming? An Italian station is broadcasting this but there is no mention of what U.S. stations will pick this up. Nor do I know if any of this will be captioned. Too many of the religious stations do not have captioning, so I get all my religion-related viewing on TV from other channels, such as the History, Discovery, H2, National Geographic, and other educational channels.

I dearly would love to know what Pope Francis will say about the Shroud. I have been fascinated with it for years. It is a point of interest whether or not this Shroud is genuinely the cloth that was wrapped around Jesus after he was taken down from the Cross. However, my feeling is that, even if it were proven to be an extremely clever artwork, it conveys something of importance to Christians everywhere. The depiction is good and suggestive of the Passion.

Let us put our skepticism aside and enjoy the wonder of this sacred Cloth no matter how it was created. And I await with great curiosity the words of Pope Francis.

I just hope I can get the thing on TV over here—WITH CAPTIONS. Dare I utter a prayer for this?

A Different Pope for Different Folks

Earlier today, I mentioned that Pope Francis has a mission of healing. It appears, from information cited in an article on Yahoo News, that this is nothing new for him. The article was coauthored by Paulo Prada and Helen Popper.

Read: Behind the charm, a political pope

As a youth, he wanted to study chemistry, with the goal of becoming a doctor. His mother set up a laboratory for him only to discover that her son had filled the space with books on theology and Catholicism. Why had he done this? What was it? Confronted by his mother, the future Pope responded: "It's medicine for the soul."

There are other fascinating hints about what made Pope Francis such a different kind of Pope than the ones we are used to. For example:

• Despite being genuinely humble, the Pope knows how to read people intuitively.
• When convinced of something, he can be annoying about it to the point of meddling, a trait that got him removed from one of the schools where he was teaching.
• He did not want to leave his homeland.
• He refuses to wear ornate vestments.
• He has got one lung, because the other was removed with three infected cysts in it.
• He admits to having been enamored of a woman while he was studying at a seminary.
• He can be a micromanager who is concerned with petty details.
• While at a Jesuit residence, he shared a gift of pastries with the maids and cooks in the kitchen, which miffed some of the other Jesuits present.
• He was quite relieved during the last conclave when he wasn't elected Pope.

So what do we have here?

We have a man who is very human with faults and foibles. While he is very likeable, he annoys people. The people he irks are those who want to keep everything in order, who don't like changes, and who, most of all, do not like having their power challenged. He can zero in on details and drive other people to distraction when he does that. Yet, he's not a cold fish—he admits to crying, missing his homeland, and having had an attraction to a woman. 

When was the last time a Pope admitted these kinds of things?

Yet, he is cheerful and likes to serve people. Here again, we see his strong desire to be as nonhierarchical as possible. We sense his dedication to seeing a task through to the end. We understand his desire to serve rather than to rule. We observe his compassion and kindness, which endears him to powerless people. And we know that the best servant of the people is the one who is reluctant to be raised up to attain more power.

Another article on Yahoo News, written by Philip Pulella, provides an update on how the feet-washing ceremony went and describes today's papal homily:

http://news.yahoo.com/pope-urges-catholic-priests-help-poor-shun-careerism-112315330.html

There were a number of remarkable things about what happened at the foot washing besides the location and shift from priests to prisoners. Pope Francis washed the feet of two female inmates and two Muslim inmates. As the article reports, Pope Francis said: "It is the example of the Lord. He was the most important, but he washed the feet of others. The most important must be at the service of others."

We also learn about what Pope Francis had to say in today's Mass ceremony: 

We need to go out, then, in order to experience our own anointing (as priests). . .to the outskirts where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters.

Here is that theme again: He speaks truth to power, saying we must understand what it is like to be powerless.   And we suspect that there are going to be a number of annoyed people at the Vatican when Pope Francis starts to micromanage the Curia. They are used to their own power.

Once again, this difference is at work. He cannot—will not—do things the way they were done just because that is the tradition. He'll stick with the doctrines, because he considers them sacred, but all the other things are up for grabs. Why not? Why not upset the apple cart and fill it with oranges? The apples are old and stale so it's time to dump them and put in some new nourishments.

These are the acts of a person who knows full well the symbolism of such things. He uses his position as a pontiff to underscore the importance of living up to one's vows and advancing one's own spirituality.

It's no accident that, unchurched as I am, I find myself praying more. I find myself watching more TV shows with religious content. And, I also find myself counseling other people to look more deeply into issues rather than just taking a "side." I also find myself asking if I can do more, do better. 

I sense divisions within me healing. The symbolic actions of Pope Francis are teaching me accept the fact that I am strong (even if I am a pest). I am learning more about what I think might be my own mission in life. It's not a grand one, but it's a good one, and I am happy with it. I shall reserve that for another post. I keep meaning to put it up on this blog. I'm saving it for a day when there is NO news on Pope Francis.

This different Pope is making a difference already in my unchurched life. He's bringing me closer to G-d and to humanity. What more can I ask? A lot, my progressive side shouts. Yes and no.

I can want, wish, shout, ask, and demand that my progressive agenda be implemented. Indeed, I have to be a meddler and annoy people sometimes with those things. That's all part of what I have to do.

But I also have to try to be a little bit "pontiff-like" and try to help build bridges between people. I can appreciate and welcome what others have to offer. The difference is the peace I feel. That is the grace that Pope Francis has given me, even though he doesn't know it.

So on this Maundy Thursday, let me pay it forward: Peace to you all. May we begin to heal our divisions and seek service instead of power.

Two Addendums: Missions of Healing

First, on CNN today, there was a clarification about the feet-washing ceremony, which takes place today. Normally, the Pope washes the feet of priests. So, this jailhouse set-up is yet another way that Pope Francis is doing things differently. He is signaling his desire to reach out to people who are considered wrongdoers and give them some honor. This is a healing kind of action.

Second, the individual with whom I argued yesterday, explained that past traumas from the Catholic Church's intolerance of gay people made it impossible to view a photograph of Christians who expressed support for gay marriage and believe in its sincerity. Instead it evoked the ugly picture of Jews being co-opted by Nazis. And that was the basis for the comments and the argument that followed. While accepting this person's feelings and agreeing not to take the remarks in a personal way—because this individual knows that I am sincere about my convictions—I did try to offer some food for thought. 

I discussed the concept of having allies in enemy camps. I also said that the inability of most people to accept that there are areas of agreement between individuals in such opposing camps is the basis for gridlock and war. And, I hope that Pope Francis will be able to open up the dialogue. Dealing with all kinds of traumatized people who have experienced persecution by the Church—such as Jews, Muslims, sexually abused children, abused women, women who have underwent abortions and have PTSD from them, and gays—is going to be a very hard task. It's not so easy to undo damage caused over centuries of Inquisition-like behaviors. All I can do is pray and hope that Pope Francis will make some headway and begin a process of healing. This was a mission that St. Francis was given also.

 "Step Outside Yourself," Pope Francis Advises

Today has been very difficult for those of us who are outside the box. As the fight goes on here in the United States regarding the status of gay marriage, people's nerves are shot. We know the Supreme Court heard the two cases but we won't know the results until June. I suspect that the Court will split the difference and say, "do what the voters want," so Prop 8 will stay and DOMA will go.

And the fights are raging on my Facebook page. One person got called a hypocrite because she believes in Jesus and she believes in gay marriage. That brickbat was thrown at her from an extremist religious person. Then I got compared to "a Jew who supports Nazis" for having the same belief as my friend. That brickbat came from the other side of the fence, from an atheist. Oh my G-d that one hurt!

In all my years of life, 64 of them, I've never been so insulted by friend or foe. I've had people tell me I was "spitting on the Cross" (and that friendship was ended because I don't like being considered a blasphemer) and that I was influenced by the Devil because I support gay marriage. I've also been called irresponsible and deluded for believing in G-d. But like a Nazi supporter? OMG, I'd rather be dead! 

I have always been an ardent anti-Nazi. I hate Nazis with a white-hot passion (I know, I'm guilty of a sin of hatred; but I really believe that THEY come from the Devil). When I was younger and able to get around, I belonged to three anti-Nazi groups. One of them was my day job for a time. Any time the Nazis came around here, I was out demonstrating. I and other anti-Nazi activists carried signs, shouted insults, and sung songs. I went with a group of people from New York City to protest neo-Nazis in Skokie, Illinois. We all went on a bus and we slept in a rabbi's house on sleeping bags. The rabbi said he thought we should just ignore the Nazis but I argued back. "Hitler started with 7 people. They said it couldn't happen there and it did. It CAN happen here." 

We demonstrated, and I carried some of the materials and made phone calls for people, because it was the Jewish sabbath. I functioned as a "shabbos goy," for religious Jews who wanted to be there with us but who also needed to follow their own religious restrictions.

On the bus back home, somebody made a comment that it was "easy for Christians to be Nazis." I was very, very angry, and I retorted: "You don't have to be Jewish to hate Nazis." (It was a takeoff on an ad for bread that was around at the time: "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's.") Then, I exploded in fury. I pointed out that the Church that I had attended taught me that it was wrong to kill other people and that made it harder for me to be a Nazi ever. Just because I am Christian, that does not, ever make me a Nazi or like a Nazi supporter.

Look, this Christian anti-Jewish stuff really bothers me! I was never taught all that crap about the "Jews killing Jesus." It was the Romans, pure and simple. It doesn't matter if the Sanhedrin instigated it. The Romans did the dirty work. 

And nowadays, I always declare: "This anti-Semitism is crazy. Jesus was a Jew. He lived as a Jew. He died as a Jew. He never meant to be anything but a Jew." All we Christians are worshipping a Jew.

So any so-called Christians who hate Jews are really anti-Christians. And any Jew who likes Nazis is a sick self-hater. That's the bottom line here. Hitler and Mengele were anti-Christs. 

Now the sad truth is that, in its long history, the Church did a number of things that were evil. The Crusades, the Inquisition, collusion with the Nazis...all these things are bloody, profoundly evil parts of the Church's history. They were part of the many reasons that I became unchurched. But, Pope John Paul II, in his youth, was a supporter of the Jews during World War II, even as the then-Pope Pius was colluding with the Nazis. Even as the Church stayed silent on the Nazi genocide, there were individual nuns and priests who gave their lives to help save Jews. There were righteous Christians, even during that dark time. In Israel there are trees for Righteous Gentiles.

I don't like the Church saying that homosexuality is wrong. I believe it's genetic. I don't agree with Catholic theology on this. There, I've said it outright! But does that mean I have to hate the whole Church? Do I have to hate my husband's gentle aunt (the nun) and sweet cousin (a devout Catholic)? Do I have to hate the new Pope too? 

Will the Church do nothing good at all for people who are suffering, such as those who are in countries at war or people who are mired in poverty? Cannot the Church be an ally in these areas? Why should I not let this be so?

It's hard being caught between these extremes. It's hard having my New Age, liberal heart and soul being condemned so often and so roundly. I know that Pope Francis doesn't believe in gay marriage in the Church. That was clear to the world from the first day of his election. It's one of those "agree to disagree with," unchurched areas in my life.

As a Cardinal, Pope Francis had initially agreed to let Argentina have gay marriage in the civil sphere but refused it in the Church. That is, until the extremists pulled him back and made him start talking nonsense about the Devil.

Today, Pope Francis gave a message to the public. It's really worth a read. Don't just go past the link here. If you can possibly read it, I entreat you to do so. This message touched me so deeply that I cried.

www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=50288&page=2

Here Pope Francis encourages people to step outside themselves and be compassionate and kind. He says: "God always thinks with mercy: do not forget this. God always thinks with mercy: our merciful Father. God thinks like a father who awaits the return of his child and goes to meet him, sees him come when he is still far away." Mercy! Oh that is exactly what I need today!

He expands on this:

God thinks like the Samaritan that does not approach the victim to commiserate with him, or look the other way, but to rescue him without asking for anything in return, without asking if he was Jew, if he was pagan, a Samaritan, rich or poor: he does not ask anything. He does not ask these things, he asks for nothing. He goes to his aid: This is how God thinks. God thinks like the shepherd who gives his life to defend and save his sheep.

Holy Week is a time of grace which the Lord gifts us to open the doors of our hearts, our lives, our parishes—what a pity, so many parishes are closed!—in our parishes, movements, associations, and to "step outside" towards others, to draw close to them so we can bring the light and joy of our faith. Always step outside yourself! And with the love and tenderness of God, with respect and patience, knowing that we put our hands, our feet, our hearts, but then it is God who guides them and makes all our actions fruitful.

May you all live these days well, following the Lord with courage, carrying within a ray of His love for all those whom we meet.

Instead of focusing on all the polarities and controversies, Pope Francis asks us to come together with mercy and love. He doesn't assume that people who are different are necessarily "evil." They may be lost, they may know something that we have yet to learn, or they may simply be different.

How much kinder these words from a Catholic Pope are than the cruel words of the extremists who believe "my way or the highway"!

At this moment in time, I'm more inclined to step a little bit further into the Church and see what is happening there. I listen to Pope Francis. I try to learn from him. Eventually, he's going to have to get to the hard issues. It's not going to be fun for me when he gets there. But I can tell you this. I don't think he is going to throw mean brickbats at us. He's not going tell us to get the Hell out of his Church. He is not going call us hypocrites or supporters of the most evil beings that ever walked the earth (Nazis). He's going to tell us that he disagrees with us and he's going to explain why he believes as he does. But he is ALSO going to realize that we too have our own beliefs and consciences and that we are all trying to get on our own roads to salvation ("all of which are valid," according to Rabbi Schlomo Carlebach).

All I can do is thank Pope Francis for that kind message. I really needed this when yet another friendship is breaking because of extremism. G-d Bless you Pope Francis, with all my heart and soul.

 Papal Real Estate

The Huffington Post is keeping up with all of Pope Francis' moves. I got this one just now.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/26/pope-francis-will-not-move-into-papal-apartments_n_2956348.html?1364314095&utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=3829824,b=facebook


I was going to talk about the environment and a few other topics, but then this one came out. It is startling to say the least—and yet, I predicted it. I said to my friends and family: "This guy is NOT going to want to live in the Papal Palace. It will drive him nuts." Well, that's my casual way of talking to people I know—no disrespect for Pope Francis intended here.

What do we learn today from Pope Francis?

We learn that he is a man who shuns any kind of frippery. He is not comfortable in what I would call "a fancy, schmantzy place." In this era of McMansions, this is going in the opposite direction. It's asking: "Who needs a gigantic place with all kinds of elaborate things in it?" It's saying he will take what he needs to do his job and leave all the extras behind.

Quite honestly, I love collecting things. I love the big rooms in my apartment. I'm no different than most people that way. While I don't want anything elaborate, I'm not exactly living plain. There are pictures on my walls, crocheted blankets all over the place, enough pillows to satisfy an Arab, and all sorts of knick-knacks and geegaws (what they call artistic clutter) everywhere.

I'm not much for dressing up, but I love a pretty environment. I love the many gardens in our apartment complex. I enjoy the view of the trees outside my window. Yet, I don't think I would want to live in a palace. That would be too much.

Yesterday, I thought about all the dishes in my closets and all the extra scarves that I make just because I like to make them. Do I need these things? Do I even want them? Aren't there are lot of things in my apartment that are just taking up space and doing nothing but collecting more dust to bother my sinuses?

When my husband's aunt, Sister Paula, died, the nuns were giving away her few possessions to her family. Thinking of a small inheritance that had been mentioned previously, I was hesitant to inquire about it; yet, I was curious. So I said something about her "estate" to the other Sisters. And they said, "this was her estate," meaning these few objects, including some art she had done and also the beautiful life that she had given to Jesus. While I was left wondering about the inheritance and about a blanket I had made for her, I did know that the nuns were correct in what they said. 

Then, they sent us a box with even more treasures—more art, letters and pictures from family members, rosary beads, Bibles, and more. Many of the beautiful things that our much-beloved Aunt Paula treasured in her long and productive life were in that box. Even some of our gifts were in that box—but not that blanket...

Much as I would have loved to have that blanket, I assumed that it had gone perhaps to another Sister who had admired it. Or maybe it went to a poor person in the parish. Perhaps the person who had told us about an inheritance was mistaken.  

But so what? We had all these other precious items from her. I especially loved a plaque with a painting of the my husband's Spaight family ancestral home in Derryfadda, Ireland. Months later, when we learned that this plaque had been given to Aunt Paula by another relative, I scanned it on my computer, and we returned the plaque to the original giver. I hated to let it go, but, in a way, I loved to let it go too, because it would bring comfort to the man who had had it made for Aunt Paula.

Plaque with painting
of Spaight ancestral home
in Derryfadda, Ireland.

Then, one day, a few months later, my husband walked in the door with a broad grin on his face. The inheritance had actually been real and it was coming our way. Divided between her two nephews (my husband and his brother), our portion could finance a trip to Ireland. Oh how we planned that trip. Passports, plane and hotel reservations, maps, searches on the internet for sites to see, we were at it almost 24/7! It was all set. Then my best friend died unexpectedly, and I broke my ankle in three places. The trip was off. I wouldn't be well enough to travel.

I was too busy recovering to feel terrible about my missing our first—and probably only—trip to Europe, but I did feel bad for my husband who was stuck taking care of me and missing this longed-for trip. So what did my husband do? He went on his blog and described in great detail a series of adventures we had in Ireland—all in his fertile imagination. It started here...

Paddy's Place: Fantasy Ireland
jimsp8.blogspot.com/2012/07/fantasy-ireland.html

So, G-d didn't want us to go there yet. But instead we were given another gift. A creative door opened up, and my husband started writing and writing and writing. He's writing a book now. And—nudge, nudge, nudge—I the editor/writer realized that I was letting my own literary talents lie fallow. "St. Jude," I prayed, "please give me something to write about. I don't know what to write about."

Then on March 13, 2013, Pope Francis stepped out to greet the crowds that awaited him. And THAT was when all this Pope-related blogging began. St. Jude had answered my prayer. But instead of me starting with my favorite causes, it was about the Pope. Well, that just shows how G-d works in mysterious ways. 

By not moaning and groaning about a lost trip to Ireland but by being patient and letting G-d decide when it will be time for us to go there, we received gifts beyond compare. We received gifts of creativity and joy. And Aunt Paula's inheritance waits for us when the time is right. Wow, I wish we could afford a trip to the Vatican too—just to be there and see Pope Francis. After all, he gave me this gift of inspiration. But I will gratefully, joyfully accept whatever G-d decides.

How does this relate to giving or giving up things? Most of us can give up some things. And ALL of us—no matter how poor we might be—can give of ourselves—our love, our sweetness, our creativity, and our empathy. We just have to give up a bit of our egos and our lust for consuming things, and more things, and more things. 

Is this about me? Yes, it is! It's about you too. It's about almost everybody.

While we may not be ready to give up our cherished possessions and go wholesale into plain living, might there be things that we can let go of? Are there clothes and objects that poor people can really use better than we can? Are the churches collecting such things to give to the poor? 

Where can I unload a somewhat-incomplete set of dishes and extra scarves? 

Churches, get ready! A lot of people out there may start asking similar questions. At least a whole lot of Catholics are likely to. And, yes, there may also be we many unchurched souls who find a peculiar resonance with this new Pope because of his desire to strip the Church of its fripperies. We too may want to do a bit of stripping in our own lives as well. We may want to make our own real estate simpler and cleaner to let in G-d's gifts.

Irregardless of the personal choices we may make, we can admire Pope Francis for setting a good example of how to be more humble and how to appreciate what we do have. Pope Francis gives a precious gift of wisdom. Let us try not to waste it.