It’s good for the elderly to communicate their wisdom to the young; and is good for the young people to gather this wealth of experience and wisdom, and to carry it forward, not so as to store it in a museum, but to bring it forward addressing the challenges of life, to carry it forward for the sake of respective religious orders and of the whole Church. – Pope Francis, February 2, 2014
I had a thrilling blessing today, having the joy of attending Mass inside St. Peter’s with the Holy Father celebrating.
He had lots of help from concelebrating priests, many of whom were Legionaries I know and work with. They don’t get to celebrate Mass with the Pope every day. And folks like me don’t get to attend Mass with the Pope every year.
I’ve been to HUGE ceremonies in St. Peter’s Square, including Mass. But this was my first time at a Mass with the Holy Father inside the building. In some respects, it was like going to Mass in a normal parish, except St. Peter’s is vast, they have Swiss Guards, the choir is pretty incredible and, of course, they have the Pope.
One of the readings was in the only language I understand, English (yes, I’m a normal American). Most everything else was in Italian or Latin. I’ve been going to Mass long enough to know what is said in the Latin Mass parts. But a homily in Latin is beyond my meager gray matter.
I could see that the Pope spoke with conviction, but I didn’t know what he was saying until I got back to my room and tracked down the text in English on the internet. And I have to say this Pope has the art of the homily nicely figured out: short, teaches a lesson, well-organized, a little humor.
I like the concept reproduced at the top of this page. It reminds me that I get wisdom from many people in my life and they are of many different ages. My wife, son and daughter have supplied me with the most inspiration over the years, and they represent a fairly broad span of years (my own span being longer than any of them).
Every Pope teaches. They proclaim the truth of the gospel, the good news. But each has his own emphasis and brings different shades to the picture of Catholicism. I have a feeling this Pope will be especially helpful in teaching us how to love and to show how we love. That is a lesson I need every day.
