Photo from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, by American Painter, Edward Darley Boit
Well, we have a Pope! I'm going to go a different route today & talk about some things that have been laying heavy on my heart. I suppose I'm using my blog as a way to type these thoughts out as they come, so here goes nothing, & I hope you understand where I'm coming from--I just want Peace on Earth, okay? To keep it artsy, still, I've included this absolutely beautiful painting from Edward Daley Boit, titled St. Peters. I could stare at the intricate details all day long! Anyways...
To many people, it's a great thing in a Christian community to have a Pope, & to many people, it's debatable & questionable of a Pope's true purpose, & I understand both. I consider myself a Christian grown up in the Catholic church, so I suppose you could say I have a bit of a bias simply because I have "insider" information of how I personally picture the Catholic church because I've grown up around it. I will preface my thoughts by saying I'm probably not your typical, strict "Catholic." I attend Mass every Sunday, but I have my own, personal beliefs with how I view praying & whatnot. With that said, something that has always been a difficult thing to deal with being a "Catholic" is how the Catholic church tends to get the most negative attention. &, for the love of God, it has got to stop.
I think it has its flaws, most definitely. I think there are a lot of problems in the Vatican City that not everyone knows about, & I do hope the Catholic church finds ways to be less exclusive, & more open to the broad idea of Christianity. However, I think a lot of other churches have flaws, too. Want to know why? Because we are all human. We are not God. We are not Jesus. We call ourselves Christians because we proclaim to try & strive to live as Jesus would the best we can & know better. That goes for every Pastor, Preacher, Priest, & Pope, too. We shouldn't be judgmental over our own religions within our Christian community. So, it would be great if we could all look at this electing of the Pope event as something to celebrate! We are witnessing a man of God become a leader in our Christian community. How refreshing is that? Here's what you do instead of questioning the Catholic faith: Pray for Pope Francis & his journey as a new Christian leader!
To some, that's not the best way to go about leading, but you know what? What's wrong with leading people when your main "boss" is God? It's difficult to understand in our modern world, because Catholicism is one of the oldest practiced religions still holding onto its traditions, so in today's age, it comes across as though it's all about "man" leading "men" & not "God" leading men. Perhaps it's due to the idea that a Mass follows a strict schedule of readings, Gospel, hymns, & repeated prayers, or the fact that we respect Saints. I get how an "outsider" to the church finds this "cultish" & boring & with too many rules. It's just a different way to pray, that's all.
Personally, while I have somewhat modernized views about Catholicism & how to practice it, I find it important to have a window into the time about when Christianity started--it keeps it in perspective for me, personally, & I like that about the Catholic church. I find it admirable that the Pope, Priests, Bishops, etc. have sacrificed their lives to devote it completely to God & living through His word. I know some have had a difficult time showing that to the world through their sins, but who are we to judge them? We are to lift up everyone in the Lord, including those who sin. Not only do Popes, Priests, Bishops, etc. sacrifice their lives, but also Pastors, Preachers, & Ministers, etc.--it's a life they felt to be a calling to lead people in their Christian communities, & I think it's time we start accepting all Christian leaders, no matter the religion.
Is this naiive of me to think & hope for all of this? I am not naiive to the politics within each religion, but for crying out loud it's time to start creating our own mind-sets on how to think towards these differences & start realizing that within all the details, there's one big picture: we're all here to serve God, & that is something we all should celebrate! It's ultimately up to us how to serve God, being mindful of His will, of course, & it's a wonderful & gracious bonus to have a leader to help us along the way.
Perhaps a strange idea to help each of us with this struggle would be this: once every couple of months, attend a completely different church than your own. I personally think this would be a really healthy way to stay grounded in the faith, & not stuck on your religion. What are your thoughts? Am I completely crazy, do you agree, or disagree?? I hope I made sense in my above thoughts. All I know is I'm more than ready for the world to start caring less about religion, more about Christianity & an appreciation & respect for the churches that serve. The End. Amen.
Monday, April 15, 2013 at 07:51AM 
