Rites of Welcoming

Usually when Catholic Church people speak of welcoming and initiation during the Easter Season they are engaged in the Sacraments of Initiation, rites of welcoming new believers to the community of faith. And, indeed, this season in the parish we have celebrated numerous rites of welcome in bringing new people--adults and children--to the Lord’s Table through Baptism and Confirmation.

At the moment, Catholics in the Washington Metropolitan area have become fascinated with other rites of welcome. The media, conversation within the Diocese of Arlington, and in the parishes is raising the excitement of welcoming His Holiness Benedict XVI to our local area. Very close to home at CTR, 116 parishioners are in the process of finally having the opportunity to pick up their Papal Mass tickets! Even Metro is offering special “Mass Passes” for use to and from the Mass and all day besides (even during rush hour!).

When Pope Paul VI came in 1965, the idea of a papal visit on our own American soil was a new experience. How I remember as a friar-student having the opportunity of watching his fleeting presence as he drove down the avenue in New York City. Later that day, a whole bus load of friars went to Yankee Stadium for Mass with the pope.

Pope John Paul II almost made the event of a papal visit a normal part of his ministry. I can almost remember touching him as he made his way down the aisle of the Convention Center in Philadelphia among a “small” group of over a thousand priests and religious. Those of us from the Washington Area certainly remember his Mass on the Mall.

One of Pope John Paul II’s last visits to the United States was to Baltimore. What’s the fascination and fervor of the visit of the Pope with the Catholic Community?

Reaction and Realization
Catholic people and other believing people have various reactions to being in the presence of the Pope. The reaction brings a realization of many dimensions of our lives and our faith. Of course, Americans have always had a reaction to monarchs and the trappings of royal ceremonies. Yet, the Pope elicits a whole other set of reactions, which open up an array of differing views of our personal and community realities.

One such reaction is on the symbolic and theological level of the office which the Pope occupies. Catholics are accustomed to seeing in their bishop, or in this case, in Pope Benedict, something of the reality of the whole

Church. Laying aside the organizational placement of his office and the power and authority, we have a scriptural memory of Peter with the other apostles in the early Church. It was Peter who Christ called the rock and on him built his Church. Peter was instructed to feed and care for the sheep, believers within the Church. Historically, the Office of Peter was central to the carrying out of the life and mission of the Church. Through a long history Peter, Rome, and the Bishop of Rome together as a faithful witness to the presence of the Lord himself among us. In our day, Benedict, like those before him, was elected Bishop of Rome and, as such, he becomes the Pope.

Gospel Witness
During this Easter Season, the presence of the Pope with his preaching and teaching very much evokes the witness and testimony of the Apostles. The preaching, which we hear in the Acts of the Apostles, is the same story which Benedict powerfully calls to mind. In its centrality, Peter and the others preached that Jesus died and rose from the dead and that he was seen among the brethren. In the ministry as teacher, Benedict brings the same message. Jesus is experienced once again among believers today.

There is universality to this message. Our Catholicism is experienced in our parish communities and, somewhat, in our dioceses. Benedict, in his role as universal pastor, gathers the whole Church together. We see in front of us that the Church is a “communion of communions”. The Church is broader, more vibrant, and more energized by the Spirit than we usually avert to.

So, also, are the concerns of the Church broader and more intense. The presence of the Pope invites a conversion in our care for our world and its poor, in our seeking of justice and peace, and in the bringing of the gospel in the cause of loving and respecting all human beings in Christ. The invitation is to bring Christ and the Church to our world.

Pope Benedict will reach out to other faith communities. His personal ministry and interest has been to continue a healthy dialogue with our Jewish brothers and sisters. He has urged the Church boldly to dialogue with our Muslim brothers and sisters as children of Abraham. Benedict looks to strengthen the Church, but is unafraid to engage others in the issues of faith in our world.

Welcome to Pope Benedict and with him the new hope and encouragement which he brings. Easter Season is about new life. What better time to welcome Benedict than Easter Time. Hopefully we hear in his words the greeting of Jesus to the Apostles: “Peace be with you… and don’t be afraid."

CDH