With his shy smile, the rippling wave of his hand and a calm presence throughout a demanding six-day trip, Pope Benedict XVI visited America and gave us the greatest compliment by his sheer human engagement in every encounter.
The cheers of Yankee Stadium and the tears of Ground Zero echoed across our country as we shared in his experience by our presence and through the media. We prayed and sang, cried and celebrated as one people, widely diverse and strongly disagreeing on many issues, yet committed to Christ our Hope.
The face of American Catholicism turned with open arms to welcome the successor of Peter; and the successor of Peter turned with his open arms in obvious love to us. A medieval Spanish mystic, John of the Cross, spoke of Christ:
“Pouring out a thousand graces,
He passed these groves in haste;
And having looked at them,
With his image alone,
Clothed them in beauty.”
Pope Benedict, as does every baptized Christian, bears the face of Christ. By the awesome power of God, through the grace of Jesus Christ, Pope Benedict allowed us to see the beauty in each other. This grace far exceeds the emotional high of the visit and remains as a gift and challenge to be absorbed and savored in the days and weeks ahead. The pity would be if we just moved on without reflecting on the meaning of the experience.
An overview of the places and people Pope Benedict visited deeply challenges us. Eucharist was central to his way of being with us as he presided at Nationals Stadium in Washington, St. Patrick Cathedral, and Yankee Stadium in New York City. The Mass at the cathedral was primarily intended for clergy and religious; but the other two were filled with the full variety of American Catholics: rich and poor; black, white, brown, red and yellow; men and women; lay and religious; politicians and voters; young and old; ill and well. Hymns were sung in different languages and prayers were offered in even more.
Diversity is the mark of the American Catholic experience built on the immigrant waves. The Catholic Church has grown and flourished in our land of separation of church and state. The vitality of our faith experience was obvious, not just by those immediately around the altar but by the tens of thousands praying their way through Eucharist and receiving Communion in reverence and quiet.
In only six days Pope Benedict visited a synagogue, received representatives from non-Christian religions and held a prayer service for leaders of other Christian faiths. Fidelity to the call of the Gospel and the Second Vatican Council compels every Catholic to engage in inter-religious dialogue.
Pope Benedict, in an unannounced and private session, met with victims of sexual abuse by priests. He listened, he blessed, he apologized and he wept. As Shepherd he is responsible for his sheep, wayward or not. He is responsible for his priests, his bishops and his faithful. He is aware of the scandal in our Church. Abuse is far larger than what has been done by priests and bishops. Most abuse in this country (and it affects one third of our children) takes place in the home by someone known to the child. It takes place in the homes of Catholics. Pope Benedict calls us to personal responsibility for the sake of our children.
Children and teenagers were invited to two events just for them. The blessing of the ill and differently-abled children at the Seminary in Yonkers was truly a moment of awe and holiness. Holding the heads of the children, supporting their weeping mothers and fathers, blessing all and being obviously moved, the Pope was Christ among the most fragile and marginalized of society.
Teenagers, who are often accused of self-centeredness, prayed and sang and listened to a man of God, an old man with a German accent, call them to lives of selflessness and surrender to a God of passionate love. By his own peace and faith he saw God in them and let them see the love in his eyes. They invigorated him and brought him to a new enthusiasm. Our Church needs our youth and our youth need the Church. They need a place of prayer and joy, a place for them to develop and to learn to interact with Christ. An 81-year-old priest showed his ability to relate to them. What keeps us from doing the same? No one is too old to be involved with the youth in a parish.
As another side of concern for youth, Pope Benedict addressed Catholic educators, encouraging them with a special plea for educating the poor. Is it truly Catholic to have schools only in rich parishes while we struggle and close those in our inner cities? This is a complex issue, but we are challenged.
Shifting attention to the global scale Pope Benedict went to the United Nations. His presence proclaimed hope in a body devoted to world dialogue and peace.
The most quiet visit was to Ground Zero. We learned how to respond to evil. Kneeling in personal prayer, refusing to be rushed to fit a schedule, gathering us in a prayer for peace and reconciliation in a world brought to its knees by terrorism and fear, Pope Benedict blessed the ground made holy by those who suffered and died. Then he took the hands of 24 people who were victims themselves or families of victims. He listened and he spoke. The lone cello mourned again for all of us as a man of God, representing Christ on this earth, took as much time as needed with each person. He allowed the healing of Christ to flow through his hands and his eyes.
Millions in our world need that same healing touch and compassionate look. Our hands and our eyes are the hands and eyes of Christ. We show our gratitude to Pope Benedict for visiting our country by allowing the heart of Christ to renew our own hearts to respond to one another with the same humanity as we experienced from our Holy Father this past week.
He embodied Christ our Hope, “pouring out a thousand graces.”
