Yin and Yang: The Papal visit and the Colts

Blog #2

I was in line at the bank on Friday to talk with the teller.  When I got to the window, we got talking about the papal visit and she showed me that she was one of the fortunate ones and was so excited that she had the "golden ticket."

This was the ticket that would get her in a closer space to the festivities on Saturday and Sunday in town.  

I compared the Papal visit with crowds celebrating the Pope to Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.   As a devout Catholic, she knew the Pope was no Jesus, but simply an ambassador for the church.  She said the real joy of the event would be in the people, sharing in the Holy Spirit.   I was moved by her faith and enthusiasm, just as I had been when watching TV Wednesday morning as the Pope arrived at the White House  to a royal fanfare of trumpets and drums and dignitaries.   Yet both his speech and President Obama's focused on "the least of these," something I've heard spoken of less and less in each ensuing presidential campaign.  (While there is a huge divide between the very rich and the middle class, there is still a very real, immoral divide between the middle class and "the least of these.")

The ensuing papal visits to the US Congress, the United Nations and to Philly, where I live has indeed been moving.  

So Sunday, after attending our local Presbyterian church, we Protestants decided to make the pilgrimage into Philly to watch the 4 p.m. mass downtown.   We had scored train tickets from the suburbs to the closed-off downtown and my son even had a golden ticket himself.   On the train, a man gave my wife another "golden ticket" and handed it to me.   So now my son and I would be among those within eyesight of the Pope himself.   Again, awe-inspiring and moving.

So, in lieu of staying home and watching my beloved Indianapolis Colts fall to 0 and 3 yesterday, we were to be blessed with this great opportunity.  Soon (after about a half-hour walk) my son and I found our way to 21st Street where those with "Golden Tickets" were exclusively sent for our entrance into the promised land.  It was a long line, but surely worth the wait.

We waited and waited and waited.  No manna fell from the heavens.  But I kept remembering my bank teller's remarks, "the power will be in the people sharing in the Holy Spirit."   So we all talked.  I had a good conversation with a professor from Notre Dame.  I talked with my son about his classes at school.   A little boy, named David, from Omaha took a liking to me and I hoisted him on my shoulders so he could see what's happening and try to catch a beach ball folks were throwing around.    It brought me as much joy as the boy.  

His mother, who was holding an infant daughter in a sling told me that the day before, her baby Felicity had been kissed by the Pope himself!  I boldly asked if I too, could kiss the infant.  She said yes, undoubtedly thankful that I was helping to entertain her son in the long wait.  So I kissed Felicity's head, the very day after the Pope had done so....(Two degrees of separation.)   It reminded me of the time, my sister Rebecca hoisted her daughter Ruth, into the arms of renowned baby authority, Dr. Spock.

Still we waited.   Some were catching sports scores and told me the Colts were behind by 14 after blowing a 14 to nothing lead...this with just minutes left.   I said "the season's over; I'll just start thinking about draft choices for next year."

Few were complaining despite the wait.   One said God knows our intentions and would certainly be reducing time in Purgatory.   Then I heard the Colts had rebounded in the last minutes and went ahead.  Finally, I heard they pulled out the win!   Since Protestants are not big believers in Purgatory, I took this as my Papal blessing for standing so long with the faithful.   

But despite the original cheer, the crowds starting getting angry.  We had the Golden tickets.   We knew the service was already well underway.   But of course, there was that feeling of the Spirit.  There was a joy in seeing the faithful throngs.  

I thought of a very pregnant Mary and her betrothed Joseph, heading to Bethlehem.  Even had they received the Golden ticket, they would have fared no better in our TSA inspection line.  (Indeed a pregnant woman was waiting slightly ahead of me.) By the time we neared the end of the line, the service was over, the Pope had left with all the dignitaries.   Still we were so far ahead in line, that we now had to wait to go through security screening, just to leave!   5.5 hours we waited for the Pope we never got to see.  Finally we were in!  I pretended to feel triumphant to witness the start of the clean-up.

Sure there was sense of failure and frustration.   I had not witnessed a sensational comeback from my beloved Indy Colts.  My son had had to leave his job early and had hours of homework due when we got home.   We were all hungry and tired.

But there is no Yin without Yang, no victory without loss, no Resurrection without a fall.  

In the end, that is the nature of life.   Sometimes the lowly are exalted. Sometimes those with the Golden tickets are sent away empty.  But every now and then, you just may get the chance to kiss a baby who was kissed by a Pope!

Joy....to Philly, the world, and the Faithful...