Prescience

So I picked up the 4/22 issue of Commonweal magazine. In it I found an article by Richard Gaillardetz called "Looking Ahead: My Hope for the Next Pope" in which he said the following:

I hope our next pope will encourage the honest and prayerful conversation of the people of God through the reform of existing participative structures and the creation of new and more effective ones. May he recall both the suprising counsel of St. Benedict of Nursia, who advised the abbot to seek out the voice of the least in the community, and the wisdom of St. Paulinus, fifth century bishop of Nola: "Let us listen to what all the faithful say, because in every one of them the Spirit of God breathes." May he resist the temptation to control or direct that holy conversation toward predetermined conclusions. In what passes for civic discourse in our day we tend to demonize those who disagree with us; maybe the Spirit will give us a pope with the courage to listen to the voice of disagreement and renounce the language of demonization as a condition of our participating in the holy conversation of the church.

This was written before the election, but its publication date is today. I hope Mr. Gaillardetz is following his own good counsel, because- I would imagine- Ratzinger was not his first choice. But more importantly, I find myself needing it. In a recent attempt to defend the conclave's decision to a very put-off friend, our civic discourse quickly descended into demonization. I had a predetermined conclusion in mind: that everyone should share my enthusiasm for the outcome of the election.

But not everyone will, and we are obliged to listen to each other when we can't agree. Such is the wise counsel of St. Benedict, and it truly is the example of our new Benedict. We are obliged to listen for the breath of the Spirit in the other person's anger, in their disgust, their mistrust, or their hurt. We should ask ourselves, "what can I learn from YOUR words"- not persist in the predetermined conclusion we have in mind.

What I find so prescient in this article is less the fact that Mr. Gaillardetz invokes the counsel of St. Benedict for the next Pope (though that does intrigue) and more the fact that it addresses the very reality I'm facing at this moment. I have such admiration for Benedict XVI. If I wish to model myself after him (and- after reading the text of his first homily- I plan to), I should be held accountable to the same standards. And Benedict's critics will set the standard: "go ahead, make my day, Vicar!" they will shout. They will demand the very finest model of Christianity from our Holy Father and those who follow him; and they should expect nothing less.

That's the legacy and witness of John Paul II. People expect holiness from those who profess to follow Christ and we should stand and deliver. I feel the clarion call in Benedict's election, the same thrill of purpose and mission he expresses in his first homily. We are given a tremendous Cross to bear at Baptism, a Cross that will be our salvation. We are not permitted to offer lip service. We are not permitted to demand only an effort from oursleves. We are obliged in every moment of our lives to be re-created. We are obliged to repent again and again and offer ourselves as a willing Lamb. To quote a dear friend and neighbor: "It is not magic or even a commitment, but the grinding of life that make us into bread for the world." How can you and I be Eucharist? how can we respond to the hurt? the pain? the anger?

By offering only Christ. Let Him increase, so that we may decrease. So that gift of self is Eucharist and not Seth. To my friend: I deeply apologize for not taking the time to listen. Peace~