Weighing In

My new friend, Weight of Glory, offers links to a series of articles featuring the responses of a set of individuals who were not as jubilant about Benedict's election as were the crowds gathered in St.Peter's Square. They suggest an alternative interpretation of Benedict's choice of name than the reasons I listed back in April:

Fr. Andrew Greeley: The new pope rejected all those possibilities and selected a name which would distinguish his administration from his predecessors of the last hundred years and (perhaps) because he wanted to be known as a healer.

Fr. Richard P. McBrien: The new pope, in honoring both Benedict XV and St. Benedict of Nursia, may very well have forecast that his own papacy would be dedicated to healing and reconciliation, both inside and outside the church, and that he would try to be a wise and flexible leader --- a father to the entire Catholic community, not just to those with whom he may feel a special ideological kinship.

While I do not question the need for healing, I am wary of what 'healing' looks like in the minds of these folks. When a body heals itself, one of the first things it does is clear the pores of toxic substances dangerous to the well-being of the body. Isn't bodily integrity part of being healthy? When we heal a deep wound, we do not use band-aids and kisses. Benedict will not be healing a boo-boo.

He will be healing a terrible gash, a rift, which require stitches, antibiotics, serious medicinal treatment. Healing is a reversal of pain and trauma done to the body. Open wounds must be cleansed and sterilized before they can be mended. I hope that these gentleman's prayers are answered; we need to mend the body by cleansing it first. A good healer knows this and acts accordingly.