Beautiful, from start to finish!  Thank you for the gorgeous pictures and for the amazing quotes…can you say “Squee!” when talking about a pope without it being diminishing?

OK. That top picture is my favorite yet.

Simcha!!! That last picture!!! I’m dying, LOL!

I am overjoyed (haven’t known that feeling in forever). My only prayer (aside from Pope Francis’s safety) is that Our Holy Father may STAY humble and strong in the face of all who think the Church is “out of step” (I hate that term!) with the rest of the world. Viva Cristo Rey! Viva il Papa!

I love this, Simcha! Totally how I’m feeling this morning about Pope Francis. I am really excited to see how fills out this role of papacy. I think he’ll keep us on our toes!

Question - are we sure yet that his patron is St. Francis of Assisi?  Right away everyone was saying that it was.    On the Assisi side, he’s a humble guy and probably if it was Francis Xavier, he’d have taken both names (Francis and Xavier) but still, he is a Jesuit so I’m just wondering if there’s been clarification before we rule out Francis Xavier (or Francis Borgia for that matter).

@Eileen- The Papal press office released something saying the name was chosen for St. Francis of Assisi. Also, Cardinal Dolan said in an interview this morning with NBC that after Pope Francis was elected, he told all the Cardinals that he chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.

@Eileen: The Vatican has confirmed that he chose the name in honor of Francis of Assisi (see here: https://twitter.com/JohnLAllenJr/status/312009922109915136). God bless him, and all the Saint Francises pray for him!

“Patron Saint of the Socially Awkward” - I love it! And him! Praise be to God! :)

June1,
I hate the term, too, but I think being “out of step” with the rest of the world can be a mighty good thing & something St. Francis practised to the disconcertment of others.

@Kathleen: Amen! We must be in the world but not of it. I pray we are all given the grace to achieve this as best as humanly possible.

Squeeeeee is absolutely right on. So excited about this guy. Holy Spirit, thank you!!! I also love the memes. Laughed so dang hard at that last one, Chesterton certainly had a point, didn’t he?

Re: the last picture, I think it helps him that he doesn’t have to follow the gregarious personality of JPII.  That style didn’t come very naturally to Benedict, sweet, shy man that he is, but that was what a lot of us thought of as “how to be pope” so Benedict, I think, felt a bit stuck with that, especially right at first.  But Francis doesn’t have the same expectations to follow.
What I loved about Francis right away was the whole “let’s start with prayer, and then please pray, and then we’ll pray” of that first meeting with him!  That emphasis on prayer will be a lovely thing, needed by me certainly!

Thanks Maggie!

I am sooooooooooo happy and excited too!  I am also in love with the choice of name.  It spoke volumes before he even said a word.  I think also of the command of God to Francis to “rebuild his Church.”  Hope it’s a prophetic one for this papacy!!  I heard an interview yesterday with an American Latino who proclaimed, “we won,” and I immediately thought, “no, we all won!”

awesome Simcha!

LOVE HIM

I am right with you Simcha—save the dour commentaries for later critics, for now we celebrate!!

Great article!  LOVELY pictures.

Wow, I didn’t realize that he took the bus as recently as yesterday!  Amazing.  We are so blessed to have him as our new pope.  I have been on cloud 9 since 4pm yesterday.

Raymond Arroyo actually was “betting” on this cardinal. I heard him talk about it the night before on EWTN, so I wasn’t really surprised when Archbishop Bergoglio was picked.
I think I’ll pay closer attention to Mr. Arroyo in the future…

“Bergoglio compared this concept of Catholicism to the Pharisees of Christ’s time: people who congratulate themselves while condemning others.”

Then in the next breath he advocates refusing to give communion to pro-choice politicians. There’s a little hypocrisy in that.

“THere’s a little hypocrisy in that.”  You say that because you don’t know what “condemning” means.  Refusing to give the Holy Eucharist to someone who’s in a state of mortal sin is giving that person a chance to SAVE himself from being condemned.  The Pharisees would assume that certain people were unworthy of salvation.  Christ, and people who imitate Him, told people to repent and be saved.

Just to be clear, let me spell this out a little:  THe Pharisees, and people who refuse baptism to babies whose mothers are not married but who want to raise their children Catholic, are saying, “You have sinned, and therefore you cannot be saved.”
Christ, and priests who refuse to give Communion to pro-choice politicians, are saying, “You ARE sinning.  Stop it, so that you can be saved.”  See the difference?

@Bill and Simcha: Not to mention protecting Jesus Himself from being given to one who doesn’t really love Him or His people. It would be like spitting on Him!

Refusing to give communion to someone and humiliating them in public is rude and bad manors. Jesus dined with sinners. I’m sure he can enter the body of one without being inversely impacted.

How is it condemning to refuse the Eucharist to some who is vocally and publicly pro-abortion? To receive Communion in such a state is condemning all on its own. He’s not congratulating himself and condemning others, he’s saving those ‘others’ from a worse fate. We should all be so bold and compassionate.

If you think Jesus was worried about manners, you have clearly never read the Gospels.

@Bill S., I guess you’re just winging it and are not clear that there is very clear teaching about this.  If we are in a state of mortal sin, we are required to abstain from receiving the Eucharist, so as not to commit a second mortal sin.  It’s not good manners to allow people to commit mortal sins.

It is true that Jesus would not want anyone to be pubicly humiliated for no reason.  This is why I’m very excited to have a Pope who is likely going to be very clear about the fact that you can’t be pro-choice and Catholic.  Maybe he will encourage priests and bishops to remind people not to come up for Communion unless they are in a state of grace.  That will save them the embarrassment of being denied Communion, AND it may save their souls.

PUBLICLY humiliated.  Although they should also definitely not be pubicly humiliated.  Sheesh.

“.. priests who refuse to give Communion to pro-choice politicians, are saying, “You ARE sinning.  Stop it, so that you can be saved.”  See the difference?”

Their not sinning. They trying to do their jobs which include protecting our freedoms, one of which you obviously would take away if it were up to this Pope. Thankfully it is not.

@Bill S: Can we take it you’re a pro-choice “Catholic?”

God save us from the freedom to kill each other.  Okay, I’m done here!

“Not to mention protecting Jesus Himself from being given to one who doesn’t really love Him or His people. It would be like spitting on Him!”

That’s a nice sentiment but it is way out there in terms of the realities that these politicians must deal with.

Bill’s just doing his job. He’s VP of Not Getting It.

I had to publicly (not pubicly) tell some social media “friends” yesterday to stop pooping on my happy new pope parade… So much to love about this man - even more to love about his new office!

@Bill S: If it’s “superstition,” why do you care so much about it?

Sigh. Trolls. Anyhoo, back to the regularly scheduled joy. :D

I don’t think Bill S. is catholic, he is trolling AGAIN and we should take his comments with a ton of salt. Hi Bill, nice to hear from you again!

In honor of this happy day, I just did something I almost never do:  I just blocked Bill S because he’s being annoying.  There are lots of trolls who hang around this blog, and generally I just ignore them and let them spout off their “low information” blah blah blah nonsense.  But not today!  Viva il papa!

Thankyou for the article Simcha, it was well written and appropriate. God Bless Francis the First!

Bill S.,

Decide on whether your gripe is related to Francis & his unwillingness to compromise on Church teaching or if your beef is with the Church and her teaching on abortion.

If your issue is the latter, find another forum that is far more relevant.  In this case, intentional Catholics are celebrating our new Holy Father and his commitment to Catholic teaching - despite the consequences.  We can talk about the problems of abortion (you will lose that debate I assure you) or we can talk about what this blog post was actually about.

If you’re issue is with Francis being unwilling to contradict Church teaching, I’m really at a loss.  Are you suggesting that the cardinals should have gone with a less “Catholic” pope?  Many secular people love to label Church leaders as “liberal” or “conservative.”  Here’s how it goes in the Catholic Church regarding faith & morals - you’re either orthodox or in error.  Seems rather prudent that the Holy Father would tend to align with Catholic teaching since he does lead, well…  the Catholic Church.

Love this dear man!  Thanks, Simcha! Let’s not let the old grouchs rain on our happy parade!!

Also, I am holding my breath to see how he handles Joe Biden.  This is Pope Francis’ chance to send a loud message to the world and I think he is brave and loving enough to do it.  I can’t believe Biden even has the nerve to go to Rome (and risk being pubicly humiliated)!!!

I found this prayer a couple of days ago and think it would be great to pray for all those who loathe Holy Mother Church, Our Lord and Our Lady.

“In the Name of Jesus, Who said that anything we ask in His Name will be
given to those who believe, I ask that those who have not come to know the
love of the Heavenly Father will be blessed with the knowledge that they are loved by Him beyond all human reasoning and understanding. Please grant them the gift to feel His love as it enfolds them to such an extent that they will be unable to resist or deny it. May the knowledge of the Heavenly Father’s infinite love stir within their hearts the desire to return that love to Him, and to reflect it to all others. May their lives be a pure reflection of His resplendent love. I ask this in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen.”

Thank you for this! I was so excited yesterday that I cried, first when I saw the white smoke and then again when Pope Francis came out to greet everyone. What a blessing it is to be Catholic and to have this prayerful and humble man as our papa! May God bless Pope Francis abundantly and pour out graces on him.

I must confess that when I heard his name, my first reaction was “who the heck is he ?” and my second reaction was one of deep disappointment. Why ? For many reasons : 1) the first sentence out of the journalist’s mouth was “not a conservative, a progessist”, which in French media talk (yeah, I’m French) is meant as a compliment but is actually a horrible insult meaning “heretical”. I know that one should never listen to the MSM, especially on religious matters, but this was a terrible blow ; 2) I googled his name and I saw “76-years-old Jesuit Argentinian Cardinal”. “76-years-old” confused the heck out of me : why would the Cardinals pick such an old Pope, only 2 years younger than Ratzinger in 2005, right after another old Pope who had resigned…because of age issues ?!? “Argentinian” only half-pleased me : I was glad that he wasn’t European, since Catholicism is dying in most of Europe, but I thought that an African or an Asian Pope would have made more sense : in those continents, the Church is young, booming and joyfully orthodox. Catholicism in Latin American seems to me in an awkward middle-ground between Europe and Africa+Asia : not quite as much in decline as in Europe (but still quite a bit, with rising secularization and losing ground to Evangical Protestantism), not quite as joyfully orthodox as in Africa and Asia. “Jesuit”, I admit, really scared me. I personnaly know a lot of great Jesuit priests, but come on, we all know that the Jesuit order has had many, many problems since the 1970’s ; 3) at that point, I remembered that I already read the name “Bergoglio” not too long ago : in a recent article Jimmy Akin wrote that, according to rumors, during the last conclave, in the first round, Ratzinger had gathered the most votes, followed by… Bergoglio. And during the next rounds, the votes of all the Cardinals opposed to a Ratzinger papacy, notably the votes of cardinal Martini’s supporters (the ultra-liberal guy who accused the Church of being “stuck 200 years in the past”), had gathered on the name Bergoglio. So, in effect, Bergoglio had been, in 2005, for all intents and purposes, “the anti-Ratzinger”. And his election in 2013 seemed to be a terrible blow of the college of Cardinals against Benedict, pretty much saying “yeah we were wrong 8 years ago, we should have voted for Bergoglio instead of Ratzinger”. The election of the “anti-Ratzinger” scared me and deeply saddened me for Pope Emeritus Benedict who, I assumed, must have taken this as the worst possible thing that could have happened, having his papacy judged a failure and a mistake by the Cardinals, while he was still alive to witness it. With all that, I did not for an instant hoped that he would die, but I must confess that I did entertain the idea that it may be a good thing if he chose to resign pretty soon.

But then, I looked at some websites by people whose judgement I trusted more than mine (Mark Shea, Taylor Marshal,...) and I saw many informations about Pope Francis that somewhat reassured me. Francis seems to have an impeccable record of perfectly orthodox teaching on matters of faith and moral, actively defending life, marriage and social justice, and exibiting great humility, poverty of spirit and care for the needy.

I still think that I have many reasons to worry, but I also have many reasons to hope. I shall “judge” Francis’s papacy on what he actually will do, and not on what others say or assume of him. And above all, I’m not here to judge Francis papacy, but to follow him as the Vicar of Christ.

Did anyone see the video of the seagull who was perched on the chimney before the white smoke came out?

I pray that the Pope prays for all the Catholics who have been openly supportive of abortion.  My prayers for Joe Biden, Sebelius, Pelosi, etc. have not worked, yet.  Unless, they are about to come to fruition through our new Pope.  God works in mysterious ways.  Maybe the selection of Pope Francis is the answer to my/our prayers.  Time will tell.  More will be revealed.

I.LOVE.THIS.ARTICLE!  I echo your enthusiasm!!

socially awkward - ha! notice how he ended his first public appearance on the world stage, in front of millions and on camera to millions more?

“Good night and sleep well!”

Thoughtful and no doubt heartfelt, but - what the heck?

I love him already, too.

I just love Pope Francis. I feel incredibly optimistic for the future of the Church. Anything is possible! As such, when I think about Joe Biden headed to Rome, I believe deep conversion is a strong possibility. Let’s show Joe Biden the depths of our love, let’s all pray for him - for Joe Biden to experience a mind-blowing, life-changing conversion of heart, and that he takes that back to Washington. Who’s in??

What encouraged me was when I read that Cardinal Bergoglia had not written much. We’ve had so much papal writing these past 30 years, I say we need some action now! The second encouraging thing was his love for the poor. It seems such a perfect imitation of Christ in the gospels. I’ve heard some Cranky Trads are mightily upset that he’s not “regal” enough. But I get the feelings these trads wouldn’t be quite comfortable with St. Francis himself.

From a news station in South Florida:  people photographed an angel in the sky (cloud formation) on the day that Pope Francis was elected, and they sent the pics to the news station.  They are beautiful! Here is the link, if you scroll down to the larger picture, you can click on it and see a series of 8 photos taken by different people in different locations.

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/west_palm_beach/a-message-from-above?llll

Oh Simcha, if you think Bill is a troll and needs to be blocked, you would be horrified if you saw the genuine trolls who make a mockery out of Jennifer’s threads.  Bill is a saint compared to them.  I sure wish the other threads were moderated as well as yours.  (I personally didn’t have a problem with Bill’s comments—not that I agreed with them—but it is a relief to be able to come here and celebrate the blessing of our new pope, without having to unsubscribe due to annoying troll activity.)

Interesting observations here. The Holy Father is indeed a man of everyday life; one to follow closely by the witness of his life. I was kind of “transfixed” with it all from the moment when the white smoke poured out . With streaming newscasts Pope Francis will be increasingly in the world’s view.

No, I know.  There are far worse trolls, and generally my policy is to let it go as long as there are no threats or profoundly offensive insults.  I just had no patience for it today.

“Future patron saint of the social awkward” -yes, very very very needed. I love him already!!!

Oh, Simcha, please make a post soon to shut up some of the trads that are attacking him. I expect vicious comments from hateful libs but not devout Catholics.

Viva il Papa! Very beautiful.  I had thought that they would pick someone a little younger.  Sheeple:  God help this sheerson to stay in the sheeple-fold.

Actually, regardin the “Dirty War affair”, the ‘accuser’, the marxist journalist Horacio Verbitsky (in league with Fr. Yorio, now past away, who resented Bergoglio for slamming down Liberation Theology) admitted to the italian lefty newspaper ‘La Repubblica’ that he searched for years for ‘solid proofs’ to back Yorio’s accusations, but found none. This did not stop him to write his book (but that’s hardly surprizing).

Leonardo Boff, one of the founders of liberation theology, was even positive regarding Pope Frances, as he told the NYTimes.

Even the BBC and others defended him (which is saying a lot since the media is hadly ‘Pope Friendly’ and usually jump on a scandal like ugly on a monkey).

I hear ya Simcha.  Certainly your prerogative.  Especially on a day when we have such a huge blessing to celebrate.

Great article as usual, but you might be wrong on one point:

I read elsewhere that Pope Francis chose his name for St. Francis Xavier, not St. Francis of Assisi.

Oh how I love you, Simcha! Love this, every word of it!

He. is. so. cute!  Can I say that about our new pope?  I love him already!

Alex, this is from CNN:

“Pope Francis chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi because he is a lover of the poor, said Vatican deputy spokesman Thomas Rosica.
“Cardinal Bergoglio had a special place in his heart and his ministry for the poor, for the disenfranchised, for those living on the fringes and facing injustice,” Rosica said.”

Amen!

Hey Simcha what a great post! You know there’s this news anchor on a Hispanic network that is known for being anti church many times but he was so giddy and excited about this new pope it was quite something to see!

Simcha have you seen the Vatican website today? They picked that last picture with the awkward wave as the photo of Pope Francis to have on the main page. It seems to say, “Hi, welcome to the Vatican!”

I hope soon we will see on Amazon “The Pope Francis cookbook”  “Open a can of beans . . . . “

I’m already in love!

Love this!  Love him!  BTW, my husband pointed out to me last night as we watched a replay of the seagull perched on the chimney that St. Francis of Assisi was known for his ability to communicate with animals…especially birds.

Coincidence?

“Pope Francis, future patron saint of the socially awkward.  Oh, how we’ve needed you!”  -this. Exactly.

Can’t.stop.crying.happy.tears.  He’s kind of like the baby I’m holding right now- an unexpected blessing that brought clarity of purpose and joy to our family.  Pope Francis may be the gift to our Catholic family that is so good and so sweet, we never thought to ask for him.

yes, YES! Popemoon!  Me too! 

There’s plenty of time for the rose to lose it’s blush.Plenty of time for paying bills, reforming curia, disagreements over whether to dine in or out, our little tiffs over authentic liturgy, and I don’t like the way you talk about my mother.  For now, can I just look at this holy, humble guy and be happy?

Really.

Cranky,  disgruntled, calumnious rankling (from all sides of ‘The Church MUST/ MUST NEVER Change’ crowd) will forge on without our participation for a day or a week (or more.) I’m stopping to smell the roses—this lovely bouquet of roses delivered all the way from Argentina by way of city bus. 

(I’m still pretty much starry-eyed over His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, so falling *out* of love with Pope Francis may take a while for me.)

VIVA PAPPA FRANCISCO!!!
What a wonderful experience this has been to see the dignity and the holiness and pure joy of this election of our new Pope following the
sad decline and departure of our dear Pope Benedict XVI who surely now
must feel he did the right thing for the Church.
Thanks Simcha for keeping the spirit of the day with your blog…Bill
had to go!!!

Love Papa Francis, and his simplicity, but let’s not forget that our Grand-papa Benedict was humble, too, not because he rode the bus, but because he employed a man to be his driver, and not because he eschewed the fancy vestments, but because he wore them knowing that the honor was for Christ and the office of His vicar, not for himself.  There are many ways to be humble, and many ways to serve the poor (washing, feeding, and teaching etc.) Let us truly appreciate and love them all. (I say this because sometimes I detect a subtle assumption ((not here, but elsewhere))that one way is the TRUE way to be humble…) Viva Il Papa!

Ditto, Simcha.  I {heart} Francisco.

I like Papa Francesco very much as well and will add my two cents from another site I posted at:

Our Holy Father may not wear the papal attire we have become accustomed to with our beloved Papa Emeritus, Benedict, but I say we pray, let him get his bearings and pray that Msgr. Marini be his gentle guide for a long time to come. It did occur to me that like St. Francis, perhaps, we can smile at the thought and give praise to God, he wears Christ on his heart in truth, and in love, and in faith.
He wears the mantle of Mary our Mother too and we, as we embark on this new journey with Papa Francesco, will come to see these gifts unfold before the whole of humanity.

In time too, he will realize and embrace the fact that he is special and will therefore not be able to jump in the car, at the drop of a hat, and run off to wherever he fancies. He is too important and must be protected as all Holy Fathers before him. I hope he will remember what Papa Benedict said before he retired, “your life is not your own anymore but belongs to the whole Church.” To embrace such a truth well, that takes humility too and submission before the Lord.

Onward then! Let us take up his invitation to journey together for the greater glory of God!

Your article, Simcha is full of joy and optimism…I share that too and look forward to getting to know our new Holy Father. Loved the last pic of him standing there waving, Hi.” So sweet.^^

Papa Francesco.  Let’s look at his first public actions.  He goes out on the balcony, waits, a long time, gently puts his hand in the air in a diffident waive, starts with the simple words any ordinary person would use in greeting somebody else who’s his equal, “Good Evening, Brothers and Sisters,” asks the people to pray for Benedict, asks us all to pray for HIM before he gives his blessing, gives the urbi/orbi blessing, hops the shuttle bus back to Domus Sanctae Marthae, has dinner with his Cardinals, gets up the next morning on ten minutes’ notice to go pray to Our Lady in the basilica in which St. Ignatius said his first Mass, then has his press people announce he’s going to meet a couple of thousand journalists on Saturday.

Do you get it, people?  This guy is Christ-like, absolutely walking in Jesus’s footsteps.  What a magnificent man!

Thanks for the beautiful thoughts, Simcha.

Cheap shot at Joe Biden. 
Not interested in reading the rest of this article when the writer is not the one to make that kind of decision about a person receiving communion, nor do you truly know the man and I suspect the writer also is not his confessor.  You could of had a very good article but blew it with cattyiness and the “better than thou” image. Be careful about throwing stones and publically naming people. Surely, we deserve better than this.

Great post!

I have a feeling he will have something to teach ALL of us and in a way change us in such a profound way through his simplicity, clarity and most of all charity.

Sharing the Squeeee! to the nth degree.
This distinction between baptizing babies of parents in mortal sin and refusing communion to those in mortal sin should be obvious. In the first case, the sinner is desiring the good of the sacrament for an innocent baby. The baby receives the sacrament, not the parents. In the second case, the sinner wishes to commit sacrilege, and ,as pointed out by Simcha and others, need to be saved from this sin.

There is no real difference between denying the sacrament of baptism to babies, and denying communion to putrid politicians.  In both cases you’re withholding a life-saving remedy.  The grace of baptism and of holy communion are alike insuperable.

“Innocent baby” is kind of a misnomer.  Anyone who’s had to separate children squabbling invincibly over a pencil will know what I mean.  A puling child is as sinfully putrid as, Al Gore say.

The only apparent difference is that you can coerce the baby into receiving the sacrament of baptism, while a public sinner has to at least walk up the aisle for communion.

@Jean Lewis - methinks maybe you don’t understand the meaning of the expression “cheap shot”. How is Simcha’s mention of Biden a “cheap shot”? He is a public figure who identifies himself as Catholic yet freely makes it known in his political life that he supports the pro-choice agenda. He has made his choices known publicly. Simcha is not outing him. Why not pray for Biden’s conversion, or at least save some indignation for a powerful political figure who chooses not to use that power to stand up for the rights of the weakest among us.

I am sure that if Pope Francis is placed in the position where he needs to decide whether to deny communion to Biden or any other, he will do so with the utmost of grace, dignity and love.

Only GOD appoints the Pope so why are we talking about having different feelings about the new Pope? Do you believe in GOD. Do you have faith in GOD and the Catholic Church? Then be happy about the new Pope and trust in God’s judgement. All this talk about a conservative or a liberal has little to do with the Catholic Church in the USA. We are following the modern world rather than teaching the modern world to follow what Jesus has taught us. We take pride in being the only country that are bold enough to touch the body of Christ with our hands (this makes us gods)when receiving Holy Communion….......SAD but TRUE…....

@ Matt B….You really need to consider the lack of charity in your
thoughts and words expressed here. We are talking about a baby, unformed
in the faith, helpless in fact, in need of the graces of Baptism and
being denied those graces, because of the sins of the parents. The mother is trying to do the right thing for her baby. Compassion would be called for in this case in order that life-saving grace might be distributed.
In the case of the pro-abort *Catholic* politician, informed by his faith, publically flouting his sin in Christ’s face and receiving His Sacred Body and Blood to his own damnation ( see St Paul) receives the same compassion as shown by the priest who refuses to become complicit in his damnation.
The difference should between these two situations becomes obvious when
viewed from the Church’s teaching on the these matters. Nothing is being withheld from the baby who actually gains in grace by the administration of the sacrament of Baptism. In the case of the adult, who knowingly comes forward to receive in the state of mortal sin, no life-saving remedy (grace) happens in the unworthy reception of the Body and Blood of Christ. Quite the opposite unless the sacrament is with-held. This is
the Church’s teaching. If you believe otherwise, then that is another matter. Above all, charity must applied in both situations. This is what
Pope Francis did in Buenos Aires when these situations arose.
Children under the age of reason ( usually age 7 ) are not culpable of committing mortal sin, and certainly not an infant.

I think I could clear up the misunderstanding about public sinners receiving communion unworthily:

Maybe if we placed an imposing man at the head of every communion line wearing like a red cross on his front and back, people would realize that they were coming up for medicine, as opposed to dipping into a tureen of caviar.

I think Matt B. is the same troll as Bill S.

Anyway, that last picture was hysterical.  I showed it to my teen son and said the new Pope is someone he could identify with.

Not receiving communion is also a means to conversion.  Sometimes you have to miss out to grasp the gravity of your own sin, and to truly value that which you are not able to receive.

Thibaud—Check out George Weigel’s article on National Review. It should allay a lot of your concerns.

On discussing the Holy Father’s choice of name, my lady wife said that Francis of Assisi, Francis Xavier, and Francis de Sales were probably celebrating with a beer.  I reminded her that with an Italian, a Spaniard, and a Frenchman, it was probably wine… :)

Love this post! It’s exactly what I needed to refresh my papal buzz!  I know there will always be “haters” out there, but it’s been a bit hard to avoid being disheartened by it today. Papamoon,indeed. Thanks, Simcha.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. From the bottom of my heart. For this lovely post. I have been so saddened by the vitriol and blah blah blah. Just stop, people. Viva il Papa!

love it! and am so super excited about this holy man’s simplicity, humility, and love. what an evangelizer!!!!

Love the article!  Can’t wait for the media to see this “new reformer”  is to rebuild the Church as it should, and not reform to modernism, as they think he will be.

I love the photo of the cardinal washing the feet of the mother with her newborn.  She is like a Madonna. He recognizes the blessedness in this figure who receives contempt from so much of the world.

@jean lewis:

What part of “in manifesto gravi peccato obstinate perseverantes” do you not understand?

My very favorite article on the topic yet :)  Especially that last meme… and I agree, that sold me.  I love him!

... and than there are the stories on the peak -hour bus of our now Pope telling the commuters what he was cooking for tea and his love of the tango when he was a boy.

Thank you for expressing the joy and glee I feel over our new Papa.  I must remember how to spell the word “squee’ because that’s EXACTLY how I’ve felt over the last 27 hours or so.  Funny story—today I had my annual performance appraisal at a public institution.  My boss just happens to be (lucky me) a Roman Catholic deacon.  I “confessed” that I had been watching the smokestack during work hours and he “confessed” that he had been scrolling on Facebook during a high level meeting keeping up with the announcements from the Vatican.  Instead of talking about my performance over the last year, we chattered in glee over Pope Francis and all he brings to the Church.  Together, we will rebuild the Church.  Habemus Papeum!  We have a pope!

You hit a home run with this post! Like you and many other commenters, I am overflowing with happiness and joy over our Pope Francis. SQUEEE!

Great article Simcha!  I agree 0!

Thank you Simcha for a wonderful article introducing our new Supreme Pontiff. I’ve been around for going on 62 years so Francis is the seventh Pope I have lived under. I never thought that anyone would compare with Blessed John Paul II in holiness and prayerfulness but I think that Francis will be another strong light for Catholics to follow and emulate. Viva il Papa. May God Bless him!!

Enjoyed your comments…EXCEPT….please don’t feed the ego of pompous Mark Shea.  It is really beneath you. Just reference Chesterton quote directly.

Oh puh-lease.  Mark is a good and generous man.  As evidenced by, among other things, the fact that he wades through all that non-paragraphed-formed Chesterton for us and picks out the good bits.

Love his authentic walk with Jesus Christ, his complete fidelity to the Holy Catholic Church, his choice of name that gives us hope for reform in the dark corners of our beautiful Church.

OK, I’ll be the one to say it:  I really do not like the picture of him washing the woman’s feet.  As I understand it, washing the feet of women during Maundy Thursday (which is presumably when this was done)is a no-no, even if it is widely done. (See http://jimmyakin.com/2005/03/quo_vadis_viri_.html and http://wdtprs.com/blog/2009/02/preparing-for-a-yearly-triduum-controversy/.) As Pope he can change the rubrics now, but he was not Pope when the picture was taken; he really should have been following the rubrics.  Besides, the tradition of restricting the foot washing to men is there for some good reasons.

I could not agree more about the points of encouragement you provide. I am very inspired by Pope Francis. Especially striking to me is that he has made his greatest impression by his ACTIONS and BEING even more so than speeches or statements. As Deacon Francis of Assisi said: “preach the Gospel and if necessary… use words.”
Peace+ DDG

:-0) What a joy to be Catholic.
I have enjoyed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and now, Pope Francis during my Catholic years. All are such beautiful examples of God’s Grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Each loving and endearing and completely unique from each other. So like God. It so like the Holy Spirit to pick Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II. How I wish I could meet them all - the whole communion of saints!! Someday, God willing, I will! SQUEE!!! Please - let us pray for each other - Love that Pope Francis said that! Loved the seagull!! Francis - to build our church with the name of a saint that is loved by all…truly universal. Yes, viva il papa!

I am, thus far, VERY pleased! However, I keep giggling over a mental vision of a clerical remake of “Another One Rides the Bus”, featuring a steading stream of priests and religious in full regalia gingerly boarding a jouncy, jaunty South American bus! (Absolutely no intent of disrespect, btw!)

I have been smiling since yesterday and I cant wait to know more about Pope Francis. He definitely is giving our church the boost that I personally think it needs. Walking the talk is not easy and he doesn’t seem to tire doing it! What a great gift for all of us! VIVA IL PAPA!!!

@Howard Richards—The photo says he is washing the feet of the new mother in a maternity hospital. Perhaps not connected to Holy Thursday feet washing at all.

“We take pride in being the only country that are bold enough to touch the body of Christ with our hands (this makes us gods)when receiving Holy Communion….......SAD but TRUE…....”

Jay Everett

Do you really see this as a problem?  If I were a priest, I would much prefer to place the host in someone’s hand rather than tongue.  If the Church allows it, then how can this possibly be a problem to you?

I dunno know why there are rubrics about which gender can have their feet washed on which day, but as a woman who has given birth to four sons I kind feel like men should be looking for the opportunity to wash the feet of any woman who has has a baby.

ps if it’s some sex thing then, just nobody tell me.  I am on my Papmoon too and I don’t want to think about the protestant Catholics who fear combustion around women with feet.

Simcha, thank you for this. My heart has been breaking hearing people “jokingly” attack Pope Francis, especially from the ultra “conservative” right. Everyone has the right to disagree, or even be concerned (these are the first days, after all), but there is no place for cruelty. Also, I especially loved #7!

@Ismael and all—please post reliable sources for clear facts on the Dirty War.  I have not been able to find much more beyond the “he said, he said”.
.
That said, I do appreciate Simcha’s encouragement to let it go, at least for now. I was stunned into ...nothingness… when he came out—I was watching on EWTN and the commentators seemed to be as well. It was total silence! It had to sink in for a bit.  I read a joke about “going to central casting” to get the new pope—haha.  Then I thought of Father Brown, whom Chesterton wrote of as being easily missed in a crowd.  I keep finding myself saying, “What would Pope Francis choose” when I am faced with Lent the last two days.

For someone who sucks, hard, at Lent—and this is not modesty, it is the painful, awful truth of my lifetime of intemperance—Pope Francis is already an inspiration to me, and a miracle.

Posted by Corita on Friday, Mar 15, 2013 7:49 AM (EDT):

“I dunno know why there are rubrics about which gender can have their feet washed on which day, but as a woman who has given birth to four sons I kind feel like men should be looking for the opportunity to wash the feet of any woman who has has a baby.”
******************************************************
Me, too.
And if Pope Francis has the extremes on right & left attacking him already, he must be good.
:)

I never heard that only men could have their feet washed.  I was once asked to have my feet washed at Holy Thursday Mass.  (I declined because I was wearing pantyhose and didn’t want to deal with it.)  Which isn’t to say that my parish never deviates from orthodoxy, but still.  I can’t imagine why it would be wrong for women to have their feet washed.

MM - Matt B is no kind of troll.

Lest it sound like I’m playing the proverbial “skunk in the garden party,” I too feel as if Pope Francis is chosen by God for his new role.  He is exactly what the Divine Physician ordered.  I’m happy to rejoice in the glow of this new day, but I fear the days ahead will not be so bright.  In the words of S.R. Vaughan, “It’s time to get ready for the storm.”

Just curious—am I on the extreme left or the extreme right for saying that everybody, bishops included, should follow the rules of the Church?  And, is it really supporting the Pope to suggest that obedience is optional? I realize that this was a small thing, but wasn’t there *somebody* who said, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is greater”?  The situation is not entirely clear, though:  “About a year ago [which would be early 2005], however, the Holy See, while affirming that the men-only rule remains the norm, did permit a U.S. bishop to also wash women’s feet if he considered it pastorally necessary in specific cases. This permission was for a particular case and from a strictly legal point of view has no value outside the diocese in question.”  (http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=3155)  Also, it is indeed possible this event had nothing to do with Holy Thursday.  It might have even taken the woman by surprise; she had not removed her flip-flop.

And don’t presume to take from this that my overall impression of Pope Francis is negative.  It isn’t; I fully expect that he will be a very good Pope, though with a very different personality than either Benedict or John Paul.  But I’m a Catholic, not a Donatist, so I don’t have to believe that he will not occasionally fall to sin, let alone have done so before his election, let alone make honest mistakes before his election.  If Simcha had posted a photo of him double-parking in 1988, I wouldn’t say this makes him a horrible choice for Pope, but I wouldn’t say that double-parking is the right thing to do and ought to be praised, either.

What Jesus did on Holy Thursday was set an example.  I guess how we carry on the tradition depends on whether we’re following his example, or setting one of our own.

The example he was setting was service to all people.  He especially meant this lesson for his ordained ministers.  What they do depends on if they’re trying to emulate him, or imitate him.

@Howard Richards:  I’m not a Donatist or an Ultramontanist, but I think that it shows poor form, at best, to see something so obviously beautiful and to immediately start kvetching about rubrics.  I understand why foot-washing ought to be reserved for men during Holy Thursday services.  I understand why it’s important for leaders in the Church to observe the rubrics (assuming that the same rules apply in Argentina). 

.

I guess it reminds me of a scenario when woman A gives woman B a very generous gift, and woman C says, “Ooooh, did you realize that it was made in China?  How do you FEEL about getting a gift that was made in China?”  And woman B gets mad, because she understands very well that we shouldn’t prop up China’s hideous slave labor economy; but she also understands very well that SHE JUST GOT A GIFT.  Sometimes, it’s just time to say “Thank you for the gift.”

Heard about him yesterday. Sounds like they chose The Right Guy for Pope!!

MattB: “There is no real difference between denying the sacrament of baptism to babies, and denying communion to putrid politicians.”
.
If you say so. But what you’re saying is manifestly untrue. One of the purposes of baptism is to wipe away sin, even serious sin, while communion is only to be received in the state of grace.
.
Sounds like you’re totally unaware of the long-standing tradition and discipline of the church on this which dates back to St. Paul, who said (1 Corinthians 11:27-29): “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

I just got this email from Bill:

I want to apologize to Simcha and anyone else I offended when I overdid it yesterday.  I was at the Y alternating between the treadmill and the exercise bike and texting (not while running) on my iPhone.  It broke up the monotony.  I appreciate the prayers that some are saying for me.

I still go to church with my wife and all my friends are there.  I go and I listen but find it hard to believe half the stuff that is said.

If I am reinstated, I will be more considerate and not monopolize the thread.

@Simcha   If I just wanted to be popular here, I would agree, which is to say, I would lie.  The humility of Pope Francis, both before and after his election, is indeed beautiful.  Foot-washing?  Not so much.  Of course there is a point to it on Holy Thursday, in that it draws us back to the Last Supper, and also in that it encourages humility in priests, but let’s face it, if you were to visit someone’s house today you would not expect them to anoint your head with oil and wash your feet, as would have been done in the first century.  I would not want anyone to do that, and it would strike me as really weird if anyone wanted to do it for me.  So I don’t buy the “it’s so beautiful!” line.  And as for kvetching, wow, it must really mean I hate the Pope when I am saying that the authority of the Holy See should be respected.

I’ve been trying and trying to puzzle just who it is our SPF (santo padre francisco) reminds me of and your most recent post this morning on his trifty ways got me thinging again and bingo - here’s the photo match
http://www.wwgazette.co.uk/2012/01/wallace-and-gromit-co-writer-inspires-students/wallace-and-gromit2/
that rings it for me (pls excuse a little levity on the part of a Brit-papist on Red Nose day) - the socially awkward wave nabs it, no?

Howard Richards ,
I’m not aware that foot washing occurrs much among Catholics outside of Holy Thursday, but it’s a traditional part of Amish & Mennonite services.And the “House Amish” hold services in their homes.
I think it’s beautiful.
Once on the radio I heard a story told by a doctor who donated his time tending the feet of the homeless.Some had horribly ingrown toenails, sores, fungal infections, plantar warts, you can imagine the rest.
One poor man was virtually crippled by toenails that had twisted & grown back into his foot. The nearest place for the doctor to treat him was a public restroom.The dr. seated the homeless man on the commode & knelt down to tend his crippled feet.Beyond the overpowering odor of the poor man’s neglected feet, the physician had to endure the initial reactions of everyone entering the men’s room.Obviously at first glance the situation appeared to be other than medical.
I think that qualifies for several jewels in his heavenly crown.

Shoot. I got the spam glitch triggered again…...

I really don’t think Biden or other politicians are overly upset about being denied communion. They are politicians first, and Biden is simply doing his duty as VP of the U.S. by going to the Vatican. I don’t think Pope Francis will go out of his way to encourage Biden to change is Pro-choice position either. Politics usually trumps religion in matters of diplomacy.

Yes, I’d rather have a wounded Church than a sick, withdrawn one. Viva Papa Francis!

Lest Howard feel alone, I have to say I share his misgivings. I’m not so sure that I find the rubrics argument motivating, because the photo doesn’t look like it was taken during a Holy Thursday mass to me, but rather the “we don’t really wash feet to express this idea in this day and age” concept is more my take. I don’t think particularly ill of the occurrence itself, per se - I’m just not finding it especially beautimous or inspiring or uplifting or what have you, I guess. And this is despite my currently being all of two weeks postpartum (i.e., fully, distinctly, very much aware from quite recent memory of what giving birth entails). I guess the scenario (as stated) just kinda makes me go all *headtilt*. I’m, admittedly, not a very romantic person, though. I think I’d be way more likely to get the humble service message if the bishop came up and said, “Hey, here, I’ll take the baby for you so you can finally get a shower.” 

I really miss taking showers.

So anyhow, I don’t think we need to be all over Harold for not finding that pic/scenario all that thrilling. ;) He can still be a cool person.

Kathleen,

I’m getting spam filtered to.  I’m not having a good week on NCR.

Hope the 8 kids and 9 grandkids are doing well ;-).

“True humility does not take such air and does not say many humble words, for it not only wants to hide the other virtues, but also and mainly wants to hide herself, and if it were lawful to lie, pretend or scandalize your neighbor, it would do acts of arrogance and pride, just to hide and live totally unknown and covered.” St. Francis of Sales - Introduction to the Devout Life

“...The new Pope is a Jesuit and a chemist but he is also a human being who has to conform to the opinions of more than a billion of his followers around the world. We will have to wait to hear his opinions on the various scientific topics with which the Church has wrested and partially reconciled over hundreds of years. But whatever the new Pope has to say, I find satisfaction in the fact that a Jesuit and a chemist in the Vatican - an intellectual descendant of Andrea Caraffa and Pierre Chardin – is far from the worst that the Church can do when it comes to science.”
—Ashutosh Jogalekar | March 13, 2013
.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-curious-wavefunction/2013/03/13/jesuits-science-and-a-pope-with-a-chemistry-degree-a-productive-pairing/
.
Although he’ll probably keep the conservative line on contraception, abortion, homosexuality, etc., we might still see a Pope with more progressive views in helping the poor and addressing the threat of Global Warming. That will certainly be refreshing.

Victoria, true humility, though invisible, is seen by the eyes of God.  This is indeed the fulness of light.

Much of the world is out of step with the Catholic church, which means that they are out of step with Jesus.

Bill S.  The clergy must abide by the teachings of the church when it comes to giving Catholic public figures communion who deny the teachings of the Catholic church.  It is in the Catechism.

Joe DeCarlo—maybe, just maybe, the Catholic Church is out of step with the world?

Sandy, Thank God that the Catholic church is out of step with the world.  As the bible says, we are in the world, but not of the world.  Yes, the Catholic church is out of step with the world, and in step with Jesus.  Don’t look for the Church to be in step with the pro-death groups, homosexual marriages, etc.  If they do, I will step out of the Catholic church,  Those who think that the Catholic church is out of step with the world should find another Christian denomination or religion with which they agree.

Joe, “Sandy” is not going to find another religion or denomination, because she is an atheist who trolls Jennifer’s threads under many different names, constantly attacking the Church and its teachings using dishonest and vulgar tactics.  She is relatively well behaved on this thread because she knows that Simcha won’t put up with her usual approach.

Simcha,

Thank you for letting me back on NCR. I will stop being a troll

Good to see you back, Bill.

If any praying non-trolls are reading, I would appreciate prayers for my son.  He got diagnosed with walking pneumonia yesterday.  He is very prone to respiratory distress, and can turn on a dime, so we’re watching him closely and have to be ready to take him to the ER (or call an ambulance) on a moment’s notice.  Thanks in advance for any prayers.

“Those who think that the Catholic church is out of step with the world should find another Christian denomination or religion with which they agree.”

Joe,

It’s not that easy to turn my back on everything associated with the Catholic Church. At a local level, it’s all good. It is the ultra-conservative hierarchy that is putting the Church out of step with the world not our local parishes.

Thanks Claire. I hope your son gets better soon.

It is always about money with the Catholic Church. I am a Catholic but the lack of overseeing the church is horrible. Do anything you please…no one cares as long as the big checks from the rich politicians keep coming in? Why can’t the leaders stand up and be men and get rid of the Pelosi’s and Bidens? They aren’t Christians. It would speak volumes to the Catholic masses if they ever did anything. Excommunicate Pelosi, please! Where is the Pope and the Bishops and the priests who give her the Eucharist and she votes continually for years for abortion rights? Where are they? Counting their money from Pelosi and her checks to buy them off. Money seems to talk louder than GOD in the Catholic church—-all about money. No back bone..

Pelosi has a responsibility to represent the people who elect her. She is not having an abortion. She is stating the will of the people. The people do not want to go back to the days when abortion was illegal. So it is the people’s sin not their Congresswoman’s. she is just doing what she has been elected to do. It’s called democracy.

Claire, how old is your son, and if you care to offer it, what is his name?  My son who is 7 years old had a terrible time with asthma until just recently and has been much better with prayers.

I figure the same could be said for Sandy.  I find that people who actually think are much better Christians when they finally see the light.  They fall like a giant tree in the forest.

It’s hard to imagine that the Catholic Church is not bound by the rules of operation that political parties and economic entities are.  Many people confuse her for some kind of voluntary association.  She is a women steeped in the world who God has seduced insufferably to “come away.”

Alex, there’s only one back bone in the Church - yours.

Bill S.  Pelosi is pro-abortion, which is against the teaching of the church.  I never heard her say that she is pro-life.  If she thinks that abortion is wrong, she can’t give her people the right to do a wrong.  It is illogical.

alexis mina,  The pope and the clergy don’t have the backbone to declare this heretics excommunicated.  If this were pre-Vatican days, you would have seen and heard a different clergy.

I’ve been researching about it and Pope Francis is a wonderful human being! He book, On Earth and Heaven, promises to be inspiring and I’m going to order it from my library.
...
Bergoglio appears as a man with a profound social conscience, expressing admiration of some atheist socialists and professing a genuine belief in interfaith dialogue – to the extent that some radical Catholics accuse him of heresy.
...He also recognises that the church must move with the times and be in constant transformation. “If, throughout history, the church has changed so much, I do not see why we should not adapt it to the culture of the [our] time,” he says.
...Some of his harshest words are for ultra-conservatives who put obedience of church rules above everything else. “There are sectors within the religions that are so prescriptive that they forget the human side,” he says.

That’s from this review: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/15/pope-francis-book-radical-progressive

I just posted a quote of a review of the Pope’s recent book On Earth and Heaven but it is being checked for spam. Is it because it was from the Guardian? I know that paper is usually critical, but the article says good things about the book and our new Pope. I’m going to see if I can get a copy.

Maybe he will put some backbone back into the Church.

Matt B:  thank you for your concern about my son.  He is 5.  I hesitate to provide his name, as I don’t want to compromise his privacy when there are trolls like Sandy here (who was quite cruel recently when I divulged too much about a previous medical incident that we had with him).  He has asthma and we have had many issues with respiratory distress, and he’s had bronchitis a few times, but this is his first time with pneumonia.  I almost fell over when I found out.  Thankfully, the loading dose of Zithromax seems to have done the trick.  His fever broke during the night, and he had a good day.  Of course, I’m nervous about that too, because just last week I read that Zithromax has been known to cause fatal arrhythmias.  But he’s taken it several times in the past without a problem, so the doctor thought it would be okay.  Again, thanks for your prayers.

And by the way, Alexis Minor is not a Catholic.  She and Sandy are the same person.  She admitted on one of Jennifer’s threads that she just changed her name to Alexis Minor because she was being blocked under some of her more recent names.  I’m not quite sure why she was honest about it on that thread, but not on this one…I guess it all comes down to game-playing.

I hope you are keeping a close watch. There are strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the U.S. Be sure he takes all the antibiotics prescribed, even if his symptoms seem to be gone. In critically ill children with pneumonia, delays of even a few hours to treatment with the correct antibiotic can mean more days in the hospital
Prayers!

As you know, Alexis, I am a nurse, so I am well aware of the need for him to take the full course of antibiotics.  And yes, of course I am keeping a close watch.  He has walking pneumonia, so at this point the hospital setting is not appropriate for him.  But if you are truly willing to pray for him (or pray at all),  that would be much appreciated.

Alexis, I am a real Sandy, and commented here earlier. I hate to see folks referring to “Sandy” as a troll, I assure you this Sandy is committed to non-trolling comments. If there are going to be 2 Sandys, I’ll have to change my name. So if you don’t mind Alexis, please continue as Alexis.

Claire, this Sandy is praying for your son.

Anyway, Pope Francis promises to be a progressive change to the stale Catholic Church. They gave Benedict a royal bum’s rush and got a radical in the office who just may not be an a$$ whole. The industrialized world uses contraception, performs abortions when necessary, and accepts homosexuality.  Francis is against all this, but has shown a sense of understanding instead of declaring war on secularism. Believe it or not, I hope things improve with him as Pope. Otherwise more people will suffer needlessly for their faith.

Alexis Mina’s last comment was deleted, and she is banned.  Have a good night, everybody.

Thank you Simcha.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Claire, seriously: you should pray over your son by laying hands on him.  This is really as simple as putting your hands on the affected part of his body and praying in a direct and simple way for God to heal him.  Although this may seem uncomfortable at first, as soon as you realize that this is your son you’re touching, and that the power of God is being transmitted through your hands, and that he’s responding - your prayer will become more powerful and effective.  You should make this a regular thing; don’t be shy about it; linger over him with love.  After awhile you’ll be grabbing him during the day to reinforce the prayer.  Hold his neck and his throat, and press gently on his chest and his back.  I prayed at Mass tonight for him, with love.

Thank you Matt.

I see that Alexis’ new name is Bethany (and apparently she has a new URL).  She is certainly going to great lengths to harass a mother whose child is ill.

Anyway, time to get back to the original topic of this thread…

Matt B,

It’s good to see you are still on NCR. We had some pretty good discussions before. You are a true man of faith and I respect you for that, even if I think you are wrong. Who’s to say that I’m not wrong?

Claire,
I hope you son is doing much better today.There’s been alot of respiratory infections going round here, too & they’ve been hard for folks to shake off.
So glad his fever broke. I’m glad his mom’s a nurse, too!
God bless you both!
:)

PS, I still don’t see my comment from Friday that was sent to cyber spamdom….Must be like a black hole.
:)

BillS,
All 8 kids & 9 grandbabies doing well. Thank you for asking.
Hope you had a good weekend & I hope you found more of the work you were looking for? We’re praying for you.

Thanks Kathleen!  I’m sorry to have gone off-topic with my son’s illness, but I am very grateful for the prayers.

Claire, our kids have had mysterious and intractable medical conditions that defied medical treatment (well, there are only two of them so far).  A comprehensive regime of prayer has turned that around.  It can include traditional prayers like the Rosary; Mass, of course; devotions like Stations of the Cross.  What I find incredibly powerful is Charismatic, or Spirit-filled prayer.  Sometimes as I’m praying, the most unbelievable things come out of my mouth, certainly not “of me.”  Well, this kind of thing, conducted as an “environmental response” - constituting an ambient environment for the child - has worked amazing wonders.  You must know the power of “a loving touch” and feel it often.

By the way, I know this “prayer solution” works because it worked first on me.  I was a broken man when I walked into the church my mother had prayed in.  I was accepted and surrounded by church members who loved me and prayed for me.  From then on, I was never without this “loving touch.”  It didn’t matter where I was or what I was doing, God was always there with his constant and powerful love - expressed through my family members in the faith.  “I will never leave you or forsake you;” “I will be with you forever - until the end of time.”  How true these words have become to me.  How real.  I do hope you’re touching your son in love.  Who knows, maybe even you will be healed?

Hi Matt.  My husband has been very active in the charismatic movement, so I’m familiar with what you’re describing.  I appreciate your prayers and input.  But I’m feeling a little guilty that I have taken this thread so off-topic.

To the real Sandy (from 3/17 at 8:02 pm, 3/14 at 4:30 pm and 3/14 at 4:55 pm):  thank you so much for praying for my son.  And I’m sorry about the confusion with the other Sandy (who is also Alexis Minor/Bethany, etc) who posted on 3/17 at 12:37 am.  Thank you for pointing out that you are someone different.  And again, thanks for the prayers.

A priest should not wash a woman’s feet.

“A priest should not wash a woman’s feet.”

OK. I’ll bite. Why should a priest not wash a woman’s feet?

And, are you questioning the actions of the man who just became the Pope?

I agree with you Isabel, that washing is never quite enough.

I kept it general because you might meet me or my sons at some future time, and I would not want to prejudice either you or them.

In general, there is copious literature both in print and on the net about miraculous healing.  Some of it is really far out, but where there’s so much smoke there must be fire.

I have also been involved myself with healing prayer, and I find it an indispensible adjunct to any kind of medical treatment.

“I have also been involved myself with healing prayer, and I find it an indispensable adjunct to any kind of medical treatment.” 

Studies have dispelled the notion that prayer has any effect on the times or frequencies of patients’ recovery.  That doesn’t mean that people don’t appreciate being prayed on or for. I always thank people who tell me they are praying for me because I appreciate them caring enough to do so. In that sense, it does make me feel better knowing that someone is praying for me.

Bill,
I think from your comments you have a sincere heart & I’m praying for you but sometimes your posts have an effect something like the Grim Reaper showing up at a wedding reception.It’s just a wee bit of a downer in the morning.
How about some secular cheer?
:)

I have one question for you, Bill: would you rather be treated by a doctor or a nurse?

Most healing at hospitals takes place as a result of the “care” of nurses, even though doctors are the “brain workers.”

When I had my surgery a couple of years ago, I would not have made it out except for the loving, faith-filled care of my nurses.  I don’t know what exactly the doctors did.  I was asleep for their part of the performance.

No one goes to Hell when they die. Science and medicine continue to make advances every day to better and extend our lives.  Enjoy every moment, because this is it.  That’s the only good news I have today.  Wow. My password for this post is age61. My age. That must be a sign that I am on the right track b

Bethany, the life-threatening condition which miraculous healing is most effective against is *unbelief*  ;)

Bill, have you never been to hell, even in this life?  If not, I’d say your a rather sheltered sexagenarian.  And if we can experience hell right here right now, why not in eternity?  Not that I’m planning it for myself.

“I have one question for you, Bill: would you rather be treated by a doctor or a nurse?”

Is this a trick question, Matt B?  I’ll say doctor for an operation and nurse for recovery.

“Bill, have you never been to hell, even in this life?”

I wouldn’t call it hell. I’ve had bad experiences that seemed like hell but were not eternal.

“And if we can experience hell right here right now, why not in eternity?”

I don’t see the connection. If I cease to exist, how can I experience hell when I die?

” Not that I’m planning it for myself.”

Neither am I.

I guess as a followup question: have you ever been to eternity?  If the answer to that is no, then I’m afraid we’re discussing color among blind men.

“have you ever been to eternity?”

Eternity is not a place. It is a concept of infinite time. We are in eternity all the time since it includes the past, present and future. All we need to experience eternity is consciousness. You are saying that our consciousness, which does whither the death of our brain, is reawakened after our death and experiences heaven, hell or purgatory and then heaven. There is no biological way for this to happen and I don’t believe in a spiritual way but you do. I guess that’s where this discussion ends. Either we believe it or we don’t. You think you can make it real by believing it so you choose to do so. I don’t so I don’t.

“I have one question for you, Bill: would you rather be treated by a doctor or a nurse?”

Is this a trick question, Matt B?  I’ll say doctor for an operation and nurse for recovery.

How do you define life?  Doctors make life possible.  Nurses make life worth living.