Eyes

I lined up with about 100 others.
It was a gray windy day.
I wished I had worn a heavier jacket.

We began.
Hymns, prayers, and pauses floated across the parking lot.
The statue stood far away, regal in the float of roses and lilies.

A procession in honor of Mary on Mother's Day.
It is a beautiful tradition at St. Peter's Church.
We shivered in the unusual chill.

She bought me a Mother's Day corsage.
She wanted to support the youth's fundraiser.
Her eyes said, "I'm worried for my grandma because grandpa is in his last days."

He held Genevieve, his six-month old daughter.
He told me about the stitches on the baby's eyebrow.
His eyes said, "I want more children."

She checked her iPhone.
Lunch was late.
Her eyes said, "What kind of place is there for me in the Church?"

My eyes are not my own.
It is the stories, the dreams, the wonderings persons have imparted to me.
"I have looked into your eyes with my eyes. I have put my heart near your heart."

John XXIII said that.

When John XXIII was elected Pope, he was 76.
Many considered him to be a "caretaker pope" because of his advanced age.
They did not expect him to do much.

It had been usual for popes to dine alone.
After a week, John XXIII declared that he found nothing in Scripture or Canon Law which required this tradition. From now on, he shall have friends when the mood was upon him.

He horrified Vatican and Italian officials by visiting hospitals and nursing homes, alone and unannounced. One Christmas, he wanted to visit Rome's prison. One of his aides said there was no such protocol for such things. He replied, "Well, make some!"

Today, people could pray the Mass in the vernacular.
Today, we don't assume people go to hell because they're not Catholic.
Today, I know God can find me. Anywhere.

Well, it was always true that God can find me. Anywhere.
And the other two things were always true too.
We just forgot.
For 1000 years.

And John XXIII reminded us when he opened the Second Vatican Council.
A lot of the bishops didn't like a church council.
They thought it was an old man's whims.

It was his eyes.
He saw.
He placed his heart near our hearts.

I looked up at Mary as we ended the procession.
I looked up into her eyes.
I placed my heart near her heart.


p.s. Photo from http://www.twoheartsdesign.com/images/clipart/catholic/ourlady/images/bvm_013.gif

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life with Ashes

Image
It was time to move. Goodbye to Allen Parkway and hello to Florin Wood. Our family was moving from Houston to Sacramento. This was over 20 years ago and the day comes back with ashes. And a smell. My dad had piled all our old clothes, furniture, and knick knacks into a huge heap in front of our yard. He poured gasoline generously and lighted it with a smile. My mom looked on regretfully. All seven of us kids were delighted with the dancing flames. The neighbors didn't care. We lived in what they called the ghetto part of the world and since we were not shooting at anyone, we were okay. "We're starting a new life," my dad reassured mom as our van entered the highway. "No need to hang on the old stuff." "It was pretty dinky, wasn't it?" my mom replied hesitantly. Our years in Houston were our first years living in the United States, far away from the land of our origin, Vietnam. What dad burnt was the few possessions we accumulated fro
Read more

Teddy Bear

Image
"Dear God, I love you so much, I want to give you everything. You can have my Mom, my Dad, my sister, my teddy bear. No, I take it back. You can have everyone, but I want to keep my teddy bear." Love, Little Boy. Fr. Roch hardly lost a beat in his lecture of sin as he told his joke. Sin is putting ourselves above God. Not willing to let go. In actuality, God never wants everything. He just wants the teddy bear. What we think is necessary. Photo source: www.funkyfriendsfactory.com
Read more

Bingo!

Image
Sisters at Salerno's Artichoke Lucia.  Baked with Italian cheeses and breadcrumbs. Grilled fillet salmon on a bed of blanched spinach and mushrooms, topped with pine nuts. 8oz. marinated and charbroiled steak topped with sauteed mushrooms; served over linguine. Saturday night at Salerno's. It was time to "open community." Every year we choose a venue to celebrate the beginning of our time together as a religious community.  This year the venue chose us. "Bingo!" An almost audible gasp escaped from the surrounding tables. Sr. Leslie Thu at our table had won another bingo game. A Knight of Columbus member handed her a sealed envelope. Her eyebrows arched in delight. It was a $50 Walmart gift card. We cleared our cards and another round started. It was the Knights of Columbus Sisters Appreciation Luncheon. It was on a early Sunday afternoon. They had sent the invitation two months ago. Sr. Jacinta Ngân had "highly encouraged"
Read more