Bye bye, Pope

I've had a chance to nap a little and to watch the news and to go to church and pray a little, and I thought I'd revise my last entry. I was really hurt to hear of the Pope's passing. The man was extraordinary. He stood as a bastion for righteousness and good in an increasingly secular world.

He made statements that are often criticized because it's not in line with reality (stuff like birth control and condoms and stuff), but here's the deal: it's Church with a capital C. It's not supposed to be about what's pragmatic; it's about what's right. He was old sk00l, yah, but it's the Church we're talking about here. And the Catholic Church is very reassuring in that no matter how turbulent the world is, there is some consistency. Mass still happens on Sundays.

I wish I had a chance to meet the guy. He was amazing. He was a friend to the poor and the impoverished, to the 3rd world, and to the world's youth. He stood out against tyranny and violence in all forms. He believed in humility and he made amends for the injustices wrought by the Church in the past. The world is less without him.

But I got to thinking last night that in a way, this feels right, for a few reasons. He was in florid sepsis, probably urosepsis, and he crumped. He wasn't in an ICU getting tubed and having pressors poured in one central line and vanco poured in another. He went out with a little dignity and respect. Also, he let them televise the ceremonies and lying in state, so that people all over the world could see him and we could all pay our respects in our hearts.

But lastly, I was reminded of something. A priest told me once that they call the life of Jesus the 'Greatest Story Ever Told.' And if Jesus hadn't risen from death, that's all it would be, a story. We'd all remember some guy who was really nice and helped a lot of people who got caught up in some political thing and was executed. Tragic. A tearjerker. But completely insignificant.

The pope was great in his servitude. We loved him because of his devotion to God. And his death, although sad, is not unexpected or even unwelcome. By all reports, he passed quite peacefully. Yes, I miss the Pope. He was the best of men, holy beyond even his station, but he was just a man. And even the best of men die.