Bringing Home the Bacon

"And the King will answer them, Believe me, when you did it to one of the least of my brethren here, you did it to me."

-Matthew 25:40

I don't think many people understand what we mean when Roman Catholics say "He is our Papa."

Yes, Papa is Latin for Pope; it is, in fact, where we get the term.  The Greek is nearly identical.  But it is also the word for "Father;" and the Greek Pappas is also the child's familiar word for father- or daddy.  So yes, again, our Pope is the successor of Peter; we follow the office of the Bishop of Rome as well as our Magisterium, and he is, generally speaking, our authority figure (all pause here while we wrap our minds around willingly accepting somebody else as an authority, while maintaining that we also have a free will and intellectual capacity **gasp**).  We even have the audacity to claim that he is infallible in teaching us about matters of faith and morals.  But our Pope is also something much more, or rather, additional.

A good friend and priest once mentioned recently that all priests throughout the world are actually considered members of the papal household- that the Pope is their father, just as they often act as our spiritual fathers within our parish life.  He is not only the Head of the Church, but also spiritual director in a very profound and intimate way with all Catholics.  He gives us an example to follow; we cherish his words and blessings, we marvel when we see the ways that God works in and through him as a disciple of Christ.  It is frequently noted that the tone set by the Pope becomes the tone for the Church worldwide, especially now that the media and the internet have made so many events immediate to our lives.

So when Pope Francis was elected, the response was immediate as well.  And a little entertaining.  (Okay, maybe a lot entertaining).  Who was this man, this Jesuit, who was going to live out his vow of poverty while holding the most public office worldwide?  What do you MEAN, he paid his own hotel bill?  He washes the feet of AIDS patients??  NO RED LOAFERS?!?!?!  Honestly, all of these things are not only well within what ought to be the norm for many Catholics, but pretty darn Christ-like in their example.  I'm not sure where the surprise is coming from, but it IS pretty great in terms of calling us all to pick up the pace in our own lives.

That being said, I've been reflecting a little on how to incorporate Papa Francisco's works of mercy into my own life.  "Doing small acts with great love," a la Mother Teresa seems the way to go; after all, I am a stay-at-home Mom who will probably not be getting my own TV or radio show any time soon.  Converting thousands by my famed wit and unsurpassed evangelization technique seems pretty far-fetched at this point.  And while I know very well that forming young minds to know and love God, and to brave the World in order to change it is the most important work I can possibly be doing, the wonder and awe of that work often gets drowned out in the every day I-spend-so-much-time-changing-diapers-this-is-ridiculous brand of exhaustion.  A sense of responsibility may allow your household to function on a basic level, but it probably won't allow it to thrive, and it certainly won't help the spiritual development of yourself, your spouse, and your children.

Sometimes God likes to give us little affirmations when we're on the right track.

So today, I met Jesus at the grocery store.  At the end of a very long day, with 2 sick children at home, and the sudden realization that we have a refrigerator-restocking emergency, I had every intention of getting in, getting out, and possibly breaking my previous time record.  

Then I hit the checkout lane.  Purely to encourage me to grow in the virtue of patience, the couple in line ahead of me had trouble with the U-Scan.  But I stayed the course, thinking I could still get through faster than I would if I pulled out and found a different lane.  So I finally got to the register, payed for my things, and was halfway through bagging, when one of those people pulled in behind me.  A shining example of human vulnerability- an elderly woman, obviously frail and using a motorized cart, missing teeth, and very likely struggling with some form of dementia as well.  And a nudge from our Lord.  You want me to take care of HER, too, huh?  But I've been taking care of people all day!  

And then she spoke: "Do you work here?  Can somebody help me?"  

I looked (okay, I admit, somewhat desperately) for the cashier in charge of the U-Scan lanes, who is also apparently moonlighting in a disappearing act.  She has (unsurprisingly) vanished.  I take a moment to enjoy her magic skills and also the mischievous look that is probably on God's face right now.  Okay, let's do this.  

20 minutes later, I had helped her pay for her single item, and also had a surprisingly open glimpse into her life.  She was, in fact, suffering from various medical and mental problems, which she told me about in uncomfortable detail.  She also shared about her family; she has several grandchildren, some of whom are the same age as my own kiddos.  She was overjoyed when she realized I was pregnant.  She also told me, as I was trying to leave, that "God loves you.  I tell that to my grandson, too, every night, and he's learned to say it to others, too."  

Touche.