The Pope is no Longer Pope. February 28, 2013

Just finished watching the helicopter with the Pope inside flying overhead. In three hours at 8 PM his Papal ring will be smashed and he will remove his famous red shoes to be replaced with a brown pair. I'm not sure why. Once this happens, the chair if St. Peter, his "seat" of authority, becomes vacant , hence the tile, "Sedent Vacante" meaning vacant seat. In ancient times the chair became a symbol of the teaching authority of a philosopher, ruler or religious leader.

Now we wait for the "conclave" which means, " with key" meaning the cardinals will be sequestered and locked within the Sistine chapel and begin the election process to choose s new Pope who will succeed not only Benedict but st Peter. The Pope is the bishop of Rome , successor to st Peter.

With all this drama and attention brought to peter's successor, I couldn't help but think of today's gospel of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man wasn't overtly cruel, he just didn't notice the poor beggar named Lazarus at his doorstep. He was oblivious.

As all the pageantry unfolds in the weeks to come, there are many beggars like Lazarus visibly sitting or lying near the massive colonnade. They have pushed to the side, no, they have been removed to make way for the scaffolding that will hold the countless reporters and members of the press. The gospel is a reminder to all of us not to become indifferent to those who are Lazarus in our own day.

Remember , it was a rich man, probably well known, who ended up in a place of eternal damnation begging Lazarus to send a message to his living relatives. How ironic: the rich man became the beggar.

My hope is that the new successor of Peter will align his ministry and the church with Lazarus and not the powerful. The first person he greets should be one of the beggars around St. Peter's Square. And in this meeting, he could kneel down and kiss the beggar's feet.
The kingdom of heaven is like a newly elected Pope who begins his ministry by embracing a beggar and kissing his feet. A pope has the power to change hearts and turn our worlds upside down and inside out, by taking his place with the "least ones." This is the power that has authority.

Let us pray for Benedict and his new life of prayed. As the conclave begins, " come Holy Spirit"...
Buen camino. Padre