I’m a good protestant girl who was raised a Lutheran and then compromised when I get married to a Baptist and have attended the Methodist church since 1990. I am a born again evangelical Christian. I have dabbled with the idea of converting to Catholicism a few times in my life. I love the formal nature of the worship and the history. I didn’t do it because the most important thing for me is that my family attends church together, so that required compromise. When my children were growing up, it was a big group of people to coordinate. Since we’ve become empty-nesters—it’s attending with my husband. Our relationship with our faith and with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my life.
I have followed the Popes of my lifetime. I read most of Pope John Paul II’s books and have followed the process around the Catholic church. Hew was my favorite Pope. I will watch the funeral of Pope Francis and watch the Conclave of Cardinals that will pick the next Pope.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan said it best when he said he was looking for a blend of the best aspects of all the Popes he’s known. Aren’t we all looking for that in the people in our lives? But we never get that becasue we are human and we all make mistakes. Even Christ asked his Father if the pain of death could be taken away from him. If Jesus had doubts when he knew everything, it is only right that we have doubts, too.
What I do know is we need a strong Pope. We need an alliance with world leaders and the Pope much like we saw with Thatcher, Reagan and Pope John Paul II. There is evil in the world in the tunnels of Gaza and on the campuses and streets around the world where the rise of antisemitism is trying to enlarge it’s grip. It is paramount that the “Church of Peter” stands against this growth and it will take strength and good people around the world to fight this scourge back into it’s ugly hole.
So, yes, I will be watching and waiting and praying for the best to be done and for the faithful to remain faithful and I will be looking for a better day.
