I got back Sunday morning from New York after attending the Seminarian/Youth Rally at Dunwoodie Seminary in Yonkers, NY. We took 18 students to the rally, after having taken about 30 to meet him at Catholic University in DC on the Thursday before where he did a brief drive-by on his way to the John Paul II Cultural Center. Earlier that day we had attended mass with him at Nationals Park in the South East side of Washington.
Each moment was distinct and beautiful, which in and of itself was striking, but what I saw at each event surprised me. It surprised me because I realized that my being there at each event was something that was entirely "for" me. Sure, my original intent was to go and greet the Pope, to welcome him to my home, to say "We've been waiting for you, we are happy you have come, welcome, we love you." Yet, what struck me was that the presence of the pope at each moment reassured me, confirmed me, made me feel somehow secure. I'll explain.
I invited my students to the Papal mass at Nationals Park because my school had some 300 tickets or so to offer the student body. I made a strong appeal to them to attend, not just with the school, but with me in particular, to follow me in this event, to try to see what I see in him. Many of my students chose to go to the mass, but 7 of them chose to go with me. I invited these same 7 students to leave Nationals Park with me, have lunch at Union Station, and then travel up to the campus of CUA to meet the pope again, this time with my friends in Communion and Liberation.
The 7 who came with me also attend my school of community. What was beautiful about their traveling with me was how we became better friends. I was happy that our unity was growing, and I couldn't help but feel proud of the fact that we were a presence in the world. Sure, we didn't do anything great, but we were together for only one discernible reason. At the heart of our reason to be there, to be there together was the fact of Christ, in the pope, in our school, in our friendship.
In fact, when the pope drove by that day while we sat on the lawn singing, talking, and playing guitar, I felt his presence was a gift that affirmed our friendship. He was there almost as if to say "Peter is here to reassure you of your following, to confirm your faith, to witness to the event that happened to you." And my students noticed to. Their reactions were all over the board. That day on the trip home they talked about. Some were moved to tears at the events of the day, some were uncharacteristically happy, some described feeling loved, but all of my students were happy they had gone, happy we had spent the day together.
I found that my presence at the Pope's events wasn't a happy welcome on my part for him, but rather a begging, a desire to see Peter's face, to have him see me because in my being there I could say "I don't even know how to pray, so I just show my face."
On Saturday, it was even more dramatic. The event was long and most of it was arduous with the 6 hour Christian "rock" concert beforehand. But when the Holy Father arrived, the mood changed, the expectation grew, and so did our enthusiasm. We knew we were going to hear the words of everlasting life, and we were ready. The fact that I was there with 75 GS and CLU students and teachers was part of the joy. We were there together, and we were a presence. And I was acutely aware of Christ's presence among us. And I missed my students. I wished that they had come up with me, that they had been able to. It dawned on me that this nostalgia for my students was because what has happened at my school among us is the same as what was happening there that day. Christ was present.
So, I'm happy for the pope's visit. The pundits (thanks Matt Kohn) and the politicians, the journalists and the columnists, the faithful and the unfaithful will all have their opinions, but as for me it's clear.
Ubi Petrus, ibi Ecclesia, ubi Ecclesia, ibi Christo.
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