BEND — The diversity of the Church was made very evident to me these past two weeks. From the small gatherings of the faithful at Saint Anne and Saint Katherine in Monument and Dale, I traveled to Washington, DC to participate in a Mass at Nationals Stadium for nearly 50,000 people with the Holy Father. From there I returned to the diocese and traveled to Lakeview and Paisley where again I was struck by the enormous diversity. I did not travel to Plush or Adel this trip but hope to make it to these missions on my next journey to Lakeview. In a brief span of hours I went from the bustling city in the District of Columbia, surrounded by police and secret service personnel, to the quiet streets of Lakeview and Saint Patrick’s where I needed neither police nor secret service. At the same time there is a wonderfully unifying element. At each venue the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated and the saving deeds of the Lord were remembered and made present. By virtue of the externals, the event at Nationals Stadium received a lot more attention but at its core it is the same event celebrated in each of our rural parishes each week. Certainly the presence of the Holy Father greatly enhanced our appreciation of unity and more readily drew us into a deeper contemplation of the mysteries being celebrated, but we must never underestimate the power inherent in our local celebrations. Christ, the true source of all unity, is made present. The greater celebrations like the Holy Father’s visit, Christmas and Easter are certainly more significant in terms of the greater numbers and greater attention to detail but these do not in any way change the central core of the Mass. Hopefully, these greater celebrations enhance our appreciation of the beauty and dignity of every Mass and bring us to a deeper longing for an ever increasing reverence for the Mass.

The youngsters at Saint Patrick’s and Saint John’s were involved in a little reconnaissance. Actually, it was their pastor who sought out other confirmation venues to determine the usual line of questioning. This worked well for the most part. The youngsters knew all of the answers. Unfortunately, they did not necessarily link the proper answer to the proper question. In their enthusiasm they tended to answer questions I had not yet asked. Nonetheless the spontaneity of the youngsters provided a very wonderful backdrop against which to speak about the Liturgical Year as a repetitive Year of Hope.

This theme of hope is the one chosen by the Holy Father for his pastoral visit to the United States. Repeatedly in his remarks and addresses he returned to this great theme of hope. The hope about which he speaks is not the passing, shortsighted, meager hope which often fills our horizons but the one great hope which surpasses all others. “Christ our Hope” was the message billboard-ed in every conceivable way. His visit generated great enthusiasm and excitement and, as was certainly his intent, it fostered a joyful hope. Pope Benedict XVI is the visible head of the Church, the visible representative of Christ. He is more than simply the leader of the Church as government officials are the leaders of their countries. “The Pope, the Bishop of Rome and Peter’s successor, is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful. For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 882). Pope Benedict certainly manifests a beautiful personal charism but the reception he received has as much, if not more, to do with the office which he holds than the personal charism which he exhibits. It must be remembered, however, that the Holy Spirit selected Pope Benedict, albeit through very human instrumentality, and that a part of the Holy Spirit’s manifest wisdom would be the inclusion of a consideration of the charisms possessed by Pope Benedict. What I noticed about the Holy Father this week was very simply, deep peace, great gentleness and profound joy. At the same time he never wavered from the truths of the Church. In this realm he showed tremendous strength, unflinching conviction and resolute determination. His gentleness cannot be interpreted as weakness.

Perhaps many will draw some “sound bite” from his remarks and find cause either to read excessive meaning into those remarks or to minimize their importance. These are both dangers. For myself one passage caught my attention very strongly. In addressing the bishops the Holy Father touched on the issue of the sexual abuse of children. This he did frequently during his visit. In the crypt he noted: “While it must be remembered that the overwhelming majority of clergy and religious in America do outstanding work in bringing the liberating message of the Gospel to the people entrusted to their care, it is vitally important that the vulnerable always be shielded from those who would cause harm. In this regard, your efforts to heal and protect are bearing great fruit not only for those directly under your pastoral care, but for all of society. If they are to achieve their full purpose, however, the policies and programs you have adopted need to be placed in a wider context. Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today. They have a right to be educated in authentic moral values rooted in the dignity of the human person. This brings us back to our consideration of the centrality of the family and the need to promote the Gospel of life. What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today? We need to reassess urgently the values underpinning society, so that a sound moral formation can be offered to young people and adults alike.”

This struck me because of my great concern that some of the very programs which are used to educate children about the sexual abuse of children are exposing them to the same “degrading manifestations” of which the Holy Father speaks.