"Sede Vacante" at Work
Where will you be and what will you be doing when Benedict XVI ends his reign as Pope. You should know.
Living and working in the Eastern U.S., I marked the time in my calendar: 2 PM. My calendar will alert me before 2 PM. I want to be aware of the awesome moment.
I will work as if it were a normal day, except for this moment. "Except"? It sounds almost trivial. Forget I said that. What I'm trying to say is that this day is historic and important in the life of the Church, and so it is historic and important in each of our lives. Despite the busy-ness of my day today, in spite of the pressing deadlines, the occupation of my mind on all that's on my plate this typical work day, I can't afford to just let this great moment pass by virtually unnoticed. And neither should you.
So something like marking your calendar. Maybe you could do more.
At important moments like this, prayer and fasting will always be appropriate. I did so yesterday and will also do so today. Nothing draconian: just giving up a meal during the day, along with extra - and heartfelt - prayer for our Holy Father, as well as for the success of the upcoming Conclave.
As of 2 PM today, the papacy will be "sede vacante." The Chair of Peter will be vacant, empty. The last time this occurred was when John Paul II died and we awaited the election of Benedict. Now we will await the election of our new pope.
So it's not just that this day will be a day to remember the rest of our lives, perhaps a day we can recall to our children and grandchildren. The more important point is that our prayer and fasting matter in the greater scheme of things. We unite our will to God's Holy Will. We recognize that we all play a role in God's Plan for His Holy Church, which includes all of us, we members of the Church Militant.
We are Catholic. Never forget this. Always live your life in the light of this profound truth. Today is a day to show that you know this, that this matters, that your life is centered in your Holy Faith.
Living and working in the Eastern U.S., I marked the time in my calendar: 2 PM. My calendar will alert me before 2 PM. I want to be aware of the awesome moment.
I will work as if it were a normal day, except for this moment. "Except"? It sounds almost trivial. Forget I said that. What I'm trying to say is that this day is historic and important in the life of the Church, and so it is historic and important in each of our lives. Despite the busy-ness of my day today, in spite of the pressing deadlines, the occupation of my mind on all that's on my plate this typical work day, I can't afford to just let this great moment pass by virtually unnoticed. And neither should you.
So something like marking your calendar. Maybe you could do more.
At important moments like this, prayer and fasting will always be appropriate. I did so yesterday and will also do so today. Nothing draconian: just giving up a meal during the day, along with extra - and heartfelt - prayer for our Holy Father, as well as for the success of the upcoming Conclave.
As of 2 PM today, the papacy will be "sede vacante." The Chair of Peter will be vacant, empty. The last time this occurred was when John Paul II died and we awaited the election of Benedict. Now we will await the election of our new pope.
So it's not just that this day will be a day to remember the rest of our lives, perhaps a day we can recall to our children and grandchildren. The more important point is that our prayer and fasting matter in the greater scheme of things. We unite our will to God's Holy Will. We recognize that we all play a role in God's Plan for His Holy Church, which includes all of us, we members of the Church Militant.
We are Catholic. Never forget this. Always live your life in the light of this profound truth. Today is a day to show that you know this, that this matters, that your life is centered in your Holy Faith.
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