Pope Benedict XVI has just completed a "lap" around the field at Nationals Park in Washington DC and will say Mass in front of an estimated 45,000 people. A wonderful pan shot shows cardinals clapping as the sound of a hymn rises over the cheers of the crowd and the Pope disappears out of sight to disembark from the "Pope-mobile".
It is a beautiful sunny day outside. The welcome by the crowd was overwhelming. Mass will begin at 10 a.m. Look for the kids from St. Winifred's Roman Catholic church from the Pittsburgh area in the crowd :)
If you are not a Catholic and would like to understand the Mass better than my simple explanations, see this site for a walk-through of a Mass.
As promised to my visually impaired readers, here is a live visual description. As the Pope approaches the altar dressed in scarlet robes, he waves to the crowd, then stops to shake the hands of people close enough to him. Flanked by bishops and cardinals in scarlet robes, he leaves their ranks to talk to people, taking his time as he does so. Now he is ascending the long ramp up to the altar, still waving at the crowd. He turns on the ramp platform, ascends the other way and waves to the crowd on the other side.
The Pope is seated behind the altar, facing the crowd. His chair is gold with a white section behind him and what appears to be a chalice over his head engraved into the chair. The altar has crosses on the front and behind each cross is a white candle in a gold holder. Pope Benedict XVI stands and opens his arms wide. The crowd claps and cheers. He brings his hands together, as in prayer, then sits back down.
As the miter is removed from the Pope's head, a third "standing ovation" occurs. Mass begins as the Pope tells the crowd that in our time together, let us remember Christ. The chair upon which the Pope is seated is on a podium behind the altar. There is a gold curtain with a large gold crucifix behind the podium. The floor is gold and there are wide steps approaching the altar and more narrow steps approaching the podium with the Pope's seat.
The first reading from the Scriptures is in Spanish, reflecting that our country is a nation of immigrants, as well as the large Hispanic Catholic community in our country. The second reading is taken from Romans, the words of St. Paul. These readings speak to the Holy Spirit inspiring us to be a force for reconciliation, justice and peace in the world, according to George Weigel, commentator.
Alleluia is sung as the Pope blesses the con celebrants. They bow. The Pope rises for the reading by the priest. " A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to John". It is about Christ's return to the Apostles after his earthly death and his message: "Peace be with you. Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them; whose sins you retain, are retained. " Alleluia is sung. The Pope sits down and begins his homily. (Forgive my paraphrasing where it may not be accurate, but I did my best for those who missed it or couldn't hear it. I am multitasking a bit here.)
Pope Benedict XVI speaks of an appreciation for the rich diversity of American Catholics. He talks of a spirit of community, a mystical body and salvation for all humanity through constant conversion through Christ and an invitation to all people to enter into community. He talks of a time of great promise, yet signs of alienation, increased violence and a growing forgetfulness of Christ. It is a crossroad for the church in America and the world. He speaks of the human family being reconciled in justice and love through the Holy Spirit, bringing us a true freedom which enables us to live in conformity to God's will.
The Pope offers a word of gratitude toward those who have taken up the call from Vatican 2. He speaks of a path of commitment to justice and peace, saying there is much to be done. The Pope speaks of an intellectual culture that is genuinely Catholic and notes the urgent issues affecting the future of American society and recognizes that Americans are a people of hope. He speaks of injustices toward Native Americans and slaves from Africa.
The Pope speaks of the pain caused by the sexual abuse of minors and says he acknowledges, but cannot describe the damage caused to the church nor the pain and harm inflicted upon those who suffer. He urges efforts toward healing and reconciliation as the Holy Spirit pours out its gifts upon the church, saying those who have suffered need support and efforts to protect children from sexual abuse must continue. He asks us to reach out to those who suffer, no matter who we are and to trust in the Holy Spirit's power to heal. He offers a prayer of unfailing hope and faithful endurance, noting the church is constantly reborn in hopes of a new beginning.
The Pope then delivered a homily in Spanish after which he pauses and is silent. The Mass continues. Petitions are offered in half a dozen languages, beginning with a petition to give clergy and Catholics the courage to proclaim our hope in the Lord.
The gifts are brought to the altar, directly to the Pope on the podium. The Pope greets each person, taking their hand, smiling, exchanging a few words with each one. Some are nuns, priests, a seminarian I think and many lay people. Afterwards, the Pope smiles and descends from the podium to the altar where he greets more lay people.
The miter is again removed and the Pope approaches the altar, leading the Eucharistic prayer, flanked by at least half a dozen members of the clergy, including the Archbishop of Washington and the Vatican Secretary of State. The sign of peace is offered as the Pope greets those on the podium with him and the congregants offer it to each other as brothers and sisters, to reconcile with each other before receiving the body of Christ in Holy Communion. The Pope leaves the altar to distribute Communion at the bottom of the steps.
Bright yellow umbrellas are held over the heads of those distributing Communion, except for the Pope. The umbrellas not only help people see where to go, but cast a celebratory hue as the estimated 46,000 people receive the body of Christ. The Pope returns to his seat to pray, his eyes closed, as Communion continues to be distributed to the large crowd.
Placido Domingo is now singing Panis Angelicus. The Pope leads the prayer after Communion and gives an apostolic blessing over religious articles brought, including the new cornerstone and tabernacle of St. John Paul II high school, a new Catholic high school in Arlington, VA.
The Mass is ended as the Pope waves to the crowd. The Pope kneels at the altar, then, his right hand to his heart, pauses, watching the crowds as other clergy members descend the steps to the ground floor of the stadium. The Pope goes down the ramp behind a few other clergy members, waving. Walking down the white carpet on the ground of the stadium,the Pope continues to wave to the crowd. He reaches the edge of the stadium and descends steps into a dugout as the procession of other clegy members, dressed in scarlet, continues. The Pope has left the stadium, according to commentators.
This concludes my visual description of Pope Benedict XVI's first Mass in the US.
5 comments:
Thanks so much Ruth. God bless this is wonderful I'm listening but now I feel as if someone is here telling me.
No biggie. Thanks for the feedback. I'm on the phone with a visually impaired friend asking her what people would like to know and hopefully I'll get to those descriptions.
My poor old eyes can' see the screen so this is a help. Can you tell me wehre the pews are?
Sure. It's outside so not really pews. There are filled rows of chairs (3 I think?) in front of the raised altar and many people sit in the stands of the stadium. Let me know if you want anything else described.
Correction, four rows in front of the raised altar- two shorter flanking it on the sides and two longer ones straight up facing it.
Post a Comment