papal ponderings with a new president-elect

Very recently, as in, the past few days or so, I've thought a lot about our late Holy Father, the great Giovanni Paolo Secondo, as the Italians call him. So often I'm so caught up in the happenings of the world and of life itself, that I often forget about him, a man I consider a spiritual grandfather, who, as Christ's Shepherd of Souls on earth held the youth of the Church very close to him, reminding them constantly of God's great call for their lives and of his fond affection for them. 

I wonder how he would respond to today's world. Granted, it hasn't been that long since he was with us, but I feel as though he would probably have enough to say about today's events and happenings. That's the beautiful thing about the Holy Father, regardless of who he is. When he speaks, the world listens. And not just listens. It listens attentively, with great care and respect for him and for the office he holds. His successor came to the United States just over six months ago, and people came out in droves to see him. I heard from the second-in-command for the UN police that the General Assembly was packed. I wonder what he would think about yesterday, what he would have to say to our new President-Elect with that fiery Polish spirit he had. I wonder what his response would be to the political messianism that has run so rampant in this country for the past few months. I can't help but think that part of him would point a big Polish finger in our direction and point us towards our true hope, to remind us that our hope is not in mere mortals, but in He, the Word of the Father, who came to us so humbly on a cold night. To perhaps chastise us for becoming so wound up in the things of this world. To re-orient us in the direction of Truth Himself. This isn't to say that our wonderful German Shepherd hasn't done that already. He's already provided us with his thoughts on the world in more ways than one. His arguments against relativism and for freedom in Christ are truly things the world needs to hear in these trying days. He reminded us not long ago to place our hope not in men, but in God. Il nostro papa Benedetto just seems more meek when it comes to vocalizing these things. His tremendous authority as Vicar of Christ is displayed so beautifully in his writings - he truly has a heart for the written word, and that's a great gift to the world. Part of me just feels that if President-Elect Obama and the charistmatic John Paul II who the cardinals elected in 1978 were to meet someday, my pope would win him over in a heartbeat.

Maybe this is just me trying to synthesize the past day's events. Maybe it's just me trying to think through what the next four years might be like in those areas most crucial to human dignity - the elderly, the handicapped, the poor, most specifically, the unborn of our nation. Or maybe it's just me being me, remembering our Giovanni Paolo, and trying to think of what he might say to this country after having elected Senator Obama.