The press has moved on, the primary elections have seized the front pages of our newspapers, and the common people have returned to their tasks, without whom our streets would be covered with debris, orchestras would be silent, and classrooms without teachers would become citadels of anarchy.

As a nation, we are smiling a collective sigh of relief, and prayers of thanksgiving that Pope Benedict XVI arrived safely, traveled about, and returned to the Vatican in good health. Thank You, Lord!.

Before his election to the papacy, Wolfgang Cooper commented to BBC News,” I think if Cardinal Ratzinger was Pope, a large distance could grow between the leadership of the Church and the faithful.” Hasn’t happened. Could, though.

Cooper went on to say that the Pope “prefers intellectual discussions,” while many Catholics want priests and bishops “who will touch their hearts.” He’s right on the money, there.

A Pope-watcher and Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, John Allen, said that “the Pope’s first year of office was notable for its continuity. There is no discernible drift toward radically conservative figures, and there has been no earthquake in either liturgy or directives.”

Maybe so, but I, for one, am ambivalent toward the greater inclusion of the Tridentine Mass. The Mass is the Mass, is the Mass in any language, you might say. True, but a common language possesses a power to unite people in a way nothing else can. By the same token, the lack thereof can breed a certain air of superiority: better than, holier than, a cut above the crowd, just the kind of snobbishness Jesus came to destroy. However, there is slight possibility that the Latin Mass will so popular as to be highly divisive among the little people.

As I watched the sea of humanity surrounding the pope wherever he went, I stopped to ask myself, “What will happen to these people after he leaves? Do they have small faith communities back home, where they will feel comfortable sharing new ideas about their faith, and discuss how they can keep alive the excitement and insights accrued during the Pope’s visit?”

While here, the Pope condemned excessive consumerism, and we hope he found the same concern among our people, for it is certainly present, as simplicity begins to be the operative word from smaller homes to purchasing books on spirituality that are flying off our book store shelves. The old adage, “Tell me what you are reading, and I will tell you what you are becoming” should give us great hope. Someone has to be reading all those inspiring works!

Speaking of consumerism, the well-known Italian film director, Franco Zeffirelli doesn’t approve of the pope’s attire, as “too showy. These are not times of high-tailored church wear.” Zeffirelli believes Pope Benedict’s garments are “too sumptuous” and make the pontiff appear cold and removed from his surroundings.:

The Vatican explained Benedict’s use of traditional vestments, such as older, much taller miters during his Christmas greeting, by pointing to the need “to underline the continuity of today’s liturgical celebration with that which characterized the life of the church in the past.”

Not easy, being pope, sitting on the horns of the dilemma between living a life devoted to the poverty of Christ, and trying to please the crowds who do like their pageantry in living color.

For my money, I would outlaw the phrase “magisterium,” for it really separates the hierarchy from the people, placing shepherds at too great a distance from their sheep. Language matters. Father Don Bosco, friend of homeless boys on the way to sainthood. Father Don Bosco, member of the magisterium, on the way to a Cardinal’s hat.

Show me anyone who sprinkles his or her language with that term, and I’ll show you someone more interested in washing the outside of cups, seeking first places at table, and tossing scraps to beggars at their feet.

Lord, in Your mercy, please help us to separate gold from brass, that our lives may become worthy of Your leadership, sacrifice and love.

And thank You for the many blessings Pope Benedict brought with him to our shores. Amen.

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