I've noticed that the death and funeral of the Pope has brought forth many comments of varying shades of opinion. I was interested in Michael Spencer's post at the Internet Monk as I had a similar type of experience as he had. There was, when I was young, quite a large gulf between protestant and Roman Catholic. This was partly based on colonial history and partly on ignorance. The gap was filled, at least on my protestant side with shadowy fears, tales of superstition and wild ignorant guesses. Education only reinforced the gap between the two. There were many smallish parish schools and there were schools run by the government. Larger protestant grammar schools were only for the very well heeled in society.
I was brought up in what was basically an agnostic home, so prejudices were not ingrained there. If anything, there was an apathy to all forms of Christianity. I was sent to Sunday School, although, looking back, I think that this was possibly a ploy on my parents' part to have the house to themselves for a couple of hours on Sunday morning! I know they later regretted sending me.
As Michael Spencer found, I also found as I moved out that those whom I had previously feared had much more in common with me than I had imagined. I married into a group which had a very conservative outlook, even to other protestant groups, and spent many years there chafing at the bit. Very good grounding in the Bible, although there was much I never did really agree with. I've noticed blogs by many who have managed to escape from the stifling clutches of this group.
When we finally left I was able to widen my views. Many who were charismatic Catholics, had a vibrant prayer life which put me to shame. Their zeal and devotion were inspiring to me. I went to colleges and did much more study. What an eyeopener that was. I have been so grateful for the wealth of Catholic scholarship which has been a real blessing to me. I am one of those strange people who get a real "kick" out of suddenly discovering a new point of view on a passage, or a new meaning for a word or even a note on a grammatical construction in the Greek. Catholic journals and texts were rich in such moments.
This long preamble really leads me to the funeral of the Pope.
I am very much aware that not one of us, nor any one branch of Christianity has the whole truth. Paul says that we cannot imagine what God has prepared for us. There was a huge drama and spectacle being played out for all to see. Possibly the largest of such dramas in history. That in itself was amazing.
The small group I attended for many years eschewed anything which smacked of symbolism. The denomination I currently attend is much the same. I find it fascinating. At college, we were taken to not only the Greek Orthodox college and church here at Redfern but also to the Coptic Cathedral at Arncliffe. Some cultural differences and problems certainly, but I found many of the explanations of the history of different practices very pleasing. I've also attended some services, including a baptism, at the beautiful, tiny Serbian Orthodox church at Alexandria.
In all of these I've been warmed by the sense of continuity, the communion of saints as the creed puts it. Practices, centuries old, still today have meaning. And so it was at the funeral. Large portions of Scripture read aloud and prayed. The commentator translated portions of the Nicene Creed. This was a joy to hear, knowing the words in English. What a sense of the communion of the saints as I listened to the familiar words and thought of their origin, a safeguard against heresies which are still around today. Behind the spectacle and drama was the laying to rest of a brother in Christ gone to see his Lord.
For me, ignorance has not been bliss. Education and experience has allowed me to overcome sectarian prejudices ingrained at an early age. I have found warmth and blessing in this and have enjoyed the fellowship of other believers.
My other comment on the funeral of the Pope is broader. Death comes to all and is a part of life. It's been called the great leveller. The funeral was an example of this but was also an example of being a leveller of another kind. It was attended by not only hundreds of thousands of everyday people, but by Prime Ministers, Presidents, Heads of State and royalty of many nations. I found it gratifying to see that the cameras rarely focussed on these people. They were basically just part of the crowd. The camera panned along the row and there was Bush, just a face in the crowd with nothing to say as the centuries old ceremony proceeded. Prince Charles, his wedding postponed a day, another face. Presidents of many nations, often quarrelling with other presidents. All were just little more than minor players in the drama.
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