A couple of emails from Catholics expressing displeasure<\/strong> at the news that Nancy Pelosi is heading to Rome with a contingent of legislators<\/a> and will take a meeting with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.<\/p>\n Wrote a former marine who seem pretty angry:<\/p>\n I am deeply concerned about this matter as I personally believe that Mrs. Pelosi should be excommunicated<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I understand where this fellow is coming from, but I am elated, rather than disturbed, that Mrs. Pelosi is meeting with the pope. I hope the Holy Spirit, who has a habit of confounding us by using the most surprising<\/a> people<\/a> and circumstances<\/a> to work God\u2019s will, finds the meeting irresistible and begins to use Mrs. Pelosi to God\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n The idea of pro-choice Catholics receiving Communion<\/strong> causes scandal for many who believe that such an action diminishes what the Holy Eucharist is: the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. To them, a prominently pro-choice woman like Mrs. Pelosi meeting the pope brings equal scandal; to their way of thinking, unless he \u201cexcommunicates her on the spot or publicly corrects her,\u201d Benedict\u2019s authority will be diminished, as well.<\/p>\n Well, \u201cbringing scandal,\u201d which can shake the faith of many is a legitimate concern, but we should remember firstly that Jesus cannot be diminished by any mere human; he is the gift freely given<\/a>. The pope can<\/em> be diminished by another human, but I do not believe his meeting with Mrs. Pelosi effects this, and this is why: God is not done with any of us, yet.<\/em><\/p>\n Pope Benedict, while the Vicar of Christ,<\/strong> is still first and foremost a shepherd and pastor. His duty is to tend the sheep, both healthy and sick, obedient or straying. Some may insist that Mrs. Pelosi is a \u201csick\u201d sheep that should be excommunicated and set apart, lest she infect the rest of the flock.<\/p>\n Mrs. Pelosi is a public Catholic who has clearly demonstrated her woeful misunderstanding of some church teachings<\/a>. Whether her lack of comprehension is willfull lying, an immature spirituality or a true deficiency<\/a> we can only guess, because none of us can read souls. Since she clearly needs instruction, who better to give it than the Bishop of Rome?<\/p>\n Whether she will accept that instruction will remain to be seen\u2026but we must always remember this from the Catechism:<\/p>\n The confessor is not the master of God\u2019s forgiveness, but its servant. The minister of this sacrament should unite himself to the intention and charity of Christ. He should have a proven knowledge of Christian behavior, experience of human affairs, respect and sensitivity toward the one who has fallen. He must love the truth, be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church, and lead the penitent with patience toward healing and full maturity. He must pray and do penance for his penitent, entrusting him to the Lord\u2019s mercy. This describes the role of the confessor \u2013 to lead the penitent with patience toward healing and full maturity \u2013 but it also describes the role of every pastor. If a shepherd has a wandering sheep, his first concern must be to teach and to retrain, not to cast the sheep aside or banish it to the corral, where the chances of its ever learning<\/em> how to safely graze will be so greatly diminished that it will have no protection from the wolves.<\/p>\n Of course Benedict should meet with Mrs. Pelosi. And of course that meeting will seem like a \u201cvictory\u201d for dissenting Catholics who will consider that she has lorded something over on the humble Benedict. Looking at things with earthbound eyes, it will be all they see, and it will be an illusion.<\/p>\n What we will not see, and will not be able to measure<\/strong>, will be the impact of this meeting \u2013 long range \u2013 on Mrs. Pelosi. Now, it\u2019s possible that the meeting will effect no change in her. If she is resolutely \u201cclosed\u201d then it will have little impact; recall that when Jesus was in his hometown where belief was minimal, he did not perform many miracles because he had no openings to do so.<\/p>\n But if Mrs. Pelosi has any openness at all, then the Holy Spirit will do what He will and eventually \u2013 perhaps not for years, but eventually \u2013 we will see the fruits of that openness.<\/p>\n How many times in life have you found that a prayer you tossed off without much thought ended up having repercussions you only learned about much later.<\/p>\n We may not ever know the whys and wherefores \u2013 we each of us, no matter how public, still intercourse privately with God \u2013 but it is hard to believe the Holy Spirit will allow this meeting to go to waste. Good seed will be sown; whether Pelosi allows it to take root in her will be up to her \u2013 faith is a choice for all of us \u2013 but I suspect she will come away from this meeting surprised in some way. And \u2013 for those focusing on her role as a Catholic politician, that may affect how things go in this country. Maybe not tomorrow, but eventually.<\/p>\n Truthfully, there is no down side to this meeting.<\/strong> The Pontiff is doing his job; if Pelosi remains unmoved, she\u2019ll simply continue to be who and what she is, but if she is \u201cturned\u201d or \u201cconverted\u201d \u2013 retrained by the shepherd to safely graze \u2013 then that can only be a positive for America. As Deacon Greg writes, God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called<\/a>. We have no idea what can happen when a shepherd confronts a recalcitrant sheep in prayer and love.<\/p>\n We all of us become passionate about our politics, but we can never forget the simple truth that even these politicians are mere mortals, subject to the work of God. As Christians we can only<\/em> want healing and conversion for this woman, and trust that Christ \u2013 who is big enough to take on all comers, and who likely will be received in Communion before the world\u2019s camera\u2019s at some point in her trip \u2013 is given the opportunity to work on her \u201cfrom the inside out,\u201d so to speak.<\/p>\n Because even a worthy and faithful shepherd needs the help of Christe Jesu, pastor bone<\/em>, the Good Shepherd, who knows his sheep, and who ate with tax collectors and sinners.<\/p>\n So be generous \u2013 not negative, for there are no negatives in Christ \u2013 and pray for Mrs. Pelosi. Pray for her, and for Pope Benedict, that their meeting may bear good fruit by God\u2019s measure, not our own.<\/p>\n Be creative and broad in your prayer.<\/strong> Ask your Guardian Angel to carry your prayer before the Lord of Hosts and to remain there, a while, in prayer for Nancy Pelosi. Ask Anna \u2013 the woman who lived in the temple, \u201cpraying day and night,\u201d to pray for Pelosi, whose name is a derivative of \u201cAnne.\u201d Ask Padre Pio, the great, famously cranky Franciscan confessor and reader of souls to pray with you, for her. Invite the great teacher Cardinal John O\u2019 Connor into your prayer. Ask Mary, the Mother of Christ \u2013 who is a mother, like Pelosi, and the Patroness of the Unborn \u2013 to pray for both Pelosi and the pope. Ask Pope John Paul II to pray for Benedict and support him in their meeting. Ask some of our presidents, Washington, Lincoln, even Reagan \u2013 to pray that God\u2019s will be effected in the life of Nancy Pelosi. Otherwise, what\u2019s the point of confessing the Communion of Saints<\/a> in the Apostles Creed?<\/p>\n Pray every day for our leadership, but during these next 8 days, why not pray for Pelosi, especially, in this way?<\/p>\n And then trust<\/em>.<\/strong> And do not be afraid<\/em>. All things work to God\u2019s purposes, even when we cannot imagine how. Surprises and mysteries are the most joyful and interesting part of the life of faith! And praying for others will only strengthen our own faith, hope and charity.<\/p>\n It\u2019s good training for Lent, too, which begins on February 25.<\/p>\n Deacon Greg<\/strong> has more \u201cupset-Catholic\u201d email on this meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n Deal Hudson<\/strong> has more thoughts<\/a><\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> A couple of emails from Catholics expressing displeasure at the news that Nancy Pelosi is heading to Rome with a contingent of legislators and will take a meeting with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. Wrote a former marine who seem pretty angry: I am deeply concerned about this matter as I personally believe that Mrs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,26,44,54,62,92,96,145,154,165,209,251,252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-america","category-benedict-xvi","category-catholicism","category-communion-of-saints","category-culture-of-lifedeath","category-eucharist","category-faith","category-john-paul-ii","category-lent","category-mary","category-prayer","category-the-fourth-estate","category-the-pelosi"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\u2014 Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/a>, 1466<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nThe Guardian Angels<\/a>
\nPraying with the Cloud of Witnesses<\/a>
\n\u201cDo Not Be Afraid; John Paul called out to the world<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"