“And all the whole earth wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3
There is allot of fuss being made over the Pope. It can be summarized in the words of one Catholic professor referring to the pope’s passing: “There was a point when I stopped praying for him and began praying to him.” I suppose his fame is natural since he is head of a one billion-member church. But, he is still just a man, chosen 26 years ago by other men.
I will admit, he seemed like a man of principles—he held strongly to what he believed in. Pope John Paul II helped bring an end to communism in Eastern Europe— that was a good thing. He promoted peace and human rights around the world. But in listening to all the adulation, I could not help but remember what Revelation 13 says about the papacy. When the pope was taken captive by Napoleon’s armies in 1798, it appeared that the papacy was an institution of the past. But Revelation 13 said that the “deadly wound” would be healed. People thought that Bill Clinton was the greatest “come-back kid.” How about the Papal system? Today, the whole world, both Catholics and non- Catholics, is tuned in and speaking of this great man. He is the most popular and well-known single individual in the world. According to some recent poles, he is the most influential person, also.
There are trends currently that have contributed to this pope’s popularity. There is a strong conservative movement in the world. People are looking back to better times and higher values. Because of the pope’s uncompromising stance on liberalizing issues such as abortion, marriage of priests, women in the priesthood, use of contraceptives, and etc., he won the respect of the growing # of conservatives. With the rise of postmodernism, reminders of the past have become popular.
There are few institutions currently in place that could boast of going back farther than the papacy.
Pope John Paul II was the most traveled of the popes. Because of transportation advances and media coverage, more people saw him than any other pope. His message was always simple—a current mark of greatness in this complex world.
There are some questions I would have liked to ask him. One of the simple messages he continually brought to the youth of the world was the need to avoid materialism, and seek to help the less fortunate. I could not help but remember those messages as his body was being carried around the Vatican square, one of the most opulent places in the world. St. Peters Cathedral is perhaps the most costly church. It’s construction began in 1506 under Pope Julius II. It wasn’t completed until 1626. It was built with the proceeds from the sale of indulgences. Those indulgences could be purchased without repentance or confession. Martin Luther refused to recognize the indulgences shown to him by his parishioners. Tetzel, who was selling the indulgences, threatened Luther with Inquisition. Luther was not one to be intimidated. Instead, he formulated the now famous “95 Theses” and nailed them to the door of the church. After doing so, the Protestant Reformation went into full swing. It was the need to raise funds to build the most opulent church in the world that drove Pope Leo X to devise a foolproof method of fundraising. The reaction of Martin Luther fueled the Reformation. Today, the pope decries the extravagant lifestyles of the “have” nations. Why not sale some of the properties and relics of the Vatican and show some sincerity for reform? After all, neither Peter or Christ lived a life of abundance.
Constantine was the first Christian Emperor of Rome. His father, Constantius, though not a Christian himself, was somewhat favorable towards the Christians, and helped bring to an end the persecution of Diocletian. Constantine was followed by his son, also named Constantius. Under Constantine, Constantinople was built and the Roman capitol was moved from Rome. The palace the emperor built for himself was unequaled in the world. The historian Gibbon said that the cost of the servants and attendants of the palace surpassed the cost of the Roman military. Constantine’s son carried on the opulent tradition. The next emperor, Julian, a nephew of Constantius, endeavored to take the Roman people back to the traditional worship of the pagan gods. This was primarily because he had seen, at the age of seven, his parents murdered in cold blood by his uncle Constantius—to secure the throne. The impression made on that young mind was never to leave, and though he acted like he was absorbing the Christian teachings put before him, he was cherishing a love for the values and morals of Rome’s past glory. As soon as he became emperor, at age 21, he threw off his Christianity and introduced many reforms. Among the reforms was a return to simplicity. He fired most of the palace staff and servants, slept on the floor, grew a beard, wore common clothes, mingled among the ordinary people, became a vegetarian, introduced religious freedom, etc. He could almost be called the first “hippie!” Julian was not perfect, and committed some of his own injustices. But, what I admire about him is that he practiced what he preached.
Until next time,
Dennis
dennispumford.com.
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