Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Should I Go To Central Park to See Pope Francis? (Well, I Didn't!)

I haven't written a blog entry in awhile. Not sure why, perhaps it was writer's block. But anyhow, here I am facing a religious dilemna. My son was thoughtful enough to get me an unusal birthday present. He entered a lottery and won us both a ticket to view Pope Francis' motorcade through Central Park on September 25th. He was so excited to tell me that he had won and that we would be going. And I was excited too, at first, until I thought about it. I've been very blessed in that I was able to see Pope John Paul II on his two trips to New York City. I attended the Mass at Shea Stadium in October 1979 and the Mass at Aqueduct Raceway in Queens in 1995.  Then I saw Pope Benedict at the Farewell Ceremony at John F. Kennedy Airport in 2008. They were all remarkable experiences, that filled me with joy.  But I had a seat at each of those events and though you had to wait a long time and be seated well in advance it was well worth it, of course.
But I'm older now and the thought of being in Central Park among thousands of people unnerves me a bit. I'm not sure what I will do. I would love to see Pope Francis in person, love to be there to receive his blessing, which I'm sure he will do as his motorcade drives by but.......
I will be watching television, for other Papal events, which provides the greatest viewing, but I will have to pray about going to Central Park.
I entered another lottery for tickets for Madison Square Garden to attend a Mass with Pope Francis, which I would love to go to, but there have been so many entries, I'm not sure I would be lucky enough to win.
So right now my only option if I want to see Pope Francis in person, in New York,  is Central Park and I'm not sure what to do. I guess I should pray about it.
What a blessing to have Pope Francis in New York! What a blessing he is to the Church!
NJA

*UPDATE: I didn't go to see the Pope in Central Park, but my son did and he said I missed a lot. (Though he admitted it was chaotic at times, on the line to get in and it probably wasn't for me.) Not only did I miss seeing Pope Francis but I also missed the beautiful rainbow that suddenly appeared within a cloud, right before the Pope began the motorcade through the park. Clearly, God is with Pope Francis! Pope Francis' trip to the United States was a great success and renewed the faith of many. Alleluia!!