I was intrigued by the fact that the conclave issued the white smoke to show that a new Pope had been elected on May 8th the 80th anniversary of VE Day. What a coincidence that these two momentous events took place on the same day. One of the strong issues of the late Pope Francis was peace in the world. Pope Leo XIV has vowed to continue this aim. His first blessing prayed for “unity” and “humanity” so “we can all be one people, always in peace.” It was certainly a day for celebrations around the hope for peace but also a tinge of sadness of loss of those who died as a result of the war and the death of Pope Francis. We all enjoy celebrating with friends and family but there is often a slight sadness of loss of some sort or another. Emotions are complicated feelings. Rarely are they completely one thing, happiness, sadness, excitement, fear etc. When I was working and something different had to be sorted out, I would tell my boss that I had butterflies in my tummy! He would always say that it was excitement not fear. I was not convinced and felt it was both, sometimes one more than the other. It must have been much the same for Jesus during what we now call Passion week. Palm Sunday would have been exciting, with all the crowds glorifying Him but He was aware of where it was leading so would be worried too. Maundy Thursday when He was washing the disciple’s feet there would again be the mixed emotion of doing something to serve his friends but knowing how close His death was. Good Friday would be the ultimate confliction, knowing He was dying for us and being frightened too. It is not surprising that we get mixed up emotions. Perhaps we need this conflict to balance our lives.
This month’s book is The Secret Collector by Abigail Johnson. It is a story about how feelings and emotions can change over time. I really enjoyed it.
God Bless
Maureen Kendall