One, Holy, Smelly, and Apostolic Church

From April 24 – May 4, I joined a group of twelve young adults from the Archdiocese of Chicago on a pilgrimage to Rome for the canonizations of John Paul II and John XXIII. The experience was incredible and gave each of us memories that we will always cherish. Having personally seen Pope John Paul II in the Vatican Square back in the spring of 2004, the canonization was especially meaningful.

For over a year, I had been eagerly anticipating this trip. I couldn't wait to celebrate the life of one of my favorite saints (not to slight John XXIII!), and apparently, I wasn't the only one who felt this way. Over eight hundred thousand people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to witness this monumental event in Church history.

Eight hundred thousand.

That’s a lot of people… People who knock you over with their over-sized backpacks. People who tragically forget to put on deodorant. People who talk just a little (read: way) too loudly on their cellphones during the Mass. People who get so pushy that you think they're trying to cop a feel. This historical, holy, and sacramental moment would have been just perfect... if only it weren't for all the people. 

While standing among these crowds during the canonization Mass, it was a constant temptation to forget Jesus’ call to love one another (because of course, it's not like I was annoying anyone else, right?). But as frustrating as the person next to me might have been, one thought kept crossing my mind: all of these hundreds of thousands of people belong to the same Catholic Church. We might have been speaking different languages, but we all knew exactly when to join hands and pray the Lord’s Prayer. We all shook hands and exchanged the Sign of Peace with different words, but the same message. We all bowed in prayer during the Consecration. Every single person in that massive crowd was completely unique and entirely unrepeatable, but we all worshipped our one Lord in the same way.

Looking throughout the crowds, we saw people of every age and country. One banner displayed the Japanese flag with the words, “You are our Pope.” A little boy sat on his father’s shoulders and waved the Polish flag (by the way, don’t mess with little, old, Polish ladies. They mean business). Whole families gathered from every continent to celebrate the lives of two men who lived and died years ago. What other celebrity could draw crowds stretching for over half a mile? Who else could gather people from every corner of the globe?

Jesus told His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, until the end of time” (Matthew 28:19-20). Despite all odds and persecutions, these twelve poor and uneducated men did it. Somehow, they got the message out so loudly and clearly that 2,000 years later, eight hundred thousand of the faithful would voluntarily stand in a miserable crowd to celebrate two of our eternally-living brothers. What other worldly empire has achieved such a feat?

So, why make such a big deal about our universal Church? Is this just a bragging right, or something more? Being part of a universal Church means many things. It reminds us that every human being on this earth (Catholic or non-) is a child of God, and therefore deserving of love, respect, and dignity. It reminds us that despite our many differences, we are all redeemed by the one cross of Christ, and nourished by His one Eucharistic body. It reminds us that we ourselves make up that one Body.

Until this pilgrimage, I had never really appreciated St. Paul’s words, “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and  like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5). We are all called to be living stones just like Jesus. You and I are the Church. What we say, do, give, and pray builds her up as a mighty fortress. Every single person in St. Peter’s Square on that day is a living stone building up Christ’s Church.

Are you being a “living stone”? Is your faith moving you to take action, to care for the poor and forgotten, to forgive the unforgiveable, and to choose Jesus instead of money and fame? Is Jesus’ light shining a little brighter because of you? Truly, each and every one of these stones is “precious in God’s sight." St. John Paul the Great once said that he didn't like the word 'crowd' because it was too anonymous. Instead, he preferred 'multitude.' Well, if you gather enough of these living stones, no matter how small, you'll get a multitude that is literally bursting through the Vatican Walls and making the whole world take notice.

Just 800,000 of our closest friends at St. Peter's Square for the Canonization Mass.