Papal Bowling

Two popes from my lifetime were canonized today in Rome.

While hundreds of thousands converged in Vatican City to celebrate, some pundits pooh-poohed the canonizations for any number of reasons (and, I expect, motivations). One that caught my attention was that Pope Francis somehow was finessing the day by canonizing a presumed conservative, John Paul II, and a liberal, John XXIII and, by doing so, uniting different factions of the church.

Were these men so different? Imagine JXXIII and JPII on the same bowling team – or at least in the same Thursday night league. Maybe sharing a pitcher of beer, they strike up a conversation.

While standing at the jukebox, JPII starts, “I have a sweet tooth for song and music. This is my Polish sin.”

Considering that point, and recalling his own heritage, JXXIII adds, “Italians come to ruin most generally in three ways, women, gambling, and farming. My family chose the slowest one."

Both men laugh and take their turns on the lanes. JPII scores a strike, JXXIII picks up a tricky 1-7 split for a spare. Soon talk turns to family. “The family is the first essential cell of human society,” avers JXXIII. “It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father,” he adds.

JPII considers this point, chews a pretzel stick, and replies, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” He signals the server – it’s his turn to buy a round.

With fresh beers and both scoring spares, they reflect on society at large and the attempts various groups make to achieve change and justice. “Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create,” suggests JPII.

JXXIII considers this statement, takes a long draw on his beer and adds, “A peaceful man does more good than a learned one.”

The evening continues through three games – JPII scores a 624 series – his highest ever and JXXIII couldn’t quite get into the groove and scores a full 30 pins lower than his average. JPII suggests that the oil on the lanes was a bit off this evening. JXXIII waves off the excuse offered by his friend saying, “The feelings of my smallness and my nothingness always kept me good company.”

They pay their tabs and each notices the other leaving rather large tips. Seeing JPII’s gaze, JXXIII asserts, “Workers must be paid a wage which allows them to live a truly human life and to fulfill their family obligations in a worthy manner.”

JPII agrees, “A just wage is the concrete means of verifying the justice of the economic system… It is not the only means of checking, but it is a particularly important one and in a sense the key means.”

Yes, I only offer a limited sampling of quotes, but I really don’t see where these two men would disagree much let alone devolve into shouting matches that end in accusations of idiocy or racism. I expect that they would have genuine curiosity and mutual respect for each other.

Hopefully, those attributes don't require the patience of a saint.








Quotes attributed to each pontiff from the following sources:
http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/pope-john-xxiii-quotes.cfm http://catholicfire.blogspot.com/2006/04/john-paul-ii-my-favorite-quotes.html http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pope_john_paul_ii.html http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pope_john_xxiii.html

Photo reported in the public domain and from: 
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Rome-preparing-for-the-canonisation-of-Pope-John-XXIII-and-Pope-John-Paul-II-30708.html