The papal mass was on TV yesterday in the New York City area.  And by "on TV" I mean all of TV, as in channels 2,4,5,7,9, and 11---everything you can get with rabbit ears.  No sports, no political talk shows, not even infomercials.  Capitalism, entertainment, and politics all submitted, bowed down and gave way to the Pope and the Catholic mass at Yankee Stadium.  I thought this was simply extraordinary.  Not even the State of the Union address gets full six-channel, rabbit-ears coverage.  Time seemed to stop for the Pope, and all eyes were on Yankee Stadium not for baseball or a rock concert, but for a mass.

The mass itself was beautiful.  Before the Eucharist, prayers were offered in many languages, and the liturgy expressed the diversity found in New York City.  Every channel had an announcer and a color commentator, like they were covering the Rose Parade, yet I think that was actually a good thing.  Since the general public is naive about all things Christian, the commentators had to explain everything in great detail, including the doctrine of substantiation, why gifts are displayed before the pope, the significance of the bread and wine, the liturgical significance of prayer, the role of incense, etc.  All the Sunday afternoon TV viewers, so accustomed to old sci-fi flicks or Mets games, were funneled into the worship of thousands of people.

What a sight: thousands of people partaking in communion, and this receiving far more attention than baseball or the president for that matter. 

I was so encouraged by seeing the gospel displayed before all, not in fancy rhetoric or fiery preaching, but in the sacraments and song.  That is truly Christ proclaimed.  In the flesh, so to speak... ... more

Open question: How should a Protestant or Orthodox believer react to the Pope's visit?