“C” is for ‘choice’ … and lots more!

It is also for ‘church’ and ‘college of cardinals’ and ‘Catholic’ and ‘conclave’ as in papal conclave. Yes, the Catholic Church has a choice to make. In a few weeks, the cardinals will gather in a papal conclave to choose a Pope.After celebrating a mass together, they will go to the Sistine Chapel singing, “Come, Creator Spirit” (Veni Creator Spiritus). They will all shout out, “Extra omnes” – ‘everybody out!”, and the doors will we closed and theChapel will be sealed. 

To be sure, this is an important choice – choosing the next leader of the Catholic Church worldwide. It is a world that keeps changing, the center of the Church has moved to other continents and to other national churches where membership is growing and congregations and congregants have a wonderful vitality. (By the way, this is not just happening in the Catholic Church – this is true of many major Christian denominations, e.g. my own Lutheran Church.)

There will be lots written about the cardinals’ choice in the coming weeks.There will be leading candidates – usually cardinals who have standing and regard among their colleagues and others in the Church. (the last non-cardinal elected Pope was Urban VI in 1379 his papacy led to the Great Schism!) There is even a name to describe those who are likely to get elected: papabile (pope-able). We will hear about possible papabiles.

Eventually, a choice will be made and there will be a new Pope. But that will only be the beginning of the choices … The Pope will need to make choices about many issues, on matters inside and, sometimes, outside the Church. Many of the choices he makes and shares will have an impact on the choices of others – choices others can make, choices others will make. The Pope has much to say about how the Church is run (he does work with a Curia) and the Pope has much to say that will guide or influence those who are part of the church. The Pope can choose to speak on important issues in the world that will affect ecumenical relations, interfaith dialogues, political discussions and more. Choices, choices, choices …

No matter how much hype and publicity are given to the papal conclave – this is not really about a one-choice-moment, but about many choices that the one choice will be put into motion.

This is so true for all of us and the “one-choice-moments” in our lives – choosing a marriage partner, taking on a job, joining an organization, agreeing to a responsibility. The one choice is really a commitment about many choices that are yet to come; choices that we often have no way of anticipating as we make the one choice. Our one choice includes a commitment to meet challenges and to make the additional choices that will take seriously the ‘one choice’ that we have made.

So it is with our faith lives. In the Lutheran tradition, many make a choice to be a follower of Jesus when they affirm their Baptism (‘get confirmed’). In other faiths, people make a decision (a choice) for Christ through a prayer.These moments are important, but they are not any more important than the moments yet to come, the moments that will demand other choices.Following Jesus is an everyday adventure that brings choices – it brings them everyday! The Good News is that we make all of our choices knowing that Jesus had a one-choice moment –when he died for each of us. This makes a big difference for so many of us – the choices they make, the choices they can make.

When the cardinals are casting their votes for Pope, each recites an oath before they vote (choice): "I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected." In other words, “my vote is what I believe to be God’s will, what I believe to be God- pleasing”.  Imagine if we took this same oath before we made important choices in our daily lives!

Prior to entering the choosing process, the cardinals shout out, ‘Extra omnes’ (everybody get out!). They ‘sweep the Chapel’ – as if to acknowledge, “We need to be clear of all distractions, of all those things that do not belong in this choosing.”

Now, it is hardly realistic to think we could possibly be so clear as we make choices or that we could so easily dismiss all the distractions in our lives, but we might just benefit by clearing our minds a bit before choosing, so that we honor the one-choice moments in our lives with our subsequent choices.

In any case, I will be following the news of the cardinals, curious about their ‘choice’ and remembering that “C” is for choices!