Thursday, March 13, 2014

"13 feet from the Pope & Washington D.C. White House Mob"


 

His Holy Father Pope Francis,                                      03/13/2014

I have been thinking of writing for a while, but first I had to know what I wanted to say. I was adopted out by Catholic Charities, my father Jerome Ernst worked for Catholic Charities, I spent my whole youthful life in the Catholic Church. We would be invited to the White House and Dad got me and my sister ready. I was 11 and she was 5. We took the car back then and then parked. The White House was amass with people near a quarter of the population of America was Catholic in 1979, and people had come from all around the D.C. area to get a glance at or hear the word of the Holy Father as he conducted mass on the Capital Mall. Dad had picked a place in line where he said the Pope was supposed to walk as he greeted people on the White House lawn. He always seemed to have the low down on what was going to happened and how to act.  Dad said, "He will come right by here." as we looked across the narrow ally made in the grass by simple ropes and posts  about 15 feet across with all the people straining at its edges and bulging noticeably here and there along the path all looking for that better view. After a long time of listening in the hot sun and the lush grass; (It really is a nice lawn.) Pope john Paul the 2nd made his way down the walk way. Then as one all the people began ducking under the ropes the path was quickly blocked. Dad still hung on to my little sister and said go ahead for as a child I knew that getting through a crowd of any size was possible, well almost any size, and had begun to ask when I saw all the others begin to go under the ropes. I swung under and made quickly towards a mass of growing people. I scrunched and squeezed my way along legs and under arms until I could go no further without really getting brawly, and pushy. The mass of people continued to move like some great magnet pulled them like iron shavings, the Pope as he continued to walk slower now but still forward. I could see the mini ring around him coming closer until it stopped a dozen feet away. In the center was the Pope. I was small and he was short so I kept just seeing the top of his head bob up and down as he greeted and lay blessings on people. Then for just a moment as others moved out and others rushed in like a sea, in that moment when they parted I saw him for a split second. A man standing in white, the Pope, Holy father, he was a man but his clothes were like royalty and his hands were gently clasped together in moment, his eyes closed for a split moment, the light gleamed of him and everybody was wanting to see him, and what I saw was him praying; for that brief second as he closed his eyes, he prayed. I made my way back to Dad and my sister after a while. I said yes Dad I saw him, but didn't get close enough to shake his hand.

I am a man now. Chef John Arthur Barnabus  Ernst

Eugene/Springfield Oregon USA

I am glad to see a man of the people. "For of my gifts Charity is the greatest", charity of the heart, charity of the hand, charity of the spirit in joyful union.      

THOR

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