Thursday, September
12, 2024 will forever remain etched in my memory as the day Pope Francis most
congenially celebrated mass to mark our 93rd month of marriage. I joked
with P that it was nice of our Holy Father to pop by Singapore to help us
celebrate our monthiversary.
P and I
mark the 12th of every month with prayer and, where possible, with
Mass. This is because we consecrated ourselves to Mother Mary on our wedding
day and we repeat the consecration prayer monthly to renew ourselves in the
Spirit and remember our wedding vows to each other.
I never
really noticed that 12 September is also the Memorial of the Most Holy Name of the
Blessed Virgin Mary until it was noted at the Papal Mass. It was a wow moment
for me for it felt like a double blessing. Mother Mary, the one who brought us
together in marriage, and who keeps us bound together in love is the one whose
name I invoke very often when I pray for the wisdom and clarity to know how to
walk. I also desire her gentleness which I so sorely lack - she is my role
model.
Although I
was not quite looking forward to the crowds, 50,000 people is daunting for me,
I really had a wonderful time. I met up with so many people I knew and haven’t seen
in a while. I got to pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy with so many brothers and
sisters before the Eucharistic celebration. My community came from all
different parts of the stadium to attempt a group photo and that for me represented
the nature of my faith – universal, for everyone; diverse yet united as echoed
by the theme of the event Together in Unity and Hope.
I am
grateful that I got to see Pope Francis in person, and to be inspired by his
simple joy and strong faith. He is indeed the successor of Peter, the rock on
which Christ has built His church from the time of Peter until present time. How
arduous this entire 12-day trip must have been for him, a trip that took him to
Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and, finally, Singapore. He was always on the go, going from event to
event, crowd to crowd, under the constant cynosure of the press, with very
little opportunity to just chill and be himself.
His message to young people of being courageous, to take risks, and to get out of our comfort zones in order to connect with others of different faiths was on point. The world needs more building up and connecting, than tearing down and dividing. Let me apply these principles not just to those I meet on an everyday basis, but first and foremost within my own home, and especially within my own marriage. Grazie mille, Papa Francesco.
