2005 Is The Year of The Panchen Lama

	On May14, 1995, six year old Gendun Choekyi Nyima was identified by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama. For those of us not versed in Buddhist tradition, I looked it up:
• ABOUT THE PANCHEN LAMA The Panchen Lama is the second most important figure in Tibetan culture, religion and politics, after His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title Panchen Lama originates back to the Fifth Dalai Lama who, in 1642, gave the title Panchen Lama, meaning Great Scholar, to his teacher the Abbott of Tashilhunpo Monastery in order to consolidate Gelugpa power. Since then it has traditionally been the role of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama to act as the teacher of the new incarnation. • STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE DALAI LAMA (5/14/95) "Today is the auspicious day when the Buddha first gave the Kalachakra teaching. The Kalachakra teachings have a special connection with the Panchen Lamas. On this auspicious occasion, which also happens to be the Vaisaki, it is with great joy that I am able to proclaim the reincarnation of Panchen Rinpoche. I have recognised Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, born on April 25, 1989, whose father is Konckok Phuntsog, and mother Dechen Choden, of Lhari district in Nagchu, Tibet, as the true reincarnation of Panchen Rinpoche." (from the tibet-society.org web site) Shortly after being identified as the 11th Panchen Lama, Gendun Choekyi Nyima disappeared from his homeland, along with his family. The Chinese government started out by denying any involvement. But in 1997 they admitted to holding him in custody to protect him from his people. It appears that there has been no news of him since that time. The Chinese government took possession of a six year old boy and his family and have held them in custody for the last ten years. For the last eight years, neither the boy or his family have been heard from. Today this young boy turns 16. Update 04/29/2005 - Off and on over the days since this was first posted I have considered the actions of Chinese government and tried to understand the how and why of their taking this child. I began to reflect on the idea that a government, any government, must be able to defend itself from those who wish it harm. And, yes, 9/11 came to mind and our invasion of Iraq. And Guantanamo Bay. And Afghanistan. And I had to honestly stop and ask myself, "Are we so different?" While I do not intend to defend any act performed by the United States against an enemy nation or individuals, I would have to say that there is at least one enormous difference: Buddhism is a religion of peace. And, despite any perceived or actual future political power the Panchan Lama might wield, the fact remains that he was a six year old child at the time of his abduction. And that his condition and whereabouts are unknown today is abhorrent. Update 05/17/2005 (as reported this morning at Phayul.com): May 17, 2005 marks the 10th year disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the XIth Panchen Lama of Tibet. It has been ten long years that the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has failed to provide information on the whereabouts of the 16-year-old Panchen Lama. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, went missing with his family since 17 May 1995 after the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, officially recognized him as the XIth Panchen Lama of Tibet. In his place, the PRC government appointed another child named Gyaltsen Norbu as the Panchen Lama but the majority of the Tibetans calls him the “fake” Panchen Lama. - - - - - - - - Read the entire article at Phayul.com Whether you are a Buddhist, Christian or practice another (or have no) religious belief, please take a moment today to offer a prayer for this boy and his family.
Copyright©2005 jdwarrick

Considering His Holiness Benedict XVI

	Being as I am so new to the Church that any real history is absent, in that way I have been allowed to come to Christ as a child (Matthew 18:3) and was jubilant and both applauded and cheered as the smoke poured out of the pipe and then, about 40 minutes later, as the new Pope stepped out onto the balcony.
My admiration for John Paul II predates my conversion (or perhaps, in retrospect, began my conversion), but I am still feeling such a loss at his death that it is hard to revel in the celebration of the new Pontificate. I do have to say that, of the palpabili, I was simultaneously excited and frightened by the idea of Cardinal Ratzinger ascending to the Papacy. So I am trying to position myself with monitored enthusiasm. I finished RISE, LET US BE ON OUR WAY the night before the election (an appropriate coincidence), and on page 165 Pope John Paul II writes about Ratzinger: "I thank God for the presence and assistance of this great man, who is a trusted friend." So, in having the respect I do for John Paul, I feel I must place my doubt aside and lean towards hope for the future. It is my wish that we all, too, may someday echo John Paul II's sentiment.
Copyright©2005 jdwarrick

HABEMUS PAPAM - POPE BENEDICT XVI

"We have a Pope
Joseph Ratzinger
Who imposes the name of
Benedict the Sixteenth"
translation of the headline in Latin from the L'Osservatore Romano
(The Roman Observer, the official newspaper of the Vatican)

• Photo courtesy of asfory, FlickR
• Translation from oubliette_mira, FlickR
• The Pope Blog is a great place to go for informed
commentary on events at the Vatican.

Santo Subito!

	Mystagogy: 1. one who initiates another into a mystery cult 2. one who understands or teaches mystical doctrines. (from Merriam-Webster online)
My RCIA journey continues as I enter into a year long period as a neophyte ... a period of mystagogy. Our first meeting was held late this morning and, some hours later, I was able to find a few moments of quiet time to reflect on how much has happened in just over three weeks. On Holy Saturday (March 26th) we, myself and the eleven or twelve other adults and children from my parish, joining in spirit with perhaps thousands of others from around the world, received the sacraments of baptism and/or confirmation, our first eucharist, and were welcomed into the Catholic Church. Since then we have attended mass and enjoyed the warm glow that accompanied the heartfelt "Welcome Home" we each received that night. Yet, juxtaposed against the celebration of our entrance into the Church, we watched as the health of our Holy Father deteriorated over the Triduum and, on the first week anniversary of our becoming Catholic, we learned of his death. Of the thirteen days since then, three were spent with the body of the Holy Father in state, followed by the spectacular Funeral Mass on April 8th and then the nine days (Novemdiales) of official mourning. Over this relatively short period of time an amazing thing started to happen: the wisdom of the Church has slowly become clear as we moved towards the period of the Conclave and our sense of loss turns to excitement in anticipation of the gift of the next Vicar of Christ. Pope John Paul II (I almost typed St. John Paul, and hope that soon we will be able to do so) cannot be replaced. In fact, were were reminded at Mass today that the Cardinals will be electing the "next Bishop of Rome to replace Peter". And it seems that it is here when we new Catholics can join with all Catholics to become "new" again through the election of the 265th Vicar of Christ, hopefully sometime next week. Our sorrow over the loss of John Paul II may persist and our memory of him and his legacy may remain. But life will go on and the the Church will soon have a new steward at its' helm. And while we wait for that to happen I would like to add my voice to those who held up banners and shouted in St. Peter's Square... Santo Subito!
Copyright©2005 jdwarrick

	Across the back wall of our church is a beautiful, large mural depicting the crucifixion of Jesus. Shown with Him are a Roman soldier, our Blessed Mother, and several other witnesses to His execution.
LIKE A WISP OF THE WIND Tonight, as I knelt in my pew following communion, my eyes kept glancing back and forth between this beautiful piece of art and a poster-sized photo of Pope John Paul which had been placed just to the side of the altar. A connection slowly began to unfold and it occurred to me that, as we watched the decline of the Holy Father over the last few days and again as we continue to mourn his passing over the next few days, each of us has been given the opportunity to participate in a very sacred grief. While in a much smaller way, ours is the same grief which must have been felt by those portrayed in this painting as they witnessed the suffering and death of Jesus. The uncertainty and fear that they must have experienced as they stood by and watched the drama of a slow death unfolding is not unlike the uncertainty and fear we shared as we watched our Holy Father move closer and closer to "his Father's house". In a very symbolic way, our Lenten journey continues. Through the death of John Paul II we are given the chance to step back nearly two thousand years and, and in a very real way, to glimpse the pain and the agony of that Friday afternoon so very long ago. Vere Papa mortuus est. The Pope has truly died.
Copyright©2005 jdwarrick

While sitting on his front porch and noticing the day, my friend Ernie penned these thoughts in remembrence of his wife. With a beautiful simplicity and clarity he captured the essence of the passing of time and the echo that remains. SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF AN ANNIVERSARY MORN
	A mockingbird And flocking birds Both wonderful to hear And both gone in an instant. All is still again And all is still green But for the quartet of tulips And the companion blossoms Waiting for the sun to open them. You were lovely To listen to and To look upon But you are still now also And still lovely to look upon As you rest in the Eternal Now...