Pope gonna go through this again soon XIV

I must preface today's thoughts with disclaimer type stuff. I am generalizing this, so nobody should take offence. I'm not catholic and don't completely understand everything that entails, so maybe I'm way off the mark. This is something that happens a lot in society, not just with the Pope, but he happens to be the current figure. The Pope is a great guy. He provides a unified voice for a large concentration of people. He is moral and good. He is a godly man. But recently, it seems as though he has been treated more as a god than just a godly man. Some people have only been paying attention because they are bored with the Michael Jackson trial. But if you watch the news, there are thousands and thousands turning out in what seems almost worshipful manner. Many times we take great men and we elevate them to god-like status without even realizing. Millions will poor tears when a great figure dies, which is fine. Mourning is normal, we are supposed to. But what bothers me is this someone died, that's it. They didn't die for anything in particular, they just died. People will get together on their birthday or annual day of their death and cry. They will hold vigils and travel hundreds or thousands of miles to do these things, just because someone wrote great songs, or was a great artist, or was a great church leader. The reason we have a Pope is because 2000 yrs ago someone else died. And its not because he was a great carpenter that we should remember him. Its not even because he came from a virgin or because he fed many people with half a fish, or healed the masses. These things are all part of it, but none of which is important on their own, or cumulatively, unless the final deed was done. Its because he sacrificed himself for us. He had a choice to make, whether or not to do it. Now, he made the choice before he even came here, but we get a true glimpse of his humanity when he cries in the garden for another way. But yes he died for us. This in itself is amazing. But he rose again....That's the truly amazing thing about it. Christmas....The birthday. We venture to the church to pay homage and say a prayer or two, take the lords supper, then rush home to see what someone got for us. We usher away the first gift we were given to make room for that brand new sweater. Easter....Same effect.

No attacks on the Pope here, he just spurred the thought.....and listening to a beatle's song and thinking about Lennon fans.