A once in a life opportunity at the “baseball’s great cathedral”
is the way to describe my experience at the Yankee Stadium Mass
lead by Pope Benedict XVI. Receiving a phone call a week ago about
attending the mass was quite exciting and had me looking forward to
the event, one which became a reality upon receiving my ticket. It
felt like having the “golden ticket’ that everyone was
after. In preparation for the mass I went to many offices of
the University, gathering prayer intentions to unite the University
community at the event. I was excited about being able to observe
the historical mass but had no idea what was in store.
As soon as Pope Benedict arrived in the Popemobile, there was an
indescribable energy that swept through the stadium audience. All
you could see were white and yellow flags waving in the air and the
crowd cheering. In Pope Benedict’s homily, there was a message of
hope which left a deep impact in the hearts of all the people
present. At one point, I remember him talking about the respect of
the dignity of all people, stating that this includes the most
defenseless of all human beings, including the unborn
child. The idea of the dignity of the human person, as a
non-Catholic is very important. His message was one that should
unite the people of the world, no matter what faith they
follow.
Overall, the mass at Yankee Stadium was an experience that I
will never forget. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to observe
a Catholic mass lead by Pope Benedict which furthered my
understanding of other faiths and deepened my own. This experience
taught me to keep the respect of others in mind wherever my life is
headed, both in the personal and professional sense.