Is the Pope Catholic?

Of course the Pope is Catholic! But is the Pope the Head of the Catholic Church? Most people would say yes, without a doubt...but those people would be wrong.  Under church doctrine, Jesus is the Head of the Catholic Church.  The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the highest ranking ordained member, and the leader of the faithful under Jesus.  Catholics recognize the Pope as the successor of Saint Peter, which in Catholic teachings, Jesus calls the shepherd of the Catholic Church.  Being the shepherd of 1.2 billion Catholics across the globe requires a commitment to a ministry few could fulfill.

“In the decisive moments of life — indeed, if we look closely, in every moment — we are at a crossroads. Do we want to follow the self or God? Individual interest or the real good?” Over the past few weeks, the great shepherd, the Pope, found himself at a crossroads.  After prayerful consideration, Pope Benedict XVI decided that the deterioration of his mind and body had compromised his ability to adequately carry out the duties of the position. In a letter to the cardinals of the church, he announced his resignation.

His abrupt resignation seemed unexpected, unwarranted, and absolutely wrong to many followers and non-Catholics alike. However rare, the resignation of the Pope should not come as a complete surprise to everyone.  Even though a resignation hasn't been tendered in six centuries, there were many signs that Pope Benedict's time was coming to an end.

The day after news of the resignation spread, the Vatican announced that the Pope had undergone a secret surgery to replace the battery in his pacemaker, an intensive procedure for anyone, especially for an 84 year old man.  Another serious incident occurred during a March 2012 trip to Mexico where the Pope sustained a head injury.  The bleeding was severe enough to cause his pillow and sheets to be covered in blood.  Although the Vatican insists that these injuries are minor and played no major role in his decision to step down, one must question whether that is actually the case. For, if the Catholic Church managed to keep those injuries and surgeries hidden, who knows what other secrets might be hiding in the shadows of the ministry.

Whether there is a conspiracy in this resignation has yet to be seen. What is known is that Pope was confronted by his own crossroads in life leading to his departure from the church. Now, today, the Catholic Church has found themselves at a crossroad of their own- Who will be their shepherd?

Flowers for Valentines

Sunday, February 9, 2008 I walked down to the basement playroom in my home, determined to return to the civilization above in due time with a gift for the woman I loved most in this world, my mother.  Like most thirteen-year old boys, my income (allowance) was pretty limited at about $30 per month. So, my gift buying ability was slightly hampered. I spent the week prior trying to figure how I could best stretch my dollars to buy a gift that would be meaningful and truly show my love.  Flowers, chocolate, stuffed animals, a cute Hallmark card, or a gift card all seemed like decent ideas, but each of those gifts lacked the originality I wanted my gift to have.

So there I found myself in the basement, with nothing to show for all the mental effort I had already given this Valentine's gift.  I sat behind the computer for a few minutes and that's when I stumbled on a how-to video showing how to make a paper rose.  "That was it!" I thought as I watched the video. "I will make an entire bouquet, a dozen roses." It had all the elements of the perfect gift for my mom.

After watching the video through a few times, I was ready to start making my own.  I gathered everything I needed: a hot glue gun, construction paper, scissors, and a pencil.  I sat down on the floor and began.  Five hours into the crafting, my fingers were dried and cut from the paper, my knuckles were red and swollen from the scissors, and my hands had areas burned by the hot glue gun.  I had only four roses finished.  Unable to finish the dozen I had hoped for, I was slightly disappointed, but I was proud of the beautiful roses I had made, and I knew that they would make her happy.  

A few days later, Valentine's Day had come.  I placed the intricate roses in one of the crystal vases we had in our cabinets.  At her place on the kitchen table, I set the vase and a simple, handmade card.  When the time came to open the presents we had been given, my mom's reaction to the roses and card made my battered hands and hours spent in the basement worth it. She loved it then, and loves it still.  

The gift I gave was perfect in her eyes.  The time and thoughtfulness I put into those roses showed her how much I love and care for her.  An economist might say that my gift was not the most efficient use of time or resources, and that it would have been far more efficient for me to give her cash; however, I know that it is not the monetary value of the gift that really matters.  The personal value is what matters; the handmade roses exceeded anything my money could buy. 

The four-rose bouquet still sits in the crystal vase as it did the day I gave it to her. The symbolism of the roses endures even today and, unlike money, it will never lose its value. It cannot get more efficient than that.  

A Super City for a Super Bowl

A championship game, multi million dollar marketing, and nearly every American's attention.  Combine those three elements together and you have yourself the Super Bowl.  It is the epitome of American sports, marketing, and culture.  There is not a city in America that doesn't want to be the center of that attention.

The NFL claims that the "lucky" city that hosts the Super Bowl will see a $400, $500, or as much as $650 million boost to the local economy.  With potential revenues that high, it would be a no-brainer to host a Super Bowl in your city, even if it means building a new stadium.  The Super Bowl is a mega-event so it isn't hard to imagine the event bringing in that kind of money on a national scale.  But sadly, the validity of the NFL's claim is probably just not accurate as it relates to just the host city.  Nobody has been able to prove that the NFL lied or distorted the actual value of a super bowl, simply because it is next to impossible to track where every dollars is spent and where it goes.

As a city considers hosting a Super Bowl it is important to look at the physical dollars it can bring in, but also the things you can't measure e.g., future tourism and an improved national image.  Three years before Hurricane Katrina was the last time New Orleans had hosted the Super Bowl.  After a long recovery from a decimated city, New Orleans reemerged strong, bigger, and better than ever before.  The best way to showcase this improvement is by hosting the biggest game in football.  Last weekend 100+ million Americans were able to see these changes.  The city of New Orleans proved to the nation on Sunday that it was back (well...besides the power outages) and ready to be a destination for good food, an exciting atmosphere, and a place everyone should visit!

You can't put a dollar sign on that.