A Quiet Man…

Again, quite by chance, I turned on my TV to an humongous worship ceremony in Rome, led by that quiet little guy named Francis…

Tons of men of all colors in bright green robes and multi-colored caps, thousands of regular men, women and young ones, every face sober, intent, all praying in concert for the zillions of peoples on this frail plane—and for so many problems that face all peoples, all lands and all seas…

I kept my eyes glued on that not very tall guy in the central role, dressed in his impeccably correct robes and cap of prim white silk and ordinary glasses, far more modestly garbed than the long lines of humans, all male, mostly older men in their tall white hats and green or red robes. Some of the men wore things on their heads that looked like kingly crowns...

The background music and singing was lovely, unearthly, in languages many of us in the USA could not understand...

I could just smell the incense—so vivid through the TV screen… I happen to love that smell…

Watching that ceremony, along with zillions of others on the planet, I grew very quiet inside. I love a good ceremony…

I am a respectful watcher and know when to be quiet, when to be reverent and feel humble…

But what drew my gaze, interest and, yes, concern, was that kinda stooped, old guy, who was the M.C.…

What makes him tick??? my inner voice said out loud…

I was glued to his facial expression… no actor, this little guy… no loud mouth or flashy, toothy grin for the masses…

The 1.2 billion souls he's now in charge of…

What impressed me, more than anything else, was his quietness… his utter lack of playing to the crowd, the utter simplicity and modesty of movement… He was not playing for or to any audience… such as we often see in the Big Men of the Church… who wear splendid robes and gesture magnificently to their humongous followers!

I was moved to tears at his quietness, his aloneness in the crowd, his modesty. His clear lack of trying to make an impression on his colleagues, his followers or the millions of us watching him…

A quiet man, a modest man—whom we know to be very smart and gifted, actually, given his life accomplishments and adult roles… on his life's path to the Vatican…

I'm as religious as the next guy/gal, though at this stage of life I choose to worship at many altars, not just one…

I've known a lot of good church folks, some wonderful leaders, some not so hot… Wearing a robe does not a saint make!

But I've rarely seen a face that so makes me believe in the goodness of humanity… as I've now seen in this little quiet guy…

I'd like to know what YOU think… send me your thoughts here…

Thelma J. Straw

My Jesuits… the CIA and the Vatican…

One was tall, handsome, dark eyes that bore right into your brain.

The other, shorter, plain, mild but with eyes that bore right through your soul.

Reed Walsh, guestmaster at the Jesuit Residence in Manhattan, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency — the greatest spy force in the world.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Jesuit Cardinal from Argentina, now the spiritual father of 1.2 billion souls on Planet Earth.

Reed Walsh, you won't see on the nightly news… he lives in that magic world of the crime novel… he helps good guys find the bad guys…

Francis might well be on your nightly news… and in your daily paper… he lives in a little apartment in a big church in Rome. Helps the good guys recognize - and forgive - the bad guys…

The book man lives in my heart and mind.

The other guy came to visit my city, recently, and I swear he looked directly at my soul - right through my TV screen…

I felt I knew him - yet he was a man of mystery, as is the other guy…

Both are deep thinkers, deep feelers. Both are very, very complex men… don't be fooled by the smile and simple language.

You know a lot from the media about what makes the guy who was CIA tick… but you need to look quite carefully at this other unassuming guy… His inner machinery runs very deep… underneath all the quiet and unassumingness…

He is like a quiet giant volcano… what you see is only the tip…

He'll smile at you sweetly, say, "Please pray for me." And… "You try to put the Holy Spirit in a box… at your peril."

This quiet guy was a bouncer at a nightclub in Buenos Aires as a young man - he loved to tango!

This quiet guy has held some pretty heavy jobs: now the first Jesuit elected as the Pope!

Archbishop of Buenos Aires, President of the Bishops' Conference of Argentina, served as Jesuit Provincial in Argentina, got the second-most votes when the old Pope died in 2005.

Was active in political diplomacy and environmental advocacy
Trained as a chemical technician
Taught Lit and Psych in colleges
Got his Doctorate in Theology in Germany

No slouch, this little guy…
Don't be fooled by his meek smile…

As you know, the Jesuits are known as God's Soldiers, God's Marines, and The Company. No little club for the faint-hearted or meek or frail of heart!

The Society's commitment on earth is to accept orders anywhere and to endure any conditions. The Society of Jesus is also known as the papal "Elite Troops."

Jesuits have long been known as the trainers par excellence of lawyers and public officials. Jesuits priests often acted as confessors to Kings - and were noted for their intellectual ability and ability at debate among the European aristocracy.

The Nazi regime considered the Jesuits one of their most dangerous enemies! Many Jesuits were deported to concentration camps!

Maybe you wonder why I'm so devoted to the Jesuits?

Many years ago I was privileged to study the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius at a Jesuit Monastery in Wernersville, PA, with a crack cadre of brains and souls…

I was deeply touched by the intelligence, character and dedication of the Jesuits there and the high level and quality of humanity has remained a deep part of my own life.

As I watched this new Pope, the leader of so many men and women on this fragile earth, I pray he is strong enough to carry the mission he has been given in this trembling planet.

A man with his history and experience in governing, studies and commitments worldwide, is no simple soul.

This quiet man is not so quiet… he is not a "gentle Jesus, meek and mild." If you look at him hard you see he is a rock of ages…

But all of us, whatever our faiths or non-faiths, should be encouraged by the strength this quiet man shows — right through the screens of world-wide televisions…

Thelma Straw

P.S. What is my message to crime writers today?

Infuse your chapters with multi-layered people with many depths of emotion and feelings…