A Day in the Life of the Pope
theophilus April 23rd, 2008
I’m still caught up in the immense spiritual wave left by the Papal Visit, so I spent last night surfing different Papal Visit websites trying to make sure I’m catching everything there is to catch from this past week. In my web travels, I came across this photo essay on National Catholic Register detailing a typical day in the life of the Holy Father.
I always like knowing how the successful live their typical day, especially considering that I always seem to waste so much of mine. So, I’ve detailed below the Holy Father’s typical schedule. As you are reading it, keep in mind the Holy Father is 81-years old.
5:00am – Lights go on. Meditation and prayer in his private chapel.
7:00am – Mass in his private chapel with his two private secretaries, four consecreated laywomen who are in charge of the papal apartments, and his valet.
8:00am – Breakfast.
8:30am – In his private study (with his thousands upon thousands of books). Gets through newspapers, mail and his daily agenda. BTW, he has a cell phone – wouldn’t we love to have that number.
11:00am – Public audiences.
1:30pm – Lunch with his two secretaries (and a rare guest), walk and siesta.
3:30pm – Back at his desk. Reviews homilies, speeches, documents needing signature, and more mail.
6:00pm – Meetings with his top aides.
6:45pm – Walk in the Vatican Gardens – prays the Rosary. (4:00 in the winter)
7:30pm – Dinner.
8:00 – Watches news and unwinds. Night prayer in private chapel before retiring to bed.
9:00pm – Retires to his bedroom. Reads and writes.
11:00pm – Lights out.
Notice the time spent in prayer and learning. Notice the time of intense activity and the time of relaxation and contemplation. He somehow fits the Mass, the Rosary, the Liturgy of the Hours and mental prayer into his life. There is no part of his day that is wasted. Every moment is spent bringing himself and others closer to Christ – every moment is spent sanctifying his work and building Christ’s kingdom.
Now, I know what many are thinking and they’re right – he doesn’t have kids needing his attention in the morning and at night. He doesn’t have a spouse with whom he must share his life and his time. He has a job where he can call the shots.
But, all of that aside, we shouldn’t make excuses for wasting our days on pursuits unworthy of the precious resource of time that God has given us. We shouldn’t make excuses on why we can’t work hard, have a great conversation with Christ and our Holy Mother throughout the day, and take time to unwind in ways that refresh us and allow us to be better servants of Christ.
We must discern what Christ wants us to do and order our day accordingly. Life is just too short.
- God's Call , Jesus , Pope , Prayer , Renewal
- Comments(0)
