Peggy Noonan: Man of Mystery

Opinion Journal ^ | 10/18/2002 | Peggy Noonan

[Pokey78]

John Paul II marked the start of the 25th year of his papacy, now figured to be the fourth longest in history, with a startling announcement in St Peter's Square: He does not intend to resign but will let the Boss decide when he should leave, and by the way he has decided to change the rosary, the daily devotion Catholics have recited for 900 years. Now the pope has many issues vying for his attention, including his decision Thursday for reject the American bishops' plan for dealing with clergy sex abuse, but it is actually hard to imagine a more dramatic and far-reaching decision than the addition of the "luminous mysteries," for it will literally change how millions of ardent believers pray each day for peace.

[Pokey78]

Pinging the Peggy Noonan list.

[glock rocks]

Peggy ping.

[Slyfox]

Meditating on these mysteries is a powerful way to come to know Jesus intimately. I began years ago thinking of Our Lady and how she would look at Jesus as a baby and a young boy in the Joyful mysteries. I would look at Jesus through a mother's eyes when He suffered and I would look at Jesus as if I were Mary watching her son leave the earth when He ascended into heaven. It was a gradual thing but I came to know Jesus as if He were in the same room with me. And He has never left.

[hey papa]

Peggy's awesome.

[pistola]

No other current writer in any genre consistently moves me like the lovely Mrs. Noonan.

God bless Peggy Noonan.

Can you please add me to the ping list?

[Pokey78]

Sure can!

[sockmonkey]

Pinging Catholic List. Good Read.

[GOPJ]

Could you add me too?

Pinging the Peggy Noonan list.

[gcruse]

I never thought of Peggy Noonan as being a man of mystery, but then I led a sheltered life.

[Pokey78]

Will do!

[american colleen]

Bump for later reading. Thank you for posting this -- can you add me to the PN list?

[pistola]

Many Thanks.

[txzman]

What truly amazes me is that the Pope adds a "mystery" to the rosary, which chants 50 hail mary's, for something even the Catholic Church cannot tell you where this ultimately came from, formalized by Pope Pius V in 1569.

As a former Catholic, all I ask - as I did at 16 (and got no answer) is where is this in the Bible? And why is the focus of my faith not firmly, 100%, always on the One who the whole book is about? And where dows it say anything about Mary being sinless? Or not dying? Or having ANYTHING to do with my fate? And why if anything were we not asked to pray to Christ 50 times?

Some of the same reasons I am no longer a Catholic - I can read the Bible for myself, and belong to a church that meets and governs by the rules I can also read and understand for myself.

[lainde]

Thanks for the ping Pokey! I'm still struggling with this one...But then I'm still grieving over the the loss of the Mass in Latin...

[Mo1]

You see my problem. I can't concentrate on what we believe we know. You're supposed to contemplate about what happened. And I do, until there's a sound or a thought or a ray of light hits a vase on the window, and then we're off to the races.

LOL ... Peggy you are a treat and I do enjoy reading your articles ..

an old woman with moles and wens and a sharp bent nose???

Thanks for the ping Glock

[AZLiberty]

One drawback of a society dominated by technology and the mass media is the fact that silence becomes increasingly difficult to achieve.

Ms. Noonan, technology can solve the problem. Check out these noise reduction headphones from Bose. They actually cancel out the sound that's coming from outside the headphones.

[AFPhys]

It was odd to contemplate the joyfuls one day and jump to the sorrowfuls the next; something was missing. That would be what he said and did as an adult. That is what the pope added this week.

I pray the Rosary nearly daily (for Peace, as Mary suggested) and about once a week or so I pray the full 15 mysteries. It has often seemed "odd" to me to make that "jump" as Peggy points out. I am going to enjoy this enhancement fully.

[fooman]

please add me to the catholic list