Sede Vacante: Transitions and the Neutral Zone

Even though I have known for more than 2 weeks that Pope Benedict XVI's resignation was coming yesterday, there was a finality and sadness to it that I wasn't anticipating.

Rationally, I knew he would fly to Castel Gandolfo.  I knew this resignation would take place at 8 pm.  But somehow, seeing this, made it real in a new way.  

Yes, the Vatican website is what made it real to me.  With Pope Benedict's coat of arms missing, and the words "APOSTOLICA SEDES VACANS," there was a finality to it.

Likewise, seeing the locking of the papal apartments sent a wave of sadness and communicated the finality.  Even this tradition, which was established to prevent the looting of the apartments by Roman citizens (which is not really a threat these days...), has a beauty in its simplicity.

It's no secret that I love to study transitions, and one of the most basic parts of transition is the structure: end, middle/"the neutral zone", a new beginning.  The locking of the papal apartment marks a solid end.  Yet it also takes us to a new space: the neutral zone.

The neutral zone is the meat of the transition (ironic, as I write this on a Lenten Friday).  It is where the ups and downs happen; it's the core of the transition.  William Bridges describes it as a time when our former existence no longer fits, yet we aren't quite ready for a new beginning yet.

So, as we sit in this time of transition, there is one thing we are called to do above all else: pray.  Pray for our Church.  Pray for the College of Cardinals in the Conclave.  Pray.