Yesterday, which was March 13, 2013, Catholic bishops elected a new Pope.

Yesterday, I posted a Tweet that read:

“So, 100+ cardinals met this week, but they did NOT produce a Harlem Shake video?  Another missed opportunity, guys!”

Yesterday, a Twitter-er named @JMJohnson4 posted three Tweets in response to my Tweet:

“@JimYTrammell do you really think history is worth making fun of like that?”

“@JimYTrammell I challenge you to explain the gravity of what happened today to the billions of people that believe in it.”

“@JimYTrammell since you seem to be so glib about it.”

Yesterday, 49 million Americans were living below the poverty line.   Over 16 million of those were children.

Yesterday, an estimated 70,000 juveniles were behind bars in the United States.

Yesterday, cable news channels spent more time covering how the sequester will cut White House tours than they did covering how it will cut food stamps, housing assistance, and Head Start programs.

Yesterday, the Atwood, Illinois Little League sold raffle tickets to raise funds.  The prize: a military-style AR-15 rifle.

Yesterday, a teenage woman from West Virginia was called to testify in her rape trial in a town that is scared the accused perpetrators—high school football stars—will have their reputations ruined.

Yesterday, someone had to choose whether to pay the heating bill or buy meds.  Someone else was told a mentally-ill loved one committed suicide.  Someone else did not get to tuck in her children because she had to work two jobs.

Yesterday, a single mother told her gifted son that she cannot afford to pay for college.  A daughter placed her ailing father in hospice care.  A son buried his little brother.

These are honest-to-God crises.  They testify to a world that’s consumed by evil.  They testify to a world that needs the hope, care and love of Christ.  Jesus commands that we take care of orphans and widows, the hurting, the sick, and the needy.  He calls us to support the victims of crime and culture, and to fight injustice and ignorance.

There is a lot that happened in the world yesterday to offend the faithful.  And then there’s the trivial matters.

Like the thought of Cardinals doing the Harlem Shake.