26th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Cycle
B
September
26-27, 2015 12 noon and 5:00pm
Saint Margaret Parish,
Bel Air
The People’s Pope
This
has been quite a week for us Catholics, with the visit of Pope Francis to our
country.
It
seems that the Pope has also reached well beyond the Catholic community, to Americans
of other religious traditions or of no religious tradition. Some of the media have given him the title “The Peoples’ Pope.”
This title
– “The People’s Pope” – strikes me as
very descriptive of Francis. I want to
share several reflections on him today.
“I am a sinner”
About
three months after he was elected in 2013, Francis gave an interview to the
Jesuit magazine in Italy.
The
interviewer was a Jesuit priest and he asked Francis: “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?”
As you know, that is the Holy Father’s birth name.
In
response to the question, Francis said: “I
do not know what might be the most fitting description. I am a sinner.
“That is the most accurate definition.” Well, as I have looked
more and more at Francis, I think that he very much sees himself as one with
humanity.
He does
not hold himself above and beyond us. He
knows that he himself is human and he identifies with us.
He
seems to understand human life with its ups and downs, with its messiness and
challenges. He is a “People’s Pope.”
“The Lord has redeemed all…”
My
second reflection comes from one of the Pope’s daily Mass homilies.
In one
of these, he says: “The Lord has redeemed
all of us, all of us, not just Catholics.”
He pretends that someone asks: “Father,
the atheists?”
“Even the atheists. Everyone.
“We are created children in the likeness of
God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all. And we have a duty to do good.
“And this commandment for everybody to do
good, I think, is a beautiful path to peace.
We must meet one another doing good.”
Again,
he pretends that someone says: “But I
don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist.”
“But do good. We will meet one another there.”
These statements
are really wonderful. And they relate to
a human tendency that we see in today’s readings.
In the
first reading, Joshua wants Moses to stop two people from prophesying, from
doing good, because they are not of our group.
In the gospel, the apostles try to do the same thing.
In these
situations, Moses and then Jesus say: Do not stop them. They are doing good and let them be.
Francis’
words are right on with this. Yes, we
want all people to have the full richness of Christ and we would like that to
be in our Catholic community.
But in
some way, God’s love through Christ extends to everyone. Maybe we are not yet one in our understanding
of God and of Jesus and of faith, but we can be one in doing good.
Francis
has captured in an open and positive way the truth that is in God’s Word
today. And in doing that, he is again a “People’s Pope.”
“No room for indifference…”
The
last feature I want to lift up is Francis’ concern about indifference to the
poor.
In his
Lenten message this past February, he was speaking of the Eucharist and he
says: “There we become what we receive:
the Body of Christ. In this body there
is no room for…indifference…”
“For whoever is of Christ, belongs to one
body, and in him we cannot be indifferent to one another. In this way we will receive a heart which is…
attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed or indifferent…”
As you
know, Francis had lived his entire life in South America. He has seen much poverty.
He is
calling us to heed the warning in the passage from Saint James today. If we have enough and are comfortable, we have
to share what we can with the 3 billion people of the world who lack the
basics.
The
Eucharist is to move us away from any indifference. So again, he is the “People’s Pope.”
Conclusion
I have to say that
I really like and respect Francis.
He has touched me
as a priest. He has given me motivation
and hope.
And so, I share
these thoughts with you today. I hope
you find them and find him inspiring.
