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26th
Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
St. Mary
Magdalene Mission
September
27, 2015
The People’s
Pope
By Nicholas
Amato
This has been quite a week for us Catholics,
with the visit of Pope Francis to our country.
My sense is that the Pope has reached well
beyond the Catholic community, to Americans of many or of no religious
tradition. Some of the media have given
him the title “The Peoples’ Pope.”
This way of speaking of Francis strikes me as
rather accurate. The title – “The Peoples’ Pope” – leads me to
several reflections on him today.
“I am a sinner”
About three months after he was elected,
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. I am
a sinner. I am a sinner. That is the most accurate definition.”
As I read those words and the entire
interview, I remember thinking that Francis very much sees himself as one of us,
one with all people.
He doesn’t hold himself higher or above us. He knows that he is clearly human and
identifies with us.
He seems to understand human life with its ups
and downs, with its messiness and challenges.
In short he is a “Peoples’ 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,” he reiterates
forcefully, “not just Catholics.” He then pretends that someone asks him: “Father, what about atheists?”
“Even
the atheists,” he retorts, everyone!”
And he continues, “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 someone is talking to him
and says: “But I don’t believe, Father,
I’m an atheist,” to which he says, “But
do good. We will meet one another
there.”
Francis’ words here are very insightful and
they relate to a human tendency that we see in today’s first reading and in the
Gospel.
In the first reading, Joshua wants Moses to
stop two people from prophesying, from doing good, because they are not of their
group.
In the Gospel, the Apostles are trying to
prevent someone from casting out demons in Jesus’ name, again from doing good
because they are not of their group.
In both instances, notice what Moses and Jesus
say: “Do not stop them. They are doing good; let them be!”
Francis’ words declare the insight: Yes, we may
want all people to have the full richness that Christ offers and yes, that it would
be wonderful for them to be part of our Catholic community…
But in some way, God’s love in Christ extends
to everyone and as Francis says, “We meet
together in doing good!” Perhaps we’re
not yet one in our understanding of God, not one in our understanding of Jesus,
but we are 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 “Peoples’
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 in the Mass, “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 firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart
which is not closed or indifferent…”
The Pope then prays that we “may become islands of mercy in the midst of
the see of indifference.” Francis
comes from Latin America and 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 must share with the 3 billion of the 7
billion people of the world who lack the basics in food, water, and housing.
Three out of 7 billion!
The Eucharist is to quicken us, to awaken us
to such indifferences on our part. So
again, he is the “Peoples’ Pope.”
Conclusion
With a beautiful smile on his face and great love in
his heart, (1) He sees himself as a sinner, (2) Proclaims that all are saved,
and (3) Calls us to be an island of mercy in a sea of indifference.
Yes, he’s very much The People’s Pope.
The only question that remains is, “Is he yours and mine as well?”
