A Story of Two Popes

This Sunday we have so much going in the Church.  We have the celebration of the 2^nd Sunday of Easter, we also celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday and this year the Church has added a third celebration, the canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II.  What a blessing for those of us who get to experience this day.  Some of us remember John XXIII and many of us remember John Paul II, both men were the kind of people who are not simply just a part of history, rather they were the kind of people who make and shape history.

Pope John XXIII also known as Papa Giovanni or Papa Bouno (the Good Pope) was elected as an elderly man, at the age of 78.  Since Pius XII had a long reign the College of Cardinals were looking for a transitional pope, one who would not change too many things.  Upon being elected and shortly after the “Good Pope” decided that he would change things and change them quite a bit so that the Church would be “with the times.”  He officially opened the 2^nd Vatican Council, one of the most attended, publicized, and influential councils in the Church since Trent or even as far back as Ephesus or Nicea.  Beyond the changes in the Church, the Good Pope was known for his smile, having fun, and having that grandfatherly image, one in which people felt very comfortable when in his presence, feeling his sense of holiness and genuine goodness.

Pope John Paul the Great was elected much younger than was Pope John XXIII.  Pope John Paul II was elected on April 16, 1978.  As a bishop he was at the second Vatican Council, along with Pope Benedict XVI.  Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI both had a great influence on JP II, hence continuing the name of John Paul.  JP II was the first non-Italian pope in over five centuries and he was a Slavic Pope, a son of Poland.  I remember many things about JP II and he had great influence in my life, I choose my confirmation name, Paul so that my full name would be John Paul since I never had a middle name.  More importantly than that however is that this man truly was great, like Leo the Great or Gregory the Great.  World leaders upon meeting him would say that the rest of us were small compared to this man of great stature and goodness.  We know much about JP II but there are some things we may never know officially, such as the great influence he had with President Regan in bringing down communism in Poland, Germany, and Russia without ever firing one bullet.  The two men were good friends and shared a lot in common.  The most endearing thing I will remember from JP II was when he visited NYC and he had a cane at the time.  When the crowd began to cheer his name he started twirling his cane.  I thought to myself, “what a cool pope!”

As we reflect on these two saints, their lives, their work, how they affected us and the world, let us try to emulate their faith and to continue to ask them to watch over our family here at Holy Family.  Pope Saint John XXIII, pray for us, Pope Saint John Paul II, pray for us.

Pope Francis: A Teacher of the Gospel

When it comes to figuring people out some are easier to figure, others less so.  All of us measure people up and all of us try to figure others out.  We do this for clarity, understanding, and to basically know the person we are engaging with.  I would imagine that all of us both individually and collectively have been trying to figure out Pope Francis.  Some Catholics are having difficulty with him, others embrace him, and still others are putting words in his mouth.

I happen to like the Holy Father quite a bit, just as I like Pope Emeritus Benedict, and John Paul II before him.  Actually JP II is my favorite for many reasons, but that’s another reflection.  We have heard many snippets from Pope Francis.  He is an off the cuff kind of guy, half the times not having a written homily in front of him, just speaking right from the heart.  He is also very open in his interviews and not afraid to speak his mind.

Once such interview in which the Holy Father was quite open and frank was when an interviewer asked him about people with homosexual orientations.  The Pope responded, “Who am I to judge them.”  With this simple statement people went off the deep end.  Some automatically assumed that the Pope will now allow same sex marriages and that homosexual acts are no longer sinful.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear, to have a homosexual orientation is not a sin, but to engage in those acts is, no different than when heterosexuals engage in premarital sex or when people commit adultery.  As moral persons we can judge an act objectively, decide between good and evil, but we are to never judge the state of a person’s relationship with God, i.e. their eternal salvation or state of grace.  We don’t have that kind of insight nor should we since we would judge incorrectly and this is the kind of judgment the Pope speaks of.  If we do judge in that manner we are committing a grave sin, because only Christ can judge us eternally.

Pope Francis is also for the poor, not that other Popes have not been, except that his thrust and concern if you will is for the unfairness in society that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.  In our country we blame the poor for being poor, it’s their fault.  We then justify not helping them because if they don’t work then my money will not go to help them.  Pope Francis is asking us not to place those kinds of conditions in our hearts but to be generous and giving.  If a poor person pulls a fast one on us then so be it, better to err on the side of compassion then miserliness.   Folks have even gone so far to label Pope Francis a socialist or Marxist.  I will say this, no one political-economical system is perfect and all of them have some truth and goodness.  Labeling people is dangerous.  People labeled Jesus, “breaker of the law,” “blasphemer,” “demon,” etc.

We don’t listen enough but as a society we are very reactionary, we have to respond right away.  So, if the Pope makes a statement instead of listening and taking it to prayer we make rash judgments without proper reflection.  We have to slow down and absorb what the Holy Father is saying and also to read him in context.  I have realized that even as priest when I say things that some will hear exactly what they want to hear and not allow the Holy Spirit to work.  The justification for our own position is usually made up of the following, i.e. that’s not what the book says, what the Church says, the way I would say it or the way that I would do it.  People who have judged the pope have already made up their minds, they have not accepted or better put interpreted correctly what he did say.  He has his own personality and approach, some don’t like it, but he is not here to make friends, he is here to preach the Gospel.  He also will never please everyone; it’s just the nature of the game.  He can’t get everyone to “like” him, but that’s not his job, his job is to teach and preach as is the job of all priests.

I think he is an amazing man and an extraordinary Pope.  During the last conclave some wonderful things happened during his election and I want to share them with you soon.  Some of things you may have heard, but even so it would be good to hear them again, they speak to the amazing faith this man has and his tremendous humility.  Please pray for Pope Francis may the Good Lord bless him with strength, hope, and courage as he leads us forward in our lives of faith and as good sons and daughters of the Church.  FJ