Just the other day, I ran to Grocery Outlet to pick-up a few items for the rectory. As I was nearing the frozen food section, a young mom with a 2-year-old in tow stopped me: “Excuse me, you’re a Catholic priest, right?” she asked, gesturing toward the black clerical shirt I was wearing. When I said that I was, she replied: “I’m sorry to hear about your pope. I’m not Catholic, but I really liked how your Pope reached out to the poor and forgotten of our world.”
“Your Pope.” I smile at the description, as if Francis belonged to me alone. I do feel his loss, though, for in some ways he was mine – and ours – as members of the Church he was asked to shepherd in the Name of Christ. In quite a number of beautiful moments these past 12 years, our Holy Father did just that: who can forget the way he blessed the world while kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament in an empty St. Peter’s Square during the height of the Covid pandemic? When he came to Philadelphia, were we not captivated by the number of infants he blessed and the sick whom he embraced as his entourage made its way through the congested city streets? Even in his final hours of suffering, I was deeply moved witnessing that one of his final acts was to go among the crowds and be with them, sharing the collective hope of Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
As I write this, the world has come to pay respects to a shepherd of souls who reminded us as Church to never be afraid to offer mercy and to “smell like the sheep.” As a parish community, may we now pray for the happy repose of the soul of Pope Francis, asking the Lord to welcome him into the Kingdom for which Francis laid down his life. In fact, why not come to our evening Holy Hour on Friday, May 9th at 6:30 p.m. as we offer the time of adoration for Pope Francis’ soul and for blessings upon the man chosen by God to be our next Holy Father?
On a separate note, may I also take this opportunity to congratulate our 17 First Communicants who will receive our Lord in the Eucharist for the first time this Sunday afternoon, May 4th. They have been preparing throughout the year for this most sacred and beautiful moment in their lives. How blessed we are as a parish community to welcome them to the Table with us to receive our Risen Lord. Nothing would have made “your pope” happier to witness!
May the blessings of the Easter season continue to fill your hearts and lives with the peace of God.