Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Pope Francis is coming to the United States this week. Of course, every time the Pope visits any country there is a heightened level of excitement. However, the anticipation is even more palpable this time. As the days of Pope Francis’ visit draws nearer, the Pope is getting unprecedented media time. And the reason is obvious. While it is true that Pope Francis is the successor of Peter as were the 265 prior popes, he is uniquely different from them all. In his statements, his focus, his approach, his demeanor, and his style, he is certainly breaking the mold. Should we then be surprised at the attention he is drawing days before his visit to the United States? It is no secret that there are those who love him and there are those who feel insecure about the direction he is giving the Church. Today, basing myself on today’s scripture readings, I hope to offer a larger and deeper analysis of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States.
1. Christ and the Gospel at the Centre
At the very center of the Church is the gospel. The gospel reveals Jesus Christ to the world. It contains the good news of Jesus Christ and the good news of human redemption. The gospel reveals the Messiahnic message and yet a Messiah who shatters every anticipated expectation. Yet, he did not come to abolish the Law, but rather, to fulfil it (Mt 5:20). Jesus simply did not fit the mold. Today’s gospel reading is a good example of this. When the disciples argued about who was the greatest among them, Jesus gave the most unconventional wisdom of them all. He simply said, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all” (Mk 9:35). If we must understand Pope Francis, we must look at him from this and other similar teachings of Jesus found in the gospels. It is none other than this very Jesus who is his inspiration and focus. This is obvious in the first Pastoral letter that he addressed to the Church, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). In the very second paragraph he said, “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day.” In other words, more than anything else it is the Jesus Christ of the gospel who central to the Pope’s thinking. At the announcement of his election, the Pope’s gesture of bowing before the people to seek their blessing was indicative of Christ-like humility and servanthood that is found in today’s gospel reading. Since, then Pope Francis has continued to focus on the gospel virtues of service, love, mercy, compassion. I am the least surprised that he has declared a ‘Jubilee of Mercy’ for the upcoming liturgical year. In this way Pope Francis is bringing attention to the greatest message of the gospel – the endless mercy of God. In Misericodiae Vultus (The Face of Mercy), the document for the indiction of the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis calls Jesus Christ “the face of the Father’s mercy” (MV, 1). And then he invites the church to be like Christ. He says that the Church “has an endless desire to show mercy” (MV, 8). It is my understanding that in his statements about people at the periphery of the church and society (gay and lesbian Catholics, divorced and remarried Catholics, immigrants, the poor and those in prison), it is the gospel message of mercy, compassion and love of Jesus Christ that is uppermost in the Pope’s mind. To try to understand the Pope without understanding the centrality of the gospel and Jesus Christ in his personal life is to miss the very reason for his emphasis and message.
2. The Centrality of the Human Person
The centrality of Jesus Christ as revealed in the gospels leads the Pope to focus on the human person in the same way that Jesus did. The biggest surprise for the religious leaders of Jesus’ time was the people he associated with – the tax-collectors, sinners and prostitutes. Their biggest complaint against him was, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Mt 9:11). This explain why Pope Francis, only four days into his Papacy, celebrated the Holy Thursday Mass at a prison and washed the feet of twelve inmates, one of whom was a Muslim woman. The Catholic Church and the secular world were as shocked as the people of Jesus’ time. No other pope had ever celebrated the Holy Thursday mass outside St. Peters. Even prior to his becoming the Pope, he celebrated the Holy Thursday Mass at local prisons in his hometown. While this was not new for the new Pope, this was certainly path breaking for the Church and it would set the tone for the future of his papacy. The Pope would for the next four years continue to focus on the human persons, especially those at the periphery of the church and society. During his papal visits he makes it a point to visit the slums, prisons, and orphanages. Even in the church, his focus is on those people who feel left out. His recent simplification of the annulment process and waiving of the fees for annulment cases is his way of reaching out to those at the periphery. I won’t be surprised, if at the world meeting of families in Philadelphia, he continues to walk the pastoral and compassionate path. Unlike those who fear that Pope Francis is changing doctrine, Pope Francis’ approach toward doctrine and the human person is the same as Jesus in the gospel. When accused of breaking the Sabbath by healing a man suffering from dropsy, Jesus replied, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?" (Luke 14:5). By doing this, Jesus was not changing doctrine, but rather, he was taking care of the human person in need. Similarly, the Law prescribed that an adulterer be stoned to death. The adulterous woman in John 11: 2-11 was clearly in sin. She was on the wrong side of the Law. Yet, Jesus clearly came to the aid of a sinner and refused to condemn her. Jesus was not changing doctrine, but first taking care of a helpless sinner. Not once, not once do we find Jesus sacrificing the human person for the sake of doctrine. On the contrary, he saved the human person sometimes at the risk of being perceived at being on the other side of the Law. Today, many people accuse Pope Francis of disregarding the traditions and doctrine of the Church. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Rather, like a father or a mother who cares for her children, the Pope is making sure that mother Church is available and accessible to all.
3. Rome Versus Americanisms
As Pope Francis prepares to address the American Congress, there is much apprehension about the topics he will cover. On Immigration, capitalism, labor issues, climate change, life issues and especially the American role in a global world – it is my assumption that the Pope will speak convincingly yet gently. He will be controversial. After all, what does Rome have to do with the Free World? This is not a new question. American Catholics today are at home in this country. But this was not always the case. The Free World has always been suspicious of Rome. Popery, as they called it, was symbolic of darkness, oppression and religious intolerance. The loyalty of the Catholics in America was always suspect. The classic example of this was at the election of President Kennedy. He was asked whether his loyalties would be divided between Rome and the Constitution. His answer was clear. He believed in an America “where no prelate will tell the president how to act and where no public official requests or accepts instruction on public policy from the Pope.” Today, the total number of Catholics in the U.S. House and Senate has eclipsed all other religions. This means that the Pope will be addressing a gathering where Catholics form the single largest group. Yet, the Pope will have a rather difficult audience. Many of the Catholic senators and certainly many of the Christian senators are at odds with the Pope on issues of immigration, climate change, unbridled power of the free market, re-establishment of diplomatic ties with Cuba, the deal with Iran which the Vatican supports, and the Pope’s more pastoral approach to gay people. It remains to be seen how this address and the reactions and responses will play out. No matter what the responses, the address to the Congress will only reemphasize the Pope’s faith in gospel values. Americans, on the other hand, will have to discern how to balance gospel virtues with the American dream. Surely, today’s second reading puts us in a similar situation. James 3:16-4:2 says, “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war.” Just think about the presidential campaign going on and we realize how true James is. What will Pope Francis say to us?
4. The Church Relevant in the Modern World
A little over fifty years ago, Vatican city hosted the largest gathering of representatives from the church. It was twenty-first and the greatest ecumenical council of all – the II Vatican Council. The goal of this council was aggiornamento, meaning "a bringing up to date", or a spirit of change and open-mindedness. The Pope’s zeal in visiting countries around the world at a fast pace is one of the indicators of his intention to make the church a relevant voice in the world. It was no surprise to me when it was revealed that the Vatican hosted secret talks between the United States and Cuba to re-establish diplomatic ties between them after more than fifty years. The Pope’s encyclical on climate change “Laudato Si” has won international acclaim. More recently, Pope Francis has put the church in middle of the refugee crisis in Europe by asking all the parishes to host one refugee family. He has spoken with great vigor for the rights of the poor and workers. He is also reforming the Vatican finances so that it is in compliance with fair and transparent policies. He has also let the world know that church leaders who are lax of child protection will not go undealt with. The Catholic Church will continue to be a voice for the poor, the defenseless and those at the peripheries.
I am assuming a prayerful gesture as the Pope visits us. For the Catholic Church in America, this is a time for prayer, for peace and for discernment. May God Bless Pope Francis.
- Fr. Satish Joseph