Sunday was Gaudete
Sunday, marked by the priest wearing rose colored vestments, signifying Joy
as we approach Christmas. In the gospel,
Jesus questioned his listeners about what they were expecting from John the
Baptist who was clearly counter-cultural.
In this modern era, no one is more countercultural than the Catholic
Church and our new pope. Yet, last week
Time Magazine chose Pope Francis as their “Person of the Year.” He succeeds Barrack Obama and beat out Miley
Cyrus as well as the president of Syria who has been waging war on his own
people, with special vengeance toward Christians. No wonder Time CEO commented that it was an
easy choice. The pope was apparently
chosen because of the media attention he has drawn since being elected a year
ago. Given how liberal Time and its’ readers are, and the fact
that the pope and the Catholic Church are staunchly pro-life and anti-gay
marriage, it is surprising that he would be chosen. Pope
Francis’ humble, direct style, and flare for ad hoc comments is a notable
change from the past several popes, and it has endeared the world to him. It has also caused millions of people to take
a closer look at the Catholic Church, perceiving that “something has
changed.” Pope Francis speaks clearly
and simply, and on several occasions said things that non-Catholics perceive as
a major change in the Church’s position, giving rise to a flurry of questions
and speculation.
When Pope Francis published his first Apostolic Letter, The Joy of the Gospel, it was referred
to by NBC News as “the pope’s manifesto
on the new direction of the church.”
Taken out of context, the pope’s letter was cited as a critique of
capitalism and Rush Limbaugh even called the pope a Marxist for his critique of
“the idolatry of money.” However,
commenters, including Limbaugh, neglected to cite sections of the same letter
that warned against the negative effects of the welfare state, and the risks of
the growing bureaucracy of government which threatens religious liberty
throughout the world. In his Apostolic Letter, the pope also
promotes the importance of job creation in lieu of welfare, “through free
creative, participatory and mutually supportive labor in order that human
beings express and enhance the dignity of their lives.” The Apostolic Letter was never intended to
become part of the official teaching of the Church (the Magisterium), nor did it change any existing dogma. Instead, it was apparently meant to spark
dialogue on the need to make programmatic changes in the way the Church engages
the world, with greater focus on the need to address poverty and the
re-evangelization of all Christians in a world steadily trending toward
secularism and what the pope called, “ideologies that defend absolute autonomy.”
What the world finds so refreshing about our new pope is
how engaging he is, and how informal he can be when compared to his
predecessors. But make no mistake, Pope
Francis is staunchly conservative, and while he is committed to restructuring
the Roman Curia and the way the church manages its affairs, he shows no
intention of changing or minimizing the Church’s long-standing belief in the
dignity of every human life and the sanctity of marriage. In fact, his decision to confer sainthood on
popes John XXIII and John Paul II at the same time next year, points to the
continuity of his belief in the Church’s most sacred teachings. You will recall that Pope John XXIII called
the Second Vatican Council, and John Paul II, who attended that Council, was a
powerful advocate for implementing it.
Pope Francis, like John XXIII is a gifted pastor, likeable, and much
loved by his flock. In a recent photo,
he even looks like John XXIII. In
contrast, Pope John Paul II was a man of immense intellect whose understanding
and teaching in the areas of philosophy and anthropology culminated in his ground-breaking
work entitled Theology of the Body. John
Paul II altered the course of modern thinking about theology when he wrote “The Splendor of Truth,” in which he
forever changed the way philosophers and theologians understand human
reason. He artfully and convincingly
demonstrated that there is not, and never will be a disconnect between faith
and reason, or the truth of science and faith in God. Pope John Paul II and the force of his
intellect had a major role in the defeat of Communism in Europe, even as he set
the stage for a new evangelization that would be taken up by his successor, Pope
Benedict XVI.
Benedict, another towering intellect, is unquestionably
the greatest theologian of the last several centuries. The body of his work has yet to be fully
realized, in part because so few are familiar with it, and perhaps because of
the rising tide of secularism which discounts the value and importance of religion. Now, along comes Pope Francis, a man who
instinctively reaches out to people of all ages, ethnicity, and persuasion, and
in doing so, captures the attention of the world. His down to earth style and his ability to
engage listeners are just what the Catholic Church needs right now, if it is to
have any success in promoting and implementing the new evangelization, launched
by his two predecessors. The fact that
Francis is different from Benedict XVI and John Paul II is a good thing,
especially if it draws people to observe and listen, when in the past they were
indifferent to the treasures of our faith.
Clearly, the Holy Spirit knew what He was doing when He
guided the electors to choose our new pope.
This same Holy Spirit guided John the Baptist to call people out of
their doldrums and flock to baptism, seeing value in repentance while seeking
to reform their sinful lives. Let’s pray
for Pope Francis and ask the Holy Spirit to guide him in the years ahead, so
that the riches of our faith may be more widely recognized and sought.
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