What a difference a week makes! Last Sunday morning Pope Francis graced the world with his presence in St Peter’s Basilica, appearing first on the balcony to give his blessing to the city of Rome, his diocese, and the world, from where we watched. His voice was weak, his hand barely raised from his lap, but the love that flowed from his heart gave this blessing as much power and effect as any of his pontificate. This was followed by a long drive through the throngs of pilgrims gathered in the square below, his head hardly turned, but there was enough movement that everyone present knew he came among them to celebrate the joy of Easter and to proclaim the Lord risen. He could have stayed all morning in the sanctuary of his room, taking the rest prescribed by his doctors, but unsurprisingly he was motivated to mission, one last encounter with the flock that had been entrusted to him by God, for he was our leader and our servant. Then he died suddenly, in the early morning, just as the darkness of the night ended, he entered into the light of his heavenly home, returning to the house of the Father. All week we have been praying for the happy repose of his soul, asking God to give him the eternal rest that all of the just desire. He now has completed his earthly task and the world reflects on his gifts, his teaching and his witness and the consensus is that he made a huge contribution to the church and indeed the world. Some commentators have reflected on his moral courage, others his pastoral zeal, more on his gifts as a teacher and all seem to agree that his heart was rooted in love for the poor and marginalised and his effect was to raise the moral standards for each and every one of us.
In our ordinary lives, we often speak of those we admire, at the end of their lives, as having been a ‘legend’ and Pope Francis certainly deserves that accolade. We all adopt the common courtesy of not speaking ill of the deceased and even his more fervent critics have found elements of his life and witness worthy of praise and appreciation. There is of course still a lot more to come from his pontificate, because above all he was a sower of seeds of hope. He has initiated process and ways of reflecting, in the style of Synodality, that will continue to bear fruit in the years ahead. Some were slow to align with his radical thinking, yet convinced by his sincerity and vision, who then began to explore his thinking about the peripheries, the marginalised, the systems that oppress and the paths to full and authentic faith expressed in love. He will live on in our hearts and minds as we continue to reflect on his legacy and work towards being the church that he dreamed of.
Lent, Holy Week, and Easter……….
A huge word of thanks to the many parishioners and parish staff, who shared time and talent to prepare, resource and provide all our liturgies in these past few weeks. There has been a tremendous sense of wanting to do our best and get the most out of this most holy and important time in our year. We have such a lot of gifted and talented people, with huge hearts and great generosity, working together in a selfless and joyful collaboration. Thanks too for the many people who simply made it to ceremonies and participated so fully, well done to one and all.