Pope Francis: He Even Signs Casts!

"'Rise from your chair and walk' -- LOL.  Get well soon, kiddo.  

Slow down on that soccer field!

BFF, P Francisco"

Pope Francis Speaks on Women

One other tasty tidbit this morning: You might have heard there was some controversy last week surrounding the Holy Thursday service. Pope Francis was at a Rome juvenile detention center; among those whose feet were to be washed were two women.  

Some had problems with that, as the act of feet washing recreates the event from Scripture in which Jesus washed the disciples's feet.  As the argument goes, since there were no female disciples, the Pope should not be washing women's feet. 

Now, we're not going to get into that debate here; suffice it to say, some people hold that point of view. 

In the last four days Francis has gone on to talk about women in three different public speeches -- on Holy Saturday; yesterday, in a homily about Mary Magdalene; and today, in a talk on Vatican radio: 

...In the professions of faith of the New Testament, only men are remembered as witnesses of the Resurrection, the Apostles, but not the women. This is because, according to the Jewish Law of the time, women and children were not considered reliable, credible witnesses. In the Gospels, however, women have a primary, fundamental role. Here we can see an argument in favor of the historicity of the Resurrection: if it were a invented, in the context of that time it would not have been linked to the testimony of women. Instead, the evangelists simply narrate what happened: the women were the first witnesses.

This tells us that God does not choose according to human criteria: the first witnesses of the birth of Jesus are the shepherds, simple and humble people, the first witnesses of the Resurrection are women. This is beautiful, and this is the mission of women, of mothers and women, to give witness to their children and grandchildren that Christ is Risen! Mothers go forward with this witness! What matters to God is our heart, if we are open to Him, if we are like trusting children. 

But this also leads us to reflect on how in the Church and in the journey of faith, women have had and still have a special role in opening doors to the Lord, in following him and communicating his face, because the eyes of faith always need the simple and profound look of love. The Apostles and disciples find it harder to believe in the Risen Christ, not the women however! Peter runs to the tomb, but stops before the empty tomb; Thomas has to touch the wounds of the body of Jesus with his hands. In our journey of faith it is important to know and feel that God loves us, do not be afraid to love: faith is professed with the mouth and heart, with the word and love.

Here's his point: in the New Testament culture, women were not considered witnesses to be trusted. And yet, in the Gospels it is women who are presented as the first witnesses to the Resurrection.  Which is to say, "God does not choose according to human criteria." 

And we need to recognize the apostolic witness of love provided by women in our world.

I wonder if some will find his words a bit too mother-centric, aka women are mothers. Compared to John Paul II and Benedict, it seems to me Francis is a bit more open and inviting, less reductive to some sort of biological or social function. 

But you tell me... 

Pope Francis' Easter Surprise

I don't know if you've read or heard about Pope Francis' Easter words, but there's some pretty great stuff in there, so I thought I might post highlights and links. 

At the Easter Vigil, Francis reflected on the God who surprises us:

They see the stone removed from before the tomb, they draw near and they do not find the Lord’s body. It is an event which leaves them perplexed, hesitant, full of questions: “What happened?”, “What is the meaning of all this?” (cf. Lk 24:4). Doesn’t the same thing also happen to us when something completely new occurs in our everyday life? We stop short, we don’t understand, we don’t know what to do. Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us. We are like the Apostles in the Gospel: often we would prefer to hold on to our own security, to stand in front of a tomb, to think about someone who has died, someone who ultimately lives on only as a memory, like the great historical figures from the past. We are afraid of God’s surprises; we are afraid of God’s surprises! He always surprises us!

In the face of surprise we'd rather stay back with what's already known, even if it's not life giving -- like the Israelites in the desert telling Moses, 'We left Egypt for this? Let's go back and be slaves instead.'  He goes on:

Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives! Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed down by our sins? Do we think that we won’t be able to cope? Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him.

On Easter Sunday, I just love the way he started: 

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter!

 What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons.

Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious! The mercy of God always triumphs! 

He ended yet another (blissfully short) homily by praying that the risen Christ's peace might be present throughout the world; and he went from region to region, talking about their struggles and need.   

...We ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world.

Then finally, in an Argentinian tradition, the Pope donned the Bunny suit and greeted children.

Alright, that last bit comes from rather sketchy sources. It may not in fact be true. 

Happy Easter, from the Peanuts Gang

God bless you all abundantly, with life and hope beyond all darkness. 

Pope Francis' Holy Saturday Reflection

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I join all of you gathered before the Holy Shroud, and I thank the Lord who, through modern technology, offers us this possibility.”

Even if it takes place in this way, our gaze is not a mere 'observing', but rather a veneration. It is a prayerful gaze. I would go further: It is a letting ourselves be looked upon. This Face has eyes that are closed. It is the face of one who is dead and yet, mysteriously, He is watching us and in silence He speaks to us. How is this possible? How is it that the faithful, like you, pause before this Icon of a man who has been scourged and crucified? It is because the Man of the Shroud invites us to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth. This image, impressed upon the cloth, speaks to our hearts and moves us to climb the hill of Calvary, to look upon the wood of the Cross, and to immerse ourselves in the eloquent silence of love.”

“Let us therefore allow ourselves to be reached by this gaze, which is directed not to our eyes but to our hearts. In silence, let us listen to what He has to say to us from beyond death itself. By means of the Holy Shroud, the unique and supreme Word of God comes to us: Love made man, incarnate in our history; the merciful Love of God who has taken upon himself all the evil of the world in order to free us from its power. This disfigured Face resembles all those faces of men and women marred by a life that does not respect their dignity, by war and the violence that afflict the weakest… And yet, the Face of the Shroud conveys a great peace. This tortured body expresses a sovereign majesty. It is as if it let a restrained but powerful energy within it shine through, as if to tell us: have faith; do not lose hope; the power of God's love, the power of the Risen One, conquers all.”

“So, looking upon the Man of the Shroud, I make Saint Francis of Assisi's prayer before the Crucifix my own: 'Most High and glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart, and grant me true faith, certain hope, and perfect charity, sense and understanding, Lord, so that I may carry out your holy and true command. Amen.'”

Happy Good Friday

Happy Good Friday, everybody.

It's a good day to love people -- family, friends, strangers -- with all you got.

Pope Francis on the Good Priest

This morning in his Chrism Mass with his priests Pope Francis described being a servant for others like the image from Psalm 133: “...the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (Ps 133:2).  Like the oils he blessed, the good service overflow all bonds, blessing everything. 

He went on with this description of "the good priest":

A good priest can be recognized by the way his people are anointed. This is a clear test. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news. Our people like to hear the Gospel preached with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes. And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ, has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this problem”, “Bless me”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into prayer. The prayers of the people of God. 

That sense of the oil that runs down over everything -- pretty wonderful.