Pope Francis

We are an Easter people. Words proclaimed throughout the Church on Sunday, but that became all the more poignant on this Easter Monday as we woke to news of the death of Pope Francis. Over the coming days, Wisdom’s Dwelling will be posting personal reflections on the impact of Pope Francis. 

While I read pretty much everything Pope Francis wrote (occupational hazard), it is an image that will endure for me as the indelible memory of the man and the Pope. March 27, 2020, we were all shuttered in our homes and there was the Pope. He stood alone on a chilly, dark, rainy night in Rome. A lone figure, a tiny mark of light in the empty square of St. Peter’s as he prayed for the world in the midst of Covid. He spoke of the darkness and fear so many felt, the pain and suffering of the world. Without any trite platitudes, he offered hope and way forward recognizing the difficult journey still ahead. 

That balance of naming the darkness yet calling us to the Light and inviting action to bring that Light more fully into the world echoes throughout all of Pope Francis’ reflections. On Saturday for the Easter Vigil, he wrote a homily delivered by a Cardinal, “When the thought of death lies heavy on our hearts, when we see the dark shadows of evil advancing in our world, when we feel the wounds of selfishness or violence festering in our flesh and in our society, let us not lose heart, but return to the message of this night. The light quietly shines forth, even though we are in darkness; the promise of new life and a world finally set free awaits us; and a new beginning, however impossible it might seem, can take us by surprise, for Christ has triumphed over death.”

He saw the Light in this world and invited us to look too. But he always, always, reminded us of the need to bring God’s Love and Light to the world, “We can do this by our words, by our small daily acts, by decisions inspired by the Gospel. Our whole life can be a presence of hope.”

Let us pray. Let us remember. Yet let us honor Pope Francis’ memory by living our lives, in our words and actions, as an Easter people - a people of hope and light for the world.