If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
John
As I write this, enormous crowds recently lined the streets of Rome to watch Pope Francis’s burial procession. Watching it was incredibly moving, even at 5 a.m. But when the Popemobile reached St. Mary Major Basilica, I suddenly, understood why he had chosen to be buried there. The outside of the church was thronged by migrants, homeless people, prisoners and members of the trans community, Church officials had even invited a delegation of them to present a display of white roses.
At the end, Pope Francis wanted to be with people on the margins rather than the powerful who got the best funeral seats in St. Peter’s Square. The “people’s pope” had lived the message of today’s gospel from John. “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” He taught us how to do this.
Pope Francis knew that emulating Jesus’ radical stances for the poor would get him in trouble with a lot of powerful people. He did so anyway, He had enormous power and used it for the powerless in a way I’ve never seen.
Like Jesus, Pope Francis was more than willing to endure criticism (persecution, if you will) from the modern equivalent of the pharisees if that was the price for loving people as radically as he believed God does.
Just as Jesus embraced the lepers and social outcasts of his day including sinners, tax collectors and women adulterers, Francis constantly reached out to their modern equivalents. Believing in God’s unconditional love for all people, he never confused himself with God. Instead of casting out those who did not strictly conform to church rules, he blessed them and asked, “who am I to judge?”
Today I am thanking God for the gift of Pope Francis and recalling how his example inspired my own feeble attempts at emulation, like the year I decided to make a weekly donation to a good cause in his honor. Then I started fudging and wondering if a larger monthly donation would be better etc. But at least I gave more and thought more about sharing more of my good fortune. I hope that Pope Francis will continue to goad my conscience when meeting the demands of Jesus to be in solidarity with people on the margins seems too hard.
I confess that I am not praying FOR Pope Francis as he requested but instead am praying TO him, especially to help migrants and people being deported. May he rest in peace.
Eileen Wirth
I’m a retired Creighton journalism professor, active in St. John’s parish and a CLC member. In retirement, I write books about state and local history, including a history of the parish, and do volunteer PR consulting for groups like Habitat for Humanities, refugees etc. I love to read, work out, spend time with family and friends including those who can no longer get out much.
Writing reflections has deepened my faith by requiring me to engage deeply with Jesus through the Scriptures. In the many years I have been doing this, I’ve also formed friendships with regular readers nationally, most of whom I have never met. Hearing from readers and what I learn by writing make the hours I spend on each reflection well worth the effort.
