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"I pray the members of the conclave pay attention to the reaction non-Catholics are having to the death of Pope Francis. Picking a courageous humble voice has an impact far beyond those who identify as Catholic or Christian."
A colleague of mine wrote this on her Facebook page the day after Pope Francis died late last month. I think her comment rings quite true: with his heart turned toward those who could not help him, Pope Francis did so much for the last, least, and lost. He spoke out against injustices and people listened. My colleague's comment resonated with me as I, along with BILLIONS of people, waited to hear or see what color smoke would come out of a chimney in Italy.
As I write this, less than two hours ago the world learned whom the 185 Catholic cardinals from around the world would choose to serve as the next leader of its Church. From the Papal window, for the first time in the Church's history, an American man walked through on to the balcony to be greeted as Pope - Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago. Those gathered in Vatican Square that had been waiting with eager anticipation to learn the news first, cheered no matter the flag they were waving, the language they spoke, nor the color of their skin: they were excited to know more about this man that would help them learn more about their faith. I can only imagine the crowd on the left is what Heaven can look like for many - filled with love, joy, and anticipation of what is to come.
As we approach this fourth Sunday of Easter, we will continue to examine the ways that God is at work in our lives. With the Holy Spirit's help, I'm confident we can agree on quite a few things, even though we won't have a chimney bellowing with white smoke to indicate as much - I'm quite certain its more often than we think, especially when we're not looking for the fanfare.
I hope to see you on Sunday, whether in-person or online.
With gratitude,
Pastor Kathryn
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