"…Pope Francis is a
man of discernment, and, at times, that discernment results in freeing him from
the confinement of doing something in a certain way because it was ever thus.”
Cardinal Sean O’Malley
As Catholics, we are steeped in a deep religious tradition that
is filled with meaning and symbolism. Step inside one of the great
cathedrals (even in America), and you will feel the weight of holy history.
Pick up the Catechism, and be amazed at the beautiful, almost lyrical,
communion of Grace and Truth. The Church, in her wisdom, gives us countless
ways to encounter God.
Yet, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, among the most influential and
respected of American prelates, points out that the Holy Father has
consistently challenged a certain something in our tradition, devotion, and
practice. This “challenge” has already made more than a few Catholics
uncomfortable, perhaps even irritable. Could it be that Francis has a
desire to make many, many more of us uncomfortable?
What he wants to make uncomfortable within us, I believe, are
those devotions, practices and traditions that fail to move our hearts into
deeper communion with God. A devotion practiced for the sake of familiarity
or sentimentality, but lacking in true meaning and intimacy would seem to be
what Cardinal O’Malley categorizes as “was ever thus”, something done because
we’ve always done it that way.
Francis’ own words consistently call us out of the practice of routine
for its own sake, and into intimacy. Said another way, Francis is calling
us out of a certain complacency, a certain deadness of heart for deeper life in
Jesus. In a recent homily on Jesus' return to Nazareth, Francis said of
the Nazarenes, “they are so confident of their faith, their observance of the
commandments, that they did not need another salvation.” The Holy Father
went on to say, “This is the drama of the blind observance of the
commandments…”
I believe that this pope is rebuilding the heart of a Church
squarely laid on the foundation of his predecessors. John Paul II and
Benedict XVI have provided an accessible theological, anthropological and
philosophical foundation on which Catholicism can speak to the world, and speak
to its own, in this tumultuous post-modern era. Francis is building a
home on that foundation, where the human heart finds life and communion with
God.
In that, though, he calls us out of our comfort, our
complacency, out of inertia, and into the deep. Our observance of
tradition and devotion should always take us somewhere, else we are simply
practicing something because it “was ever thus”.
In striking words, the Holy Father speaks clearly,
“An authentic faith always implies a deep desire to change the
world. And this is the question we should pose ourselves: do we too have great
visions and zeal? Are we bold too? Do our dreams fly high? Are we consumed by
zeal? Or are we mediocre and satisfied with our theoretical apostolic plans?
Let us always remember that the strength of the Church does not reside in
herself or in her organizational capacity, but is instead concealed in the deep
waters of God. And these waters agitate our desires, and our desires expand our
hearts.”
So, I invite you to ponder these questions:
Am I bold?
Do my dreams fly high?
Am I consumed by zeal?
Am I content with the “was ever thus” in my life?
What desires is God agitating within me?
You can find additional blogs, resources and material at www.jpiihealingcenter.org