Dear Friends,
This Easter Monday, we woke to the news of the passing of Pope Francis. He was a beloved and sometimes controversial shepherd who focused on mercy and evangelization. He was also, in many ways, a reformer who deeply desired that we stay focused on the centrality of Jesus and the caring for our neighbor, especially the poor.
From the moment he stepped out onto the balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica, after being elected pope in 2013, I couldn’t help but notice that something was different. He showed this by his vestiture, words, and gestures that he was a man of simplicity, humility, and love. He did much to decentralize the Church, most notably the Synod on Synodality as well as reforming the Curia. His frequent use of informal phrases confused the press but spoke plainly to the faithful. Here are some of his memorable colloquialisms that grabbed my attention (guess which ones were directed at us priests!) some might comfort and some might discomfort
“Smell like the sheep.”
“The Eucharist ‘is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.”
“Who am I to judge?”
“The confessional should not be a torture chamber.”
“The meeting is the message.”
“There is no sin that God's mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father.”
“Remember the poor.”
“God is not afraid of new things.”
“You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. That's how prayer works.”
“The Church is a field hospital.”
“We must recognize the dramatic urgency of caring for the common home.”
May his passing inspire in us the call of mercy and the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ in the days, months, and years ahead.
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor