Scripture:
Reflection:
It was just over one month ago that Pope Francis died. We probably all anticipated it and maybe were even surprised when he came home from the hospital and participated, as best he could, in the Easter Triduum, the most holy of days, before peacefully embracing his own journey to eternal life.
Since then, the cardinal electors chose Robert Francis Prevost, OSA, as our new shepherd, and in that selection, there is a tangible sense of something new yet something old. Obviously, a missionary who is deeply rooted in the struggles of the people of Peru, he is also a Vatican administrator. Obviously, a citizen of the United States of America, he is also a Peruvian citizen. He was a religious priest sent on mission but then called back to guide the Augustinian community in the Midwest as provincial (that includes Chicago’s St. Rita High School) and then on to lead the international community of Augustinians. From there, back to Peru as a humble bishop before returning to Rome as a critical support to Pope Francis’ vision of an inclusive Church but never forgetting the people he served as a missionary and their spiritual leader.
Here is a man…yes, a human being…like St. Paul in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, who himself was on a journey. Just as Paul finds hospitality in the home of Lydia, who opens her heart to the Spirit because of Paul’s visit, I know from my own experience of receiving hospitality from welcoming people of the squatter community in Quezon City, Philippines where I lived for two years, that an encounter like this is more transformative for St. Paul and Fr. Bob (Pope Leo XIV) and me than it was for Lydia or any of the others we encountered. God was working on us just as much through us.
Our faith anchors itself in our conviction that Jesus, the Son of God, is one with us. He shares in our human journeys, our fears, our struggles. A missionary like Fr. Bob Prevost entered into the lived reality of Peruvians, as did Jesus for those in Cana, Capernaum, Galilee, and Jerusalem. I want to believe that wherever I find myself, I too can “be there” for those the Lord brings into my life. This means being kind, accepting, and forgiving. Let’s leave behind our tendency to judge, dismiss, and condemn.
Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.