Just as the early Church learned to remain with God’s plan as the community changed, we can do the same as we learn about Pope Leo XIV
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“In a higher world it is otherwise, but here below to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.”
Wise words from St. John Henry Newman! Let me apply them to four different cases.
First: Jesus. We hear Him say this week: “I am going away and I will come back to you.” When Jesus says this, He is originally speaking about His death and resurrection. As we read it this week, however, we’re also thinking about His ascension and ongoing sacramental presence. Jesus’ presence to His disciples remains, but the form of that presence changes, and the disciples have to learn to remain with Him in the midst of continuity and change.
Second: the early Church and the Gentiles. This week’s readings recount a great shift in the early Church: The Gentiles are coming to the faith. We hear about the debate that ensued: Do they have to be circumcised to belong to the People of God? We hear how the apostles gathered, at what has become known as the Jerusalem Conference, to settle the matter. The early Church had to learn to remain with God’s plan, even as the shape of the community changed.
Third: each of us. It’s graduation season! Think back to eighth grade graduation, or high school graduation, or college graduation. Graduates often wonder: “Will these have been the best years of our lives?” My answer is: I hope not! I hope we all continue to grow, to live ever deeper and broader lives of faith, hope, and love. On a metaphysical level we remain the same person; but on an experiential level we continue to grow and growth means change.
Fourth and last: the pope. I was born under the reign of Pope Pius XII! I lived under the reign of Pope John XXIII, though my memories growing up are mostly of Pope Paul VI. I’ve been a bishop under Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis — and now Pope Leo XIV. I’ve seen a lot of popes! And I want to say something as we receive the new Holy Father.
Think about John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. Each of them was strong in really different ways.
Closer to home, you’ve known that same truth in the archbishops of St. Louis: We all have our strengths (and our weaknesses, too!).
It’s possible to turn legitimate strengths into idols. It’s also possible to turn honest limits into resentments. Neither allows a man to be himself, and neither draws the best from him as a leader.
As we welcome Pope Leo XIV and get to know him, let me encourage all of us to learn the lessons of history. As we discover his strengths — which will be different from previous popes — let’s hold them with gratitude, not idolatry. And as we discover his limits, let’s hold them — yes, with honesty, but also with generosity rather than resentment, the same way we’d want others to hold our limits.
Pope Leo XIV is a gift for the Church at this time. Let’s make the most of that gift.
