(Second of Two Series)
“MAKE ready for the Christ, whose smile like lightning, sets free the song of everlasting glory that now sleeps—in your paper flesh.” —Thomas Merton
“It [Pope Francis’ visit] was a touching, inspiring, spirit-tingling experience. I could not help my tears streaming down my cheeks as the Pope was speaking about what truly matters. Deep calls to deep.—Loida Nicolas Lewis, 2015
Pope Francis’ visit was like electricity to both plugged and unplugged Catholics. It energized loyal Catholics, the likes of Loida Nicolas Lewis, whose words captured the soulful beauty of the occasion, how in her deep reflections, she felt the live streaming of God’s love.
To this writer, the visit overcame her in the form of tears and an upliftment, a “spirit-tingling experience,” as Loida describes. It made folks weep, but also lyrical and observant to notice what was around, and to realize how awesome God is, in showering His abundance to millions.
Just before the South Lawn ceremonies began in the White House, a 2 ½ inch long dragonfly was hovering in front of this writer. Two more dragonflies joined, after Pope Francis spoke, a trinity perhaps, to signify a lightness of energy, an upsurge of joy and overwhelming sacred feelings.
A rainbow was reported by NBC and the Pope Channel 199, on top of the Madison Square Garden in New York, and of course, the winds were palpable, another sign of the Holy Spirit which usually accompany Pope Francis, as he alights in and out of airplanes.
Bonding with humanity‘s strengths and weaknesses
Millions saw the pope, an embodiment of grace, holiness and tenderness to 11,000 in the South Lawn of the White House; 25,000 in the Madison Square Garden; 80,000 in the Central Park in New York; 860,000 in a Mass in Philadelphia.
He made unscheduled stops to kiss the children, including the severely disabled: one with holes in his heart, who reportedly experienced a reversal of his condition after the pope touched him; children with cerebral palsy whom the pope kissed; some in wheelchairs, as well as those needing psychological and spiritual healing.
He spoke on issues, which tormented folks and reassured the victims of sexual abuse that they are being heard by the Holy Father. He addressed the bishops, encouraging them to take these sexual abuse issues seriously and to be transparent and accountable.
Much of the shame comes from hiding the abuse, and that shame can only be removed by regaining trust of the flock, when the church hierarchy acts systematically to no longer shield the errant bishops and priests. Transparency in the fullest light, away from the darkness of the abuse and shame, can be a first step in healing and a more permanent healing of the Church, who was seriously damaged by the systematic commission of sin and omission of full justice in the institution. Once justice is served, then, mercy can be shown in the post-therapy and post-rehabilitation work done for both the victims and the perpetrators.
Love drives action
Chris Lowney’s Heroic Leadership describes the Jesuit’s formation, wherein “recruits are catapulted back into a world that is charged with love. This love drives action: ‘Love ought to manifest itself by deeds than by words. And the same energy that courses through each recruit, ‘giving him existence, life, sensation, and intelligence,’ is also ‘working in the heavens, elements, plants, fruits, cattle, and all the rest.”
When Pope Francis selected his name to be Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi, he did so, knowing full well what Francis stood for. St. Francis was called to build God’s church, not the structures, but God’s flock, God’s parishioners.
In James Martin’s My Life with the Saints, he described how St. Francis travelled to the Middle East during the Crusades to make peace with the sultan. Much like the peace builder St. Francis, Pope Francis has set his own, by brokering peace in US – Cuba relations, and the beginnings of the peace process in Colombia, and perhaps even the nuclear reduction conversations that we hope are now starting between the United States and Russia and even the end of the wars between Russia and Ukraine and even peace in Syria.
In building the spiritual community, St. Francis also helped built the monastery of Poor Clares.
To date, the Monastery of Poor Clares in Santa Barbara has become a monthly pilgrimage destination for some Catholic devotees, including this writer, who believe in sharing resources with these poor nuns, but also offering their prayerful intentions during the Saturday or Sunday masses.
As with St. Francis, Pope Francis spoke of the family as a factory of hope and a repository of love. He described how the family’s grandparents are the living memory of one’s family and the transmitter of faith. In developing the faith in a family, it also develops a common conscience, seeking “common good” towards a respect for fundamental right to life.
His profound teachings in Philadelphia were extemporaneously shared: Love is multiplied in the family, which should lead to cultivating the land, but also in cultivating, multiply and grow the love He made in creation, bestowed it and gave it to a family. It is why he said, “The Family is the factory of hope” and “all the beauty and truth God is, He gave it to the family, so open its arms and receive that Love from God.”
He spoke of the astuteness of the devil here on earth, which have lured us to enrich ourselves, at the expense of finding God. The Holy Father traced the first sin, “the first killing of a brother by his brother and then, war. “War is the destruction of love, God’s beauty. From that it is up to us to choose, to decide what path we want to take, ” the pope said.
Will we choose war or peace? Will we choose love over the sin of killing and destruction?
‘Flow water is the symbol of our tears’
The Holy Father spoke at Ground Zero, visibly moved by this “place of death,” where 3,000 folks perished, to now a place of “triumph of life.”
Vatican Radio shared the Holy Father’s reflections: “Here grief is palpable… here we mourn the wrongful and senseless loss of innocent lives because of the inability to find solutions that respect the common good.”
The Holy Father spoke of beauty, goodness and truth as solid foundations of the family. He described being asked by a child, “What did God do before creating the world?” He was taken aback by the question, and said, “ Before God created the world, God loved, because God is love. Love is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Love is overflowing. It was so big that God is not egoistic and the love has to be poured out of Him and then God created the world.”
The pope believes that three pillars are necessary for a quality life and the pursuit of common good: proper lodging, opportunity for labor and care for the land. Pope Francis also described spiritual freedom, the gift of transcendence, of seeing the dignity of every person and the principle that if you do harm to the environment, you are harming humanity.
More Catholics got back into the fold, as reported by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, as a result of Pope Francis’ visit.
I know from the last Sunday mass I attended, attendance doubled. Let us hope this becomes the start of a healing phenomenon amongst lapsed Catholics, being one myself until 7 years ago, when I was welcomed warmly and without any judgement by Rev. Fr. Rodel Balagtas, into the embrace of the community at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in East Los Angeles.
Even then, that gesture of kindness and generosity of spirit from a pastor, reminded me of the converging example today of Pope Francis’s warmth, his loving embrace of all, his generosity of spirit and his convictions to work hard for peace around the globe.
“God made the highest expression of love, He sent his Son to a family. God made a family, and in a family He could this, because it was a family with truly an open heart, doors of hearts were open…There’s a family in which Jesus was born, “ the Pope said, “God like to bring Himself to open hearts, to families who love each other, to families who help their children move forward to truth, goodness and beauty. We are celebrating feast of the family – families have a citizenship, which is divine, ” the Holy Father said to some 860,000 gathered in a mass in Philadelphia.
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Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for Asian Journal Press for 8 years now. She contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in the field of science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium and Mexico and 22 national parks in the US, in pursuit of her love for arts.