So
you may have noticed that Pope Francis gave an interview recently which much of
the media lost its collective mind over heralding it with bylines like: Pope
Francis seems to launch a Catholic perestroika, etc. etc. I initially didn't
look into it much just assuming media outlets were being their normal, secular,
ignorant selves, but then I ran across the original interview by accident and
realized that there was so much more to it than some easily misquoted phrases.
The full interview is long, like 10k words long but it is so, so good. Maybe
its just me, or just the mood I was in when I read it but it blew me away and
rereading selections from it is still impressing me. If you have time I could
not encourage you enough to read it:
http://www.americamagazine.org/pope-interview.
However,
I figured that a lot people probably don't have that much time and so I thought
I'd quote my favorite sections from it and the sections which are being taken
out of context so you too can realize what an awesome Holy Father we have.
First
the interviewer begins:
I ask Pope Francis point-blank: “Who is
Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” He stares at me in silence. I ask him if I may ask him
this question. He nods and replies: “I do not know what might be the most
fitting description.... I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It
is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.”
The pope continues to reflect and
concentrate, as if he did not expect this question, as if he were forced to
reflect further. “Yes, perhaps I can say that I am a bit astute, that I can
adapt to circumstances, but it is also true that I am a bit naïve. Yes, but the
best summary, the one that comes more from the inside and I feel most true is
this: I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.” And he repeats: “I am one
who is looked upon by the Lord. I always felt my motto, Miserando atque
Eligendo [By Having Mercy and by Choosing Him], was very true for me.”
The motto is taken from the Homilies of
Bede the Venerable, who writes in his comments on the Gospel story of the
calling of Matthew: “Jesus saw a publican, and since he looked at him with
feelings of love and chose him, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” The pope adds: “I
think the Latin gerund miserando is impossible to translate in both Italian and
Spanish. I like to translate it with another gerund that does not exist:
misericordiando[“mercy-ing”].
Next
the interviewer asked the Pope what led him to become a Jesuit and in answering
the Pope mentioned what led him to choose to live in the Casa Santa Marta
rather than the papal apartments:
Three things in particular struck me
about the Society: the missionary spirit, community and discipline. And this is
strange, because I am a really, really undisciplined person. But their
discipline, the way they manage their time—these things struck me so much.
“And then a thing that is really
important for me: community. I was always looking for a community. I did not
see myself as a priest on my own. I need a community. And you can tell this by
the fact that I am here in Santa Marta. At the time of the conclave I lived in
Room 207. (The rooms were assigned by drawing lots.) This room where we are now
was a guest room. I chose to live here, in Room 201, because when I took
possession of the papal apartment, inside myself I distinctly heard a ‘no.’ The
papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace is not luxurious. It is old, tastefully
decorated and large, but not luxurious. But in the end it is like an inverted
funnel. It is big and spacious, but the entrance is really tight. People can
come only in dribs and drabs, and I cannot live without people. I need to live
my life with others.”
The
following is an awesome comment in which the Pope addresses another topic on
which he has already been frequently misunderstood:
A person once asked me, in a provocative
manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell
me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this
person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider
the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being. In life, God
accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting from their situation.
It is necessary to accompany them with mercy. When that happens, the Holy
Spirit inspires the priest to say the right thing.
The
next couple paragraphs are the bit that news outlets have been grossly
misinterpreting and so I'd like to quote them in their entirety so you can see
the beauty of Pope Francis's idea of the Churches mission in the world and how
it is not the departure from tradition that everyone seems to be claiming:
We cannot insist only on issues related
to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not
possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for
that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a
context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son
of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the
time.The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The
church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a
disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. Proclamation in a
missionary style focuses on the essentials, on the necessary things: this is
also what fascinates and attracts more, what makes the heart burn, as it did
for the disciples at Emmaus. We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the
moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the
freshness and fragrance of the Gospel. The proposal of the Gospel must be more
simple, profound, radiant. It is from this proposition that the moral
consequences then flow.
“I say this also thinking about the
preaching and content of our preaching. A beautiful homily, a genuine sermon
must begin with the first proclamation, with the proclamation of salvation.
There is nothing more solid, deep and sure than this proclamation. Then you
have to do catechesis. Then you can draw even a moral consequence. But the
proclamation of the saving love of God comes before moral and religious
imperatives. Today sometimes it seems that the opposite order is prevailing.
The homily is the touchstone to measure the pastor’s proximity and ability to
meet his people, because those who preach must recognize the heart of their
community and must be able to see where the desire for God is lively and
ardent. The message of the Gospel, therefore, is not to be reduced to some
aspects that, although relevant, on their own do not show the heart of the
message of Jesus Christ.”
These
final paragraphs are the Pope reflecting on the process of discernment which he
lists as a pillar of his spirituality:
Yes, in this quest to seek and find God
in all things there is still an area of uncertainty. There must be. If a person
says that he met God with total certainty and is not touched by a margin of
uncertainty, then this is not good. For me, this is an important key. If one
has the answers to all the questions—that is the proof that God is not with
him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great
leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You
must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble.
Uncertainty is in every true discernment that is open to finding confirmation
in spiritual consolation.
“The risk in seeking and finding God in
all things, then, is the willingness to explain too much, to say with human
certainty and arrogance: ‘God is here.’ We will find only a god that fits our
measure. The correct attitude is that of St. Augustine: seek God to find him,
and find God to keep searching for God forever. Often we seek as if we were
blind, as one often reads in the Bible. And this is the experience of the great
fathers of the faith, who are our models. We have to re-read the Letter to the
Hebrews, Chapter 11. Abraham leaves his home without knowing where he was
going, by faith. All of our ancestors in the faith died seeing the good that
was promised, but from a distance.... Our life is not given to us like an opera
libretto, in which all is written down; but it means going, walking, doing,
searching, seeing.... We must enter into the adventure of the quest for meeting
God; we must let God search and encounter us.
Btw,
the scripture passage the Pope refers to, Hebrews 11 is awesome. If you have
time you should go read it too because it's great. That's about all I've got
but the whole interview is full of wonderful thoughts and comments as Pope
Francis really shares himself, his spirituality, his favorite books, music,
movies, etc and above all it displays his gentleness and his love as a pastor.
I really believe we've been blessed with a great shepherd. Until next time, see
you in the Eucharist.
