This past week 21 priests from the Diocese of San Jose, a priest from Chicago and two Jesuit priest were on retreat. (and this is not the start of some joke) It was my annual retreat to renew my spiritual life hearing the voice of God spoken and shared. During the retreat the two Jesuits led us in the writings and talks of Pope Francis and how his Ignatian spirituality (called this because the founder of the Jesuits is St. Ignatius of Loyola and his particular path to understand Jesus in our lives) informs his leadership as Bishop of Rome.

This long introduction is a way of getting at the headlines and proclamations that have come from many people in the United States prior to, during and following Pope Francis’ visit to our shores. We hear, “I am proud of my Church again.” “Francis is going to change the Church.” and even “I don’t ever want the Church to go back to where it was before Francis.” to paraphrase many of the comments.

I think that this misses the point of our faith and follows in the temptations that have been part of every journey of faith since God created human beings. What is this temptation? We make gods out of non-gods.

Please don’t get me wrong, I deeply love and respect our Holy Father and I am challenged and humbled to live my faith and my priesthood more deeply through his example but I am fearful that others want to see our faith through him rather than through Jesus. And this is the rub.

People, Catholics and non-Catholics, point out to me again and again how excited and joyous the Church is when Pope Francis visits. I point out that during the pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II you could see crowds just as enthusiastic. Watching the video of his return to Poland and how he met in joyous prayer and celebration with thousands of young people through the night as they sang, prayed and listened. Or how on the plains outside of Denver a million young people chanted, “JP II we love you.”

The point is that both St. John Paul II and Pope Francis remind us over and over that it is not they but Jesus to whom we should be looking too in love and adoration.

The hard truth is that the Church is made up of each one of us and Pope Francis and the 265 men who have sat in the Chair of Peter before him remind us throughout time we are called to the service of love through the Most Holy Trinity. Francis, repeating the message of Jesus, reminds us that we are called to go out and serve, not as social workers but as members of the Body of Christ bringing the joy and blessing of the Gospel message to all people through our works of mercy. We are invited to be, in Pope Francis’ words, a field hospital, to be bruised and broken so that we might come back to the Eucharist to be formed, fed and healed in and through the community of faith in the united in our Lord Jesus. If we follow Jesus and live a Eucharistic life of service, what would our Church be to you, to me and to the world?

God Bless

Fr. Mark