From the Heart of the Shepherd

From the bulletin for Divine Mercy Sunday (Apr 27, 2025)

April 27, Divine Mercy Sunday

In a conversation with a mildly-Catholic relative at a family function last fall, it was commented how Pope Francis just couldn’t win. He was too “progressive” to be liked by the conservatives, but not progressive enough to be liked by the progressives. Perhaps there is something there. But being pope is not a popularity contest. More importantly, we Catholics should resist the application of those political labels to the Church. In typically Catholic fashion, we are essentially both “conservative” and “progressive.” “Conservative” in the sense that our religion is not of our making; we hand down from one generation to the next the Sacred Tradition that Jesus entrusted to the Apostles: the message of the Gospel, the meaning of the Scriptures, the Sacred Liturgy, the life of the Church, etc. And “progressive” because there is nothing more capable of bringing about true progress of peoples than the Gospel that we treasure and proclaim. It alone has the power to free the human race from the oppressive powers of darkness and to effect real advancement in science, morals, culture, and human flourishing. However, when secular critics apply these labels to the Church or her members, they are typically treating the content of the Catholic faith as something up for grabs and subject to the influence of warring factions within the Church who are ever at work to push doctrine and practice in the direction of their predetermined preferences. Such may be the way of politics, of merely human institutions. “But among you it shall not be so,” says the Lord (Matt 20:26). Our creed is like our Lord: the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yet our faith’s capacity to renew all things as it speaks to the hearts of every culture and time is inexhaustible. 

That said, it’s never easy to be pope. But ascending to the throne of Peter in 2013–when the world was arguably more “done” with Christianity than ever before, and any reservoir of reverence it had for the Church’s moral authority was long since depleted (for many) on account of the clergy sexual abuse scandal–was a particularly challenging task. Twelve years later, we can only marvel at what has transpired. As St. Bruno famously said, “the Cross remains while the world turns.” During Francis’ reign, remarkably (or predictably?), the world’s inexorable trend towards secularization and atheism has given way to a new openness to the transcendent and a hunger for the divine. The groundswell of renewal that began in the Church decades ago has only gained momentum. And though in some places the Church continues to “get smaller,” as Pope Benedict predicted long ago, she also is getting stronger. Parishes may combine and close, but at the Church’s core (in this country, at least) is a constantly growing number of highly committed, relatively well-formed Catholics who are not interested in anything other than living the whole Catholic Faith with all its demands and doctrines. So, though perhaps Pope Francis, for all his strong leadership, was not able solve the Vatican’s apparently deep-seated financial irregularities or woo Western Europe back to Christ, the Holy Spirit was very active in his papacy “renewing the face of the earth” and bringing about that Catholic springtime that several of his predecessors had prophesied but were not given to witness in their days. 

So, don’t get sucked into the secular media’s coverage of Pope Francis’ passing or the upcoming conclave. This is not a time for pitting progressive politics against conservative or arguing likes or dislikes. It’s not even time for vain speculations about who will succeed him. It’s a time for coming together as a family, for praying for our now deceased spiritual father’s soul (remembering that “from those to whom much is given, much will be demanded!” Lk 12:48), for thanking God for the ways the Church has grown under Francis’ care, and for looking forward with hope towards whatever and whoever our good God has in store for our future.

From the Heart of the Shepherd: The Resurrection of the Lord