From unknown to Man of the Year

What do you think of Pope Francis?  He has not been the Holy See for a year and the media is already posting thoughts about his first year.  Much that is written has a positive spin to it.  “A man of the people” . . . “Champion of the poor” . . . “A simple, yet holy man, steeped in the gospel”.  Some that is written are voices of caution and concern.  “He is, at his core, a Marxist” . . . “For all his inclusive language, he will not let women or gays in” . . . “He is a loose cannon to the orthodoxy of the Church”. 

I have made an effort to not limit myself to excerpts of his thoughts, as digested by someone else, but rather have sought out the primary sources of his communications; his homilies, addresses and writings.  It has been fascinating to me to read reviews of Pope Francis, as others see him, inside and outside of the faith, in light of the actual text of the message that he gives.  What has been demonstrated to me is that, first of all, the world, for all of its apparent casual approach to faith, cares very much about the message that is given by the Holy See.  And finally, whatever message he attempts to convey will be sieved through filters of both hopefulness and cynicism.  The responses that we hear to the Holy Father are not so much accurate reflections of his message as they are true likenesses of his hearers.

For this reason I believe it is important to listen very carefully to the responses to him that we are receiving from all corners of the room.  For this purpose he is not only the Pope, but he is the Church.  He is, in fact, a not so simple holy man, steeped in the gospel and the teachings of the Church who unapologetically takes the Catholic faith to the streets, reaching out to both believer and unbeliever. He challenges the most orthodox of Catholics as well as the most virulent detractors of Christianity to come to an understanding of the person of Jesus.  It is to this challenge that people are responding and not to the person of Pope Francis.

If we are to evangelize effectively it is critical to recognize the hopes and anxieties of those we seek to reach.  This outpouring of reaction to the message of our Pope is a treasure trove for anyone wishing to understand the mission.  Let us pray for the ears to hear and the heart of Christ to deliver the gospel to all we meet.