Today marks a year since the death of Pope Francis. Over the past year, my initial anxiety about “who comes next?” has transitioned into a growing appreciation for our new Pope. In fact, much of the admiration that I feel for Pope Leo stems from his ability to pick up where Pope Francis left off. Pope Francis left a mark on us all. Even family members who were not Catholic loved and admired him. He also left a profound mark on the Church and I hear his words in the pleas for peace, forgiveness, mercy, and care for our common home that are becoming themes for Pope Leo.
In many ways, I am glad that Pope Francis did not live to see this past year without the full knowledge of God’s salvation plan. I can only imagine the pain that so much suffering and discord would have caused him. Yet, I cannot help but think that he prepared us for what was to come and, perhaps, for what is still to come. We needed a shepherd who taught us to love the least of these so that we could see their suffering as it has intensified in so many ways. We needed a leader who would force us to go beyond comfort and embrace radical love, mercy, and welcome, because we are now having to do battle with hatred and division on a scale we would not have believed possible when he was elected Pope. We needed the head of the Church to speak truth to lies and stand firm no matter the cost because we have needed to do the same. We needed a pastor who would help us to fix our eyes on what is truly good and beautiful in the Church so that our faith could endure when all the lace and pomp of the past could no longer hide its faults. God gave us the Pope we needed, even before we knew just how much we needed him.
With any death, the separation is painful. Those who are left behind on this earth are forced to now live deprived of the one they loved. But what joy it is to have the hope of eternity! It is why we do not grieve like those who do not believe. Instead, we allow the sadness to ignite our yearning for that eternity when death will be no more, when wrong will be made right, and when we will be united with the hosts of angels and Saints in the presence of our Lord. We let it tear the veil, woven from our love for the things of this earth, that separates us from the things that are above, so that we can glimpse the surpassing glory that is to come. And isn’t it amazing then, when death itself turns us towards the promise of the resurrection, to see just how thoroughly death has been defeated?
No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him. – 1 Corinthians 2:9
Image: “Pope Francis greets Fr Celestin Ikomba” (Public Domain) by Stella Maris UK
Ariane Sroubek is a writer, school psychologist and mother to two children here on earth. Prior to converting to Catholicism, she completed undergraduate studies in Bible and Theology at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. She then went on to obtain her doctorate in School and Child Clinical Psychology. Ariane’s writing is inspired by her faith, daily life experiences and education. She is currently writing a women's fiction novel and a middle-grade mystery series. Her non-fiction book, Raising Sunshine: A Guide to Parenting Through the Aftermath of Infant Death is available on Amazon. More of her work can be found at https://mysustaininggrace.com.
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