Francis, a pope for a time such as this

Commentary by Mark Griswold | FāVS News

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has gone home to Our Heavenly Father. He is the third in my lifetime and the first since I converted to Catholicism two years ago.

Albert Einstein said there were two ways to look at the world. One as if nothing is a miracle, and one as if everything is. I prefer seeing miracles in what many may see as an everyday, or at least regular occurrence.

Pope Francis passed away the day after Easter. Our Father in Heaven gave him and the world one more of those holiest of days to be in earthly communion. This was also a special Easter since Orthodox Christians and Catholics celebrated the Resurrection on the same day.

Working toward unity between these two sects of the church is something that was close to Pope Francis’ heart, and we can pray that that unity, as well as unity between all Christians and, one day, all of humanity, will come to pass.

This year was even more special as it is the Year of Jubilee, an occurrence that happens once every 25 years and celebrates a remission of sins and debts, and a universal pardon. This once, specifically, is called the Jubilee of Hope.

Forgiveness and hope, two attributes that Pope Francis displayed throughout his 12-year pontificate. They are also attributes that the world seems to be short on these past many years. So I believe it was no chance occurrence, but a miracle, that we had Francis as our pope during this time.

Catholics, in general, tend to be fairly theologically-conservative when compared to our Protestant brothers and sisters. We’re pretty big on orthodoxy and tradition and sometimes that can get in the way of preaching the love of Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis’ immediate predecessor, tended to be more theologically-conservative during his pontificate. It’s important to have balance, and I believe Benedict was the pope his time needed just as Francis was the pope we needed for the past 12 years. I trust in the Holy Spirt that he will guide the Cardinals in electing the next pope.

Pope Francis could be divisive, not because he was divisive but nearly the opposite. He was quite frequently ambiguous with his statements. This ambiguity was sometimes exacerbated by a world media that seems to thrive on stirring up conflict where little exists.

I’ve had many conversations with my fellow Catholics who believed Francis was too merciful at times, too unwilling to speak hard truths out loud too often. Certainly, he could have been clearer at times.

Then again, when reading the Gospels, we see that Christ was often ambiguous and had to explain a parable or other statement to even his closest followers. So, maybe it wasn’t Christ and maybe it wasn’t Francis that was ambiguous, but the rest of us who are a little too dense.

Another statement I often like to quote is Stephen Covey’s “Seek first to understand and then to be understood.” It is good advice for those who may have had an initially somewhat negative reaction to something Pope Francis said (and good advice when we are faced with any statement we disagree with).

What did Pope Francis mean when he stated such and such a thing? Was he wrong? Possibly. Contrary to what some think, the pope’s statements are not infallible except on very rare occasions, so it is okay to disagree with him. Before we do, however, we should consider his statements and let them inform our conscious. Was he wrong or was it our own hubris and prejudgment that led us to disagree? Are we the ones sowing division where little exists?

What do we Catholics, as well as our greater human family need to take away from the pontificate of Pope Francis? Are we really being as generous and merciful to the marginalized as we should be? Are we really caring for the widow and orphan amongst us? Are we really washing the feet of prisoners and those, who like Judas Iscariot, betrayed us?

In three weeks, God willing, we will have a new pope. I trust that he will be a pope for that time, a pope that our church needs next. For now, though, as I reflect on the life of Pope Francis, I am grateful for his guidance and reminder to speak and act from the heart and have radical mercy for all of God’s children in our community and around the world.

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.