Prayer was already sustaining the early Church. That same night an angel came down to the prison, woke Peter, opened all the doors, and when he left Peter in the street, he disappeared from his presence. Herod's plans to kill Peter were frustrated; and the Church began to grow in all the territories bordering Israel.
Today we do not have any Herod who wants to do away with the Pope, but there are more than one with more power and more influence than the miserable -perhaps the best adjective we can apply to him- Herod, who try to influence him not to carry out the mission for which he has been chosen by the founder of the Church who has chosen him as its visible head: the Church of Christ. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Commentaries and articles that lucubrate on whether he is conservative, progressive, etc., or what qualifier can be applied to him; and thus have an open channel to judge him in what he can do. Qualifiers that make no sense when it comes to living, or not living, the life and doctrine of Christ.
From the very first day of his pontificate it seems to me that he has made it clear that the center of their entire mission, is to follow Jesus Christ, His mission in the Church is the same that Peter received: «to strengthen the Faith of all believers»; and to strengthen it by following the Magisterium of the Tradition of the two thousand years of life that the Church has been transmitting the teachings of Christ.
We are all well aware of the problems that Pope Leo XIV has to face, which are a legacy of currents of thought, behavior and practices that have become established in various areas of the Church and society, which have relied on the weakness of pastors; and in some cases, unfortunately, not only of weakness, but also of bad example.
Finding the best measures to solve all these problems, in addition to requiring a certain amount of time to think, consult, and discover the most appropriate channels to implement the possible measures; time about which the pope Leo XIV made a comment at the Audience on May 28, regarding the parable of the Good Samaritan.
«We can imagine that, after having stayed a long time in Jerusalem, the priest and the Levite are in a hurry to return home. It is precisely the hurry, so present in our lives, that often prevents us from feeling compassion. He who thinks that his journey must have priority, is not willing to stop for another».
It is only five months since his election, and it is logical to realize that he needs to think, to meditate, to consult, in matters as serious and grave as those he has encountered; and ask for many lights from the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In his homily at the Holy Mass at the beginning of his pontificate, and after pointing out that «We face this moment - he refers to the conclave - with the certainty that the Lord never abandons his people., He gathers it together when it is scattered and cares for it “like a shepherd for his flock” (Jer 31:10),” he adds:
«We have placed in God's hands the desire to elect the new successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, a pastor capable of guarding the rich patrimony of the Christian faith and, at the same time, of looking beyond it, to know how to face the questions, concerns and challenges of today. Accompanied by their prayers, we have experienced the work of the Holy Spirit, who has been able to harmonize the different musical instruments, making the strings of our heart vibrate in a single melody».
«I was elected without having any merit and, with fear and trepidation, I come to you as a brother who wants to become a servant of your faith and joy, walking with you on the path of God's love, who wants us all united in a single family.».
The Pope Leo XIV asks all Christians to pray for God's grace to flood their spirit when making decisions. on doctrine, on persons, to help all believers to be firm in the Faith and Morals that the holy Church has lived throughout the centuries, and to continue to discover the mysteries of love hidden in the Incarnation of the Son of God. This is their mission, the mission entrusted to Peter by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
And like him, let us leave our prayers in the hands of the Mother of God, Mary Most Holy, as Pope Leo XIV did, when he prayed the Regina Coeli, at the end of the Mass at the beginning of his pontificate: «While we entrust to Mary the service of the Bishop of Rome, Pastor of the universal Church, From Peter's boat, let us contemplate her, Star of the Sea, Mother of Good Counsel, as a sign of hope. Let us implore through her intercession the gift of peace, help and consolation for those who suffer and, for all of us, the grace to be witnesses of the Risen Lord».
Ernesto Juliá (ernesto.julia@gmail.com) | Previously published in Religion Confidential.
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