Today the Catholic Church received a new Pope. He is the first American Pope. He is the fourth Pope of my lifetime and a first in Shannon’s. Pope Leo XIV, welcome and we pray for you.
This feels so signifiant and I have a lot of reasons that are pulling at my heart as to why.
The first knee jerk is my humanity: the church has seen some pain, felt some attack, and suffered as the longest standing institution of Christianity and traditionalism. What a gift to celebrate the exciting and happy after bearing witness to the pain.
Then the incredible timing of the good surfaced. Since Shannon’s birth and joining of the church her little life has seen the appointment of a female Catholic Supreme Court Justice, she has started her own journey in a Catholic Community, and now to bear witness to a new Pope and the first American Pope – my heart spills over with pride, joy, and nostalgia for the ages of faith that are being handed to her.
As we learn more…. my mind wonders to the personal connection. The first American Pope – something my Ganmommy ofter talked about. His chosen name of Leo with roots in “lion” which has family significance and of course our new Catholic School World. From the midwest – a place that has been part of my life, a marker of so many wonderful childhood memories, and a part of the country that Shannon has developed a love for too. Wow.
It would be dishonest to say I have not had some of the negative thoughts: will he help to guide us in traditional teachings? Is that even right to hope for? Is there something wrong with me that I go instantly to a place of wanting validation for being right (boy what social media has trained me to do = judge all things as good or bad; for you or against you)? However I am proud of myself that I have been able to respond to those thoughts with an invitation to break that cycle of habit by praying, trusting and watching. My every potential opinion doesn’t need to be entertained and certainly not shared, especially because any opinion at this very early portion of reign is total reaction and not at all rooted in truth.
There is so much I want to remember about today. What it feels like for the Catholic Church to be watched for some good and joy. How Shannon deemed it “New Pope Francis Day” after learning about the new pope at school…. and how that turned into an excuse for celebratory treats and request for more – you know to honor him! But there is one thing that seems to rise above it all. One realization and feeling that matters more than the rest: what it felt like to learn about the apostles as people through the show The Chosen.
That show is fantastic. It has been such an excellent tool for learning faith in such a different way. And the loudest lesson of all: the apostles were each human. They all had skills, failures, struggles and successes. It is the realization that there is zero chance you could be dropped in the middle of Jesus’ 12 beloved friends and love them all. In fact you would likely form fast and lasting impressions just like we do in any other settings with other humans. There were ones who you would like and mesh with and others that would leave you annoyed and your eyes scanning for someone, anyone else to talk to if you were forced to be with them. They were just humans and they were chosen. We are just humans and we are chosen. Pope Leo XIV is human and he is chosen.
All of these reactions seem reasonable and a perfect bridge back to the blog. Pausing my day and life enough to take in this moment in time and feel all of this is the right thing. This is the future of our church. The invitation to join my Ganmommy who always found the positive and pushing myself to return to a lens of rosy is more than worth answering. God’s chosen church is such a gift…. his choosing me to be part of its history and mission is such a gift …. and Pope Leo XIV is a chosen gift. Let God lead it and answer my duty to support in joy, humility, trust and Faith.
He has chosen- God Bless Pope Leo XIV!
Have A Little Faith in We 