Moving Forward With Hope

The Lenten season is one of anticipation and renewal. As a church community we move forward in hope towards new beginnings with a constant reminder that what once was is no longer enough to sustain us. This Lenten season has truly been a historic and symbolic expression of this moving forward with hope, which we, as a church, so desperately needed. Amidst the sexual abuse crisis, corruption, and the continuing rise of materialism, secularism, and individualism, there has been an alarming number of people who wonder how relevant the church is in our modern society. It is very easy, in the face of it all, to lose hope and to lose a sense of purpose. I will be the first to admit that I often found myself succumbing to such temptations. It is easy to become cynical when faced with so much negativity. However, it would seem that many prayers have been answered and that new life has once again been breathed into the church. Even some of the skeptics and naysayers out there have had to take a second look.

This reinvigorating breath of fresh air has come to us in the election of Pope Francis. It has become quite apparent that he is a humble man who brings with him a message to the world and a challenge of renewal for the church. Some people will try to speak of reform, but personally I think renewal is the right word and the best word to use. It's what we need most. There isn't anything radically new to his message. He is merely bringing back to the forefront a theological, spiritual, and pastoral tradition, which hasn't always been emphasized. Though for those of us who are blessed enough to call ourselves followers of St. Francis we know all to well the language with which this pope has chosen to speak. His choice of being called Pope Francis is a clear indicator. It is the language of the Franciscan tradition. It is a language focused on relationship. This language he has chosen to speak to the world is purely and simply love and it seems to already be getting people's attention.

As we enter into this Holy Week we again reflect on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. However, it seems that too often, when faced with the negativity of our own broken lives, we can focus so much on our own mistakes and sinfulness that we forget the real message of the Paschal Mystery. We focus so much on the fact that Jesus died that we forget to ask why he died and I think this is what the difference is which is found within the Franciscan tradition. As Franciscans we don't focus only on the fact that Jesus suffered and died but we want to show to the world why he died. This Holy Thursday Pope Francis is reminding us, in a very radical way, of why Jesus died. Instead of celebrating Holy Thursday at St. Peter's Basilica, surrounded by pomp and circumstance, he has chosen to celebrate this holy night by washing the feet of young inmates at Rome's Casal del Marmo jail for minors. Ever since his election he has turned how things are normally done in Rome upside down and he is reminding us that love, compassion, understanding and forgiveness are what being a Christian is all about.

The Lenten season and the holy days of the Triduum and finally the great joy of Easter are not about the "I", but instead it is about the other. God became human in order to remind humanity of what it looks like to love and to serve one another. He turned the world upside down and challenged the status quo of his time. He made many enemies because of it and in the end he was crucified because he didn't back down from loving every person he encountered. I may be wrong, but I honestly do not think that the disciples had in their minds during the passion and crucifixion that their teacher and their friend was doing all of this because of their sins. I think what was really going through their minds was that he was still being their teacher. He was teaching by showing them what love looked like and it terrified them so much that they ran from it. The individualism of our own day, I think, shows how difficult it is for people to love. To love others, especially those we do not know, is one of the most challenging things for us to go out and do. To paraphrase Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, "It is easy to love those who love us." The challenge of Lent and of the Triduum is to be able to move beyond ourselves to the other. This is why we begin the Triduum with Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Jesus did not come to be served but to serve.

I am very aware of the fact that it is very easy to talk about all of this but it is a completely different thing to actually do it. As I mentioned above the disciples ran from it. This Lent has been a personal challenge for me in trying to be more aware of when I do this in my own life. The times I have failed to love and to forgive and to reach out beyond myself. The times that I let fear get in the way. It is something I have always struggled with, being the very introverted person that I am. In a lot of respects I find a lot of commonality with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the sense that he is also much more of an introvert. Pope Francis though has made me think a lot about myself and how I approach life and his actions have been a challenge for me in a good way. He has given me hope and has helped me to become more aware of how I am called to love the other and not focus so much on myself. It has been a very fruitful Lent for me and I move forward into this Holy Week with a lot more hope than what I had at the beginning of Lent. It is a very exciting time in the church and Pope Francis has made me feel very proud to be a Franciscan.