Inbox Inspiration: May 14, 2025: Pope Leo XIV

 

INBOX INSPIRATIONS

May 14, 2025

 

Pope Leo XIV

 

Dear Friends,

This edition of Inbox Inspirations was to be the fourth and last of my reflections on Pope Francis. However, with the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope this past Thursday May 8, I want to turn my attention to him, the new chief shepherd of our Church. 

I was speechless when the announcement of the name of the new Pope was made. Maybe you were too. Then, quickly, as I listened and looked, I felt happy, enthused, and hopeful. And I also felt proud that the 267^th Pope, or 266^th successor of Saint Peter is an American, the first in our 2,000-year history. My reflections here will center largely on Pope Leo’s opening address from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Here are a few things that jumped out to me.

 

Pope Leo begins: “‘Peace be with you – dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the flock of God. I too wish that this greeting of peace may enter our hearts and reach your families, all people wherever they may be, every nation, the whole world: peace be with you. This is the peace of the risen Christ – a peace that is disarmed and disarming, humble and enduring. It comes from God, who loves us all unconditionally.” 

The Holy Father begins by praying that the entire world will experience the peace of Christ. He seems to have a wide, global vision. He describes the peace of the risen Christ as “disarmed and disarming.” It is without any weapon except the love of God. And it is “disarming” because it takes us by surprise, since it is based on God’s unconditional love for us.       

 

Pope Leo then goes on to talk about our need for Christ as our bridge. “We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs His light. Humanity needs Him as the bridge that leads us to God and His love.”

And then, with Christ as our bridge, we need to build bridges. “Help us – and help one another – to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, so that we may all be united as one people, always in peace.”    

The Holy Father seems focused on our need for these personal and spiritual bridges. We need these bridges – dare I say, both within our Church and throughout our world. 

 

I will conclude these reflections on Pope Leo XIV in next week’s Inbox Inspirations.

Fr. Michael Schleupner

May 21, 2025

 

Pope Leo XIV (continued)         

 

Dear Friends,

This edition of Inbox Inspirations continues the reflections on Pope Leo XIV begun last week. 

 

In his brief address from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica on the day of his election, Pope Leo said this: “To all of you – brothers and sisters from Rome, from Italy, from all over the world – we want to be a Synodal Church, a Church that walks, that always seeks peace, seeks charity, and remains close especially to those who suffer.” 

The word “Synodal” caught my attention. The English word synod comes directly from the Greek word which means an assembly or meeting. From the earliest centuries of the Church, there were local and regional synods. These were gatherings of bishops and other designated Church leaders to consider matters of doctrine and Church practice. There have been synods throughout our history. 

This word has become much more known in recent years because of Pope Francis’ convening a Synod on Synodality. There have been two major assemblies of this Synod, in 2023 and 2024. The work of this Synod is scheduled to continue through 2028. This Synod’s theme is Synodality which means a way of being Church that involves listening, dialogue, and participation by all members of the Church. Pope Leo seems committed to continuing this emphasis on synodality. 

 

Our new Pope is the fourteenth of our 267 Popes to be known as Leo. 

The first Pope with this name is known as Leo the Great (440-461) – Saint Leo I. He is known for clarifying our belief in Jesus as both human and divine and for being a peacemaker by negotiating with the barbarians from northern Europe and mitigating their attacks on Italy. 

The most recent Pope with this name was Leo XIII (1878-1903). He is best known for his encyclical Rerum Novarum. This papal letter was written as the industrial age in Europe and America was in full swing with its attendant challenges. Rerum Novarum lifted up the rights and dignity of workers and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching which every Pope since Leo XIII has applied and developed. 

Maybe the above two Popes known as Leo shed some light on the new Pope’s choice of his name. 

 

Let’s all pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for our new chief shepherd, Pope Leo XIV. 

Fr. Michael Schleupner

May 28, 2025

 

Pope Leo XIV (continued)         

 

Dear Friends,

This edition of Inbox Inspirations concludes my reflections for now on Pope Leo XIV. What follows are a few excerpts from the homily that the new Holy Father gave at his Inauguration Mass on May 18. 

 

“Love and unity: these are the two dimensions of the mission entrusted to Peter by Jesus. We see this in today's Gospel, which takes us to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus began the mission he received from the Father: to be a ‘fisher’ of humanity in order to draw it up from the waters of evil and death. Walking along the shore, he had called Peter and the other first disciples to be, like him, ‘fishers of men.’ Now, after the resurrection, it is up to them to carry on this mission, to cast their nets again and again, to bring the hope of the Gospel into the ‘waters’ of the world, to sail the seas of life so that all may experience God's embrace.”

 

Pope Leo sees the love of God, flowing through us, reaching out to embrace and bring hope to all humanity. That is our mission as a Church. To do this effectively, we are “called through our baptism to build God's house in fraternal communion, in the harmony of the Spirit, in the coexistence of diversity. In the words of St. Augustine: ‘The Church consists of all those who are in harmony with their brothers and sisters and who love their neighbor’ (Serm. 359,9).”

 

Then, Pope Leo’s vision is for a united Church to be a source of reconciliation, unity, and peace for our world.   

“Brothers and sisters, I would like that our first great desire be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world. In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth's resources and marginalizes the poorest. For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world. We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his offer of love and become his one family: in the one Christ, we are one. This is the path to follow together, among ourselves but also with our sister Christian churches, with those who follow other religious paths, with those who are searching for God, with all women and men of good will, in order to build a new world where peace reigns!”

We pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for our new chief shepherd, Pope Leo XIV. 

Fr. Michael Schleupner

           

Inbox Inspiration: April 23, 2024: Pope Francis - 1-4

 

INBOX INSPIRATIONS

April 23, 2025

 

Pope Francis – 1 

1936-2025

May he rest in peace!

 

Dear Friends,

On Monday morning, April 21, we heard of the death of Pope Francis. May he rest in peace! Today I am interrupting my series of columns on Refugees to share some reflections on the Holy Father. 

 

This Pope appealed to me and I liked him from the very beginning. I remember the day he was elected back in March 2013. As is traditional, Francis came out on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica to give his blessing. It is estimated that 150,000 people were gathered that evening in Saint Peter’s Square in expectation of seeing the new Pope. The thing that most impressed me here was that Francis first asked all those present to pray for him. He bowed his head and there was silence – imagine that, with that number of people present! The people prayed for our new Holy Father and only then did he pray over them and bestow his Apostolic Blessing. 

To me, this moment spoke volumes. It showed a person, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church, to be a humble man, a man of the people. This action showed him as first and foremost a human being and a baptized person of faith standing in oneness with the flock he was called to lead, in need of prayer like anyone else.

 

This first impression of Francis soon got some confirmation in his choice of residence. Francis chose not to live in the Apostolic Palace which is a large building or complex to the right of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Among other things, the Palace contains some offices, gathering spaces, the Sistine Chapel, and the traditional residence for the Pope. It is a magnificent, historic building and is over five hundred years old. However, instead of living in the Apostolic Palace, Francis decided to live in a rather modest apartment in the Casa Santa Marta. This is a residential building in the Vatican, near Saint Peter’s, that was constructed in 1996. It contains 130 guest rooms and suites and was originally built for two reasons: to be a residence for clergy and others who were visiting the Vatican, and to be the residence for the Cardinals during a conclave. Pope Francis decided to live here in an apartment and to take his meals with others in a common dining room. This was his residence for his entire papacy.  

To me, this again speaks of Francis’ desire for simplicity and for connection with the people of God. For me, this is one of the very inspiring traits of Francis and of his twelve-year pontificate.

 

I will continue these reflections in next week’s Inbox Inspirations. 

 

Fr. Michael Schleupner

April 30, 2025

 

Pope Francis – 2 

1936-2025

May he rest in peace!

 

Dear Friends,

This edition of Inbox Inspirations continues my reflections on Pope Francis and his legacy. You can access last week’s column through the link below.

 

Within the first six months of his papacy in 2013, Francis gave an interview to a prominent Italian journalist. This journalist was an avowed atheist. As I recall the report of this rather lengthy interview, it was an open and very respectful exchange. The journalist had his questions, some very pointed, about faith and Catholicism, and Francis offered very thoughtful responses. You could see a friendly rapport growing between these two men as the interview continued. In the end, as the journalist was leaving the Pope’s office, Francis simply said to him: “We will see each other doing good.” For me, that sentence was very significant. 

It showed Francis being not just respectful, but also recognizing that this journalist, while not a believer, was a good person and could do good. If they did not meet in church, they would meet at least in “doing good,” each in their own way in today’s world. I find this to be a great legacy of Francis. We as a Church need to approach today’s world with this spirit. That is the way for us as people of faith to relate to one another and to those who have a different or no faith at all in this twenty-first century. It is the way for us to live the gospel especially today.

 

Francis called especially the ordained to a life of simplicity and to a ministry of service. He restricted and almost eliminated the conferral of the title Monsignor for priests. He seems to have done this because the honorary title has become a vestige of a past age and because he wanted us to find our fulfillment in service and not in honors. The Pope’s Ignatian background seemed to emerge here – beware of riches and honors because they lead to pride! The restriction of this title was, I believe, a wise, although not universally popular decision of Francis.  

The above decision was part of this Holy Father’s discouragement of clericalism. Clericalism is a culture that has placed the ordained apart and above the rest of the faithful in the Church. Francis said: “Clericalism forgets that the visibility and sacramentality of the Church belong to all the people of God… “ Francis sought the active participation of all persons of faith in the life of the Church. Amen!  

I will pick up on this point in next week’s Inbox Inspirations as I continue these reflections on Pope Francis.

Fr. Michael Schleupner

May 7, 2025

 

Pope Francis – 3 

1936-2025

May he rest in peace!        

 

Dear Friends,

This edition of Inbox Inspirations continues my reflections on Pope Francis and his legacy. You can access the columns of the last two weeks through the link below.

 

In speaking to the ordained, especially to priests and bishops, Pope Francis once talked about the role of a shepherd. He wrote in 2013: “The shepherd must smell like the sheep. This is what I am asking you — be shepherds with the smell of sheep… A shepherd sometimes has to walk ahead to lead the way, at other times walk in the middle to encourage them, and sometimes behind to make sure no one is left behind.”

This image has really stuck with me. Francis wanted me as a priest to realize that I am first and foremost a human being and a baptized person like anyone else. Then, with the conferral of Holy Orders, I and we priests are to be spiritual shepherds – never aloof from God’s people but walking with them. Sometimes we should walk ahead to provide vision and leadership. Sometimes we should walk along with everyone else to encourage and support and to receive that in return. And sometimes we must walk behind to make sure that all are staying together or to allow others to lead who have gifts and skills that we don’t have. This has been a guiding image for me in my priesthood. I greatly respect Francis for this. 

 

Francis also allowed open conversation on some controversial issues within the Church. For example, at one point, he considered the ordination to the priesthood of married deacons in Brazil. There was discussion about the ordination of women to the diaconate. And there was debate about allowing in certain circumstances those divorced and remarried without an annulment to receive Communion. In the end, Pope Francis did not approve any of the above ideas. However, he allowed discussion and consideration of these issues. He knew that they were issues on the minds of some very good people of faith. He decided that we as a Church should at least talk about them – sharing what we think and listening to one another. 

Allowing and engaging in conversation even on difficult, maybe controversial issues expresses trust in the presence of God and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is a healthy and holy thing and Francis realized this. He did this out of his respect for all persons. 

 

I will conclude these reflections on Pope Francis in next week’s Inbox Inspirations.

Fr. Michael Schleupner

June 4, 2025

 

Pope Francis – 4 

1936-2025

May he rest in peace!        

 

Dear Friends,

[This edition of Inbox Inspirations was written as my last reflection on Pope Francis and was scheduled for the May 14 issue. I interrupted that series so as to focus on Pope Leo. Therefore, this column belatedly concludes the series on Pope Francis. You can access the columns of April 23 and 30 and May 7 through the link below.]

 

Pope Francis was a man of compassion. He repeatedly expressed and lived out his care for those on the margins or, as he often said, those on the peripheries.

He did this when he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. As Pope, he saw to the Vatican’s provision of food and assistance especially for the homeless in Rome. He spoke out on behalf of the impoverished around the world. He realized that those with same-sex attraction and members of the LGBTQ community had also been pushed to the margins or peripheries. 

Francis was a remarkable man – a person of great strength, willing to be open and to care, assured of himself, assured of the gospel, assured of the Lord’s presence even when some were quite critical of his way.

 

Francis’ compassion and care for others was very clear in his advocacy for the many refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants and migrants in our world. Once again, he remained steady in his conviction that Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 apply to us today: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”  At one point, Francis started with the words of Jesus: “‘Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!’ (Mt 14:27). It is not just about migrants: it is also about our fears…. But the problem is not that we have doubts and fears. The problem is when they condition our way of thinking and acting to the point of making us intolerant, closed and perhaps even – without realizing it – racist. In this way, fear deprives us of the desire and the ability to encounter the other, the person different from myself; it deprives me of an opportunity to encounter the Lord.”

 

I conclude with this. Francis was a prophet-Pope. By prophet, I do not mean that he foretold the future. Instead, he was in the line of some of the Old Testament prophets: looking at the present and calling us to care for the needy and stranger in our midst. He did this even when it made some of us feel uncomfortable. He remained faithful to God and faithful to humanity. I thank God for Francis. He has made a difference in my life and has brought hope to many who need it. May he rest in peace! Amen.

       

Fr. Michael Schleupner