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 267th Pope, or 266th 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
No comments:
Post a Comment