Uncomfortable Messages
If the Pope’s main job is to keep us all comfortable then Pope Francis is failing miserably. But that really isn’t the Pope’s job is it? For the past several weeks (and more than ever since the release of the Pope’s interview in America magazine) I have heard “grumbling” that the Holy Father has a tendency to say things in a way that causes confusion. Folks say that he makes statements that the media easily distort. Well they are undoubtedly right!!!But there is a precedent for that way of speaking.
Sirach said that God “knows no favorites” those words surely sent many a pious Jew in search of “the vapors”!
St. Paul said “at my first defense, no one appeared on my behalf” those words surely made Timothy squirm as he read them.
And of course Jesus made people uncomfortable. The Lord’s words and actions were often misinterpreted and His critics found it easy to put things in an unfavorable light.
- Jesus ate with sinners, they charged.
- He didn’t show sufficient respect for the Law.
- He even spoke of a hated tax collector who went home from Temple one with God. Instead of a Pharisee (who was a strict observer of religious ceremonies and practices)!
Now, the Vicar of Christ on earth is subject to similar accusations. Somehow it all fits.
Would it be better, really, if Sirach or St. Paul or Jesus or the Pope or our Pastor or I limited ourselves to statements that could not possibly be distorted? Should the Pope stop trying to make subtle distinctions or making new observations about controversial topics?That would be a form of self-censorship: shaping the message to suit the hearer. Far better, I think, for the Pope to speak frankly telling the truth in and out of season and letting the chips fall where they may. Yes the media will give us a mistranslated commentary. They will pretend as far as they can that Pope Francis has changed the fundamental message of the Church. But sooner or later that ploy will fail because the Pope will say something directly contrary to the message the media have attributed to him.
In June Pope Francis gave a homily on the story of the Good Shepherd…who left his 99 sheep to search for the one who was lost. Then he said that in today’s secular culture the shepherds of the Church face a very different problem: He said, “Today it’s the 99 who we are missing. In this culture, let’s face it, we have only one left.” Like Christ Pope Francis sees a need for a more dramatic approach. The sheep are leaving the fold the 99 are already lost! So the Holy Father has devoted his first attentions to the outsiders.
Like Sirach and St. Paul and Our Blessed Lord he speaks constantly of bringing the Good News to those “on the periphery.”
As a young Jesuit it is reported that the Pope wanted to be a missionary. As things turned out, he never served God in distant lands, but he brought a missionary outlook to his time in Buenos Aires. And now he has brought it to Rome. More to the point Pope Francis has brought his missionary outlook to you and to me. He wants us to join him in the task of bringing the Gospel to the “periphery,” telling our family and friends and neighbors about God’s infinite mercy proclaiming the joyful news of salvation! He is asking us to do things that, frankly, we are not always comfortable doing.
This is basically the same message that Fr. Mark gave us 3 weeks ago when he spoke about the necessity of faith being public and infectious. Yes that message from Fr. Mark and the Pope makes me uncomfortable.
And maybe it should.
As to what the media says about the Pope: it’s the silly season, my friends make some popcorn, and try not to let it get under your skin!