Thursday, November 19, 2015

On the Humanity of Pope Francis

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   Pope Francis has done it again!!

   He has open his heart (His very human heart) to the world only to show us that he has the same struggles we have.

   Of course I'm speaking about his remarks to an Italian Lutheran woman married to a Catholic, during Francis' visit to a Roman Lutheran Church. Ms. Anke de Bernardinis asked Francis a very charged question:

Question: My name is Anke de Bernardinis and, like many people in our community, I'm married to an Italian, who is a Roman Catholic Christian. We’ve lived happily together for many years, sharing joys and sorrows. And so we greatly regret being divided in faith and not being able to participate in the Lord's Supper together. What can we do to achieve, finally, communion on this point?

  As a deacon and a family man I have been asked this same questions many times, even by people very close to my heart, and every time I felt torn.  I hear myself giving fine theological points that for someone looking to get closer to the Lord sound more like hollow excuses than two thousand years of  theological Eucharistic reflection.  So it pleased me greatly that in his answer, the Pope,  reflected my own conflicts and struggles while wrestling with this issue. Here is Francis' answer.

Pope Francis: The question on sharing the Lord’s Supper isn’t easy for me to respond to, above all in front of a theologian like Cardinal Kasper! I’m scared!
I think of how the Lord told us when he gave us this command to “do this in memory of me,” and when we share the Lord’s Supper, we recall and we imitate the same as the Lord. And there will be the Lord’s Supper, there will be the eternal banquet in the new Jerusalem, but that will be the last one. In the meantime, I ask myself — and don’t know how to respond — what you’re asking me, I ask myself the question. To share the Lord’s banquet: is it the goal of the path or is it the viaticum [provisions] for walking together? I leave that question to the theologians and those who understand.

It’s true that in a certain sense, to share means there aren’t differences between us, that we have the same doctrine – underscoring that word, a difficult word to understand — but I ask myself: but don’t we have the same Baptism? If we have the same Baptism, shouldn’t we be walking together? You’re a witness also of a profound journey, a journey of marriage: a journey really of the family and human love and of a shared faith, no? We have the same Baptism.

When you feel yourself to be a sinner – and I feel more of a sinner – when your husband feels a sinner, you go to the Lord and ask forgiveness; your husband does the same and also goes to the priest and asks absolution. I’m healed to keep alive the Baptism. When you pray together, that Baptism grows, becomes stronger. When you teach your kids who Jesus is, why Jesus came, what Jesus did for us, you’re doing the same thing, whether in the Lutheran language or the Catholic one, but it’s the same. The question: and the [Lord’s] Supper? There are questions that, only if one is sincere with oneself and with the little theological light one has, must be responded to on one’s own. See for yourself. This is my body. This is my blood. Do it in remembrance of me – this is a viaticum that helps us to journey on.

I once had a great friendship with an Episcopalian bishop who went a little wrong – he was 48 years old, married, two children. This was a discomfort to him – a Catholic wife, Catholic children, him a bishop. He accompanied his wife and children to Mass on Sunday, and then went to worship with his community. It was a step of participation in the Lord’s Supper. Then he went forward, the Lord called him, a just man. To your question, I can only respond with a question: what can I do with my husband, because the Lord’s Supper accompanies me on my path?
It’s a problem each must answer, but a pastor-friend once told me: “We believe that the Lord is present there, he is present. You all believe that the Lord is present. And so what's the difference?” — “Eh, there are explanations, interpretations.” Life is bigger than explanations and interpretations. Always refer back to your baptism. “One faith, one baptism, one Lord.” This is what Paul tells us, and then take the consequences from there. I wouldn’t ever dare to allow this, because it’s not my competence. One baptism, one Lord, one faith. Talk to the Lord and then go forward. I don’t dare to say anything more.

  I have placed the parts which impacted me in BOLD. They impacted me because at one time or another I myself have reflected upon these ideas. But unlike Francis I have never been able to articulate these feelings.

 Why I'm writing this?

  This past Sunday as we were getting ready for mass, a lady approached me and said "Excuse me I am Lutheran may I  commune today?". Once again I was faced with this difficult questions and once again I have to say "I'm sorry but I can not give you communion, but you can come to my line and I will give you a blessing". Which in fact she did, but then something extraordinary happened: this lady (Which latter I learned is the Pastor of a local Lutheran Church), placed her hands upon my shoulders and gave me her blessing. A moment of true Christian union around the Table of the Lord.

  I think that from now, whenever I'm asked this question, instead of jumping into my standard answer heavy on Catholic theology I will just echo Francis words and say:


   The question on sharing the Lord’s Supper isn’t easy for me to respond to. I ask myself — and don’t know how to respond — what you’re asking me, I ask myself this question. But I also ask...  "Don’t we have the same Baptism? If we have the same Baptism, shouldn’t we be walking together?"
   There are questions that, only if one is sincere with oneself and with the little theological light one has, must be responded to on one’s own. To your question, I can only respond with a question: what can I do for you, because the Lord’s Supper accompanies me on my path? It’s a problem each must answer, yes there are explanations, interpretations, but Life is bigger than explanations and interpretations.
   Should I answer your question with a "yes" or a "no"? I wouldn’t ever dare to allow this, because it’s not my competence. One baptism, one Lord, one faith. Talk to the Lord and ask Him to tell you what is the right thing to do and then go forward. I don’t dare to say anything more.

"Viva Cristo Rey!!"

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