The selection of Pope Francis shocked the world because he never seemed like one of the top choices for Pope. We should not be surprised because the Holy Spirit works in ways that we cannot understand. God continuously calls individuals flying just below the surface to lead the strong. The information that filtered through news sites this morning that the Pope would again break tradition caused many to question the Pope's decisions. In the first few days of the new Pope’s office he has not been doing things “traditionally”. He disappoints liturgical junkies in his lack of vestments and now he plans to hang around a youth detention facility on Holy Thursday.
The way that this Pope is acting is similar to the way Jesus acted. Jesus dined with a previously dead person, prostitutes, the least, the lost, and the lowly... Pope Francis reflects the image of Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, to kiss the feet of prisoner! Instead of celebrating the Lord’s supper in St. Peter's Basilica or the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope will be washing the feet of the youth rejected by society. Individuals who are no longer able to participate in society, those who are seen as sinful (despite our own sinfulness), and people whose sinfulness has landed them in confinement are welcomed to the Lord’s table by Pope Francis.
This leads to a much needed decrease in the distance from the lay to ordained members of many Christian churches. The Pope comes down from the elevated altar to the place where the lost are living. How much more can we minister to the people who need to hear the gospel if we are not so far away, if we don’t need to yell, if we can just whisper. This is not to say that we should do away with the leaders of the church! Leaders of all Christian denominations can learn from the Holy Father’s example. We need to dwell among the least of these because that is where Jesus is (Matthew 25:45)!
-LB
Your citation of Wills is unclear.
ReplyDeleteTo clarify, Wills does not argue for the abolition of any office in any organization, he is simply illustrating that the office of priesthood was a development of sacrificial atonement and the Eucharist as a sacrifice.
This aside, I concur with your assessment of Francis' actions, and the need for greater emphasis on leaders (of all stripes and offices) being more oriented toward service and perhaps less oriented to administrative officiating.
Thank you for your comment. I actually meant that he alludes to their necessity in the early church. I simply deleted that as to not confuse people!
ReplyDelete-LB