FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

Dear St. Mary’s Parishioners:

By now, many of you have heard of the sad news of the death of Pope Benedict XVI last Saturday. He was pope before stepping down in 2013, ushering the way for our current pope, Pope Francis, to follow after him. The name of Pope Benedict may be vaguely familiar to many because for the last ten years, he was quietly living a life of prayer in a little monastery inside Vatican City. He stayed out of the public view. For us Catholics, the office of the papacy is absolutely critical for us. Recall back when Jesus was establishing the Church, he famously said to St. Peter, in the Gospel of Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Jesus built the Church on Peter, as we clearly see. Since that moment, we’ve had one continuous line of successors, all the way down through 2,000 years of history, to Benedict and now to Pope Francis. The Catholic Church is the oldest, worldwide, institution in human history. We see firsthand the promise of Jesus to sustain his Church until he comes again. The purpose of the pope is a simple one – to make Jesus known.

This Sunday, we celebrate the Epiphany, as the wise men go and give homage to the Baby Jesus with infamous gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. That word, “Ephihany” means a manifestation of God to the world. The role of the pope is to take this “manifestation” of God in Christ, to all the nations. As we all know and see around us if we have eyes to see, proclaiming Jesus Christ is a great challenge in our culture today, which studies show is growing more and more godless with each passing year. Some sectors of society are growing blatantly hostile to traditional Christian teaching. Spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, takes courage to stand against the storm. Jesus knows this. In the Gospel of Luke, our Lord takes Peter aside and speaks to him from the heart. He knows he’s about to send Peter out into the world on an impossible mission, where many Christians will not be strong enough to persevere: ““Simon, Simon (another name for Peter), behold, Satan has demanded to sift you men like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail; and you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Cf. Luke 22:31-32).

This reveals the other purpose of the pope – strengthen the faith of his people. When I was studying to be a priest, I was honored with the opportunity to be sent to Rome for my theological studies at the Pontifical North American College. It is the seminary of the United States. It sits only a few blocks away from Vatican City. It’s so close to the Vatican, you can poke your head out of the window and see the Apostolic Palace, which is the residence of the pope. If he is home, they turn on the light in the window. As young seminarians, we would often look at the window and say to ourselves, “Look Pope Benedict is still awake.” We were blessed to be in Rome during his reign as pope. For my generation of priests, he taught us to never be afraid to proclaim Jesus Christ, no matter how unpopular it is. Afterall, we are not Christians to win friends. We are Christian’s because God has broken into our world and revealed himself. It’s our job to witness to the joy of the Gospel. Pray for the soul Pope Benedict XVI.

A Slave of Jesus Christ,

Fr. Brian J. Solive