RBWords - Volume 37 - Number 4: April 2024
Something to Think About
R. B. WORDS - VOL. 37 - NO. 4 - APRIL 2025
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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT -
Is there anything Catholic to think about right now more than the death of Pope Francis (already fading from the news) and the conclave of Cardinals who will select his successor? Articles and interviews abound and no doubt there are bets being placed and pools being formed. I’m surprised someone hasn’t come up with a board game called “Conclave!” I’m sure the media wouldn’t mind if some history of pope/anti-pope or pope-in-exile resurfaced to feed on! The same “hot button issues” appear in every presentation: sexuality (including clerical sex abuse), environment, the role of women, the majority of the human race that lives in destitution. Journalism and media thrive on conflict. There is very little theology of the Church or understanding of the faith. For all its pomp and circumstance, a conclave is an exercise in discernment guided by the Holy Spirit. And, as with all such exercises, the process is subject to many human influences that the electors bring into the room within themselves. They have no contact with the outer world, only with one another and with the Holy Spirit working within each one. The “general congregations” of the cardinals that take place in the interim between the pope’s funeral and the beginning of the conclave do have some impact on shaping opinion, but there may be more than one figure who stands out in any way on any particular concern.
Whoever is elected will have 1.4 billion (that’s right!) Catholics to lead. The media make a big deal of that number. Pope Francis once wrote that a good shepherd must be at the head, in the middle and at the back of the flock. Since being in three places at the same time is impossible, it will be interesting to see where the new pope spends most of his time. IT’S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
It Has Been Said
When Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, he summarized in these gestures his own life. Jesus is chosen from all eternity, blessed at his baptism in the Jordan river, broken on the cross, and given as bread to the world. Being chosen, blessed, broken, and given is the sacred journey of the Son of God, Jesus the Christ.
When we take bread, bless it, break it, and give it with the words “This is the Body of Christ,” we express our commitment to make our lives conform to the life of Christ. We too want to live as people chosen, blessed, and broken, and thus become food for the world.
From BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY - A DAYBOOK OF WISDOM AND FAITH by Henri Nouwen
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