Pope Francis, Requiescat in Pace

Our Martin Saints senior ladies and their chaperones are on pilgrimage in Rome until the end of the week. Here they are yesterday, Easter Sunday morning, in front of St. Peter's, before we all heard the news about Pope Francis. Let us renew our prayers with and for them, for they are representing us this week, at the heart of the Church.

Dear Martin Saints community,

We are waking this Easter Monday to news about Pope Francis. We give thanks for his life and we pray for the repose of his soul. Rest in peace, Holy Father, rest in peace.

It is 100% natural and human to have mixed emotions at a time like this, and to wonder about the state of the Church. I recommend taking in the news in slow, small doses. In the coming days and weeks, it will be important to stay centered spiritually. Our faculty know what I mean by that: I'm always repeating in faculty meetings that when we're feeling stressed, the basics of daily prayer, weekly Mass, and monthly confession are essential. 

For reliable, sane, smart, orthodox Catholic news, I recommend The Pillar. Here is their papal obituary. Here is their "explainer" on what happens next. Again, though, please take it slow with the online news. 

One of the reasons I like the Pillar is that they are spiritually centered, and they are beholden to no faction. 1 Corinthians 1:11-13 is a good meditation if you find yourself getting swept up in the online discussion.

Roughly once a month at Martin Saints, we gather for "theology Q&A," when a small group of faculty are game for whatever questions our students want to ask. At each of these Q&A sessions, I open and close with prayers that paraphrase St. Anselm of Canterbury, an eleventh century monk, archbishop, and theologian who popularized the phrase "faith seeking understanding." The idea is that because we love and trust the Lord, we seek to know him better in all ways, including through our minds, and so we are always asking questions and seeking to understand.

I mention this because St. Anselm also died on this day, in 1109. As he lay dying, one of his brother monks is recorded as having said: "My lord and father, we cannot help knowing that you are going to leave the world to be at the Easter court of your Lord."

Pope Francis has died during the Octave of Easter. In liturgical time, the Church will be celebrating Easter Sunday all week. Everything we said yesterday about the resurrection is still true and important to celebrate. Death is a tragedy, a horror, a rebuke to how things are supposed to be. But - what a time to die. Pope Francis dies during the season when we are most confident that death does not have the last word.

"My lord and father, we cannot help knowing that you are going to leave the world to be at the Easter court of your Lord."

Pax Christi,
Deacon Roberts

In early days of COVID, Pope Francis memorably blessed the world from St. Peter's Square in Rome. Pray for us now, Holy Father.