Our beloved Pope Francis has gone to his rest. In this Easter Octave, when the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is celebrated as one continuous day of rejoicing, we give thanks to Almighty God for Pope Francis. The Holy Father’s living example of faith, hope, and love was nourished by a servant’s heart that impelled him to make of his life a gift to the Lord Jesus through God’s grace. We have all benefited from his goodness.
With the Christian faithful, the priests, deacons, and consecrated religious of the Diocese of Paterson, I mourn the passing of our Holy Father. This is a death in our family, and we grieve together. We grieve, and we live in hope. In the gospel on this Easter Monday, the Risen Christ tells the disciples, “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 28:10). Our faith in the Risen Lord sustains us.
The example of Pope Francis will be ever vital because his way of life was rooted in the heart of our Good Shepherd. Pope Francis, in imitation of the Good Shepherd, impressed singular importance upon embracing the broken, the despairing, and the hopeless. Rooted in joyful hope, the Holy Father taught us that as the Body of Christ, our vision must always be turned outward as ambassadors of Christ. Francis forcefully preached the dignity of the human person, lifted up the marginalized and poor, and made concrete God’s mercy through living charity and tangible compassion. Like Peter, he strengthened us in the faith.
In these last days, as a family of faith, we have seen the physical strength of the Holy Father diminish, but the power of his faithful witness ever increase. Giving full view to the mortal frailty we all share, Pope Francis taught us to be courageous in faith and confident that in our weakness we retain the gift of being children of God and brothers and sisters to one another.
In his call for a Jubilee Year, Pope Francis spoke a prayer, “Hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross.” Confident of the mercy born from the cross, we commend this Servant of the Servants of God to the loving mercy of Jesus. We pray that Pope Francis may know the reward of his goodness. We are led by the Living Light of the Risen Christ, who has conquered sin and death, and we pray that the joy of the gospel, which was the mainstay of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, will be our own.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Amen.
