Peace be with you all!
Dear brothers and sisters, these are the first words spoken by the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for God’s flock. I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world. Peace be with you!
Greetings to Rome and to the world
“Habemus Papam!” I hope that many of you, dear readers had the opportunity to hear and see the announcement on this past Thursday, May 8, a little after 1 p.m. EST, that “We have a (new) Pope.” Then to hear that the cardinals, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, had chosen Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost of the United States was something that very few, one of whom was our own Msgr. Raymond Kupke, had predicted. Some had said, “there would never be an American Pope,” but it is good to remember that very few had expected a Pope from Poland 47 years ago or a “Jesuit Pope” from Argentina 12 years ago. We rejoice and give thanks to God that we now have Pope Leo XIV.
It is fairly common to hear a bishop say, “Peace be with you,” as that is the traditional way that a bishop offers the greeting at the beginning of each Mass. To hear the new Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter speak those words of the Risen Jesus, “Peace be with you” as his first words is something that I find very encouraging, hopeful, and comforting. As I quote the first words of our new Holy Father above, I encourage you, if you have not done so already to click on the link and read the brief, full text of Pope Leo’s first “Urbi et Orbi” address to the “City and the World,” just before he offered us his first Papal Blessing.
I hope that you were as inspired as I was to hear Pope Leo say that he “would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people …” and then describe that “Peace of the Risen Christ” as, “… a peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally.” He then goes on to say, “We can still hear the faint yet ever courageous voice of Pope Francis as he blessed Rome … who gave his blessing to the world, the whole world, on the morning of Easter.”
Was it a coincidence that the first Sunday after we received a new Holy Father was “Good Shepherd Sunday”? Each year, on the fourth Sunday of Easter, the whole Church meditates on the image (and voice) of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. In the Gospel, we heard those words of Jesus, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” (Jn. 10: 27-28) Pope Leo now serves with the responsibility of “Chief Shepherd” of the Church and “Vicar of Christ” on earth. So, we should listen to his voice, that he might draw all of us closer to Jesus, the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep so that we can have fullness of life through his gospel which has he entrusted to his Church. For all of us here in the United States, it will be comforting and exciting to hear the Pope speaking to us in English with an “American/Chicago” accent. It was also be a comfort for Spanish speakers to hear him speaking with a Peruvian accent.
Even more importantly, the Holy Father is the “Voice” of the Catholic (Universal) Church for the whole world and on the “world stage.” That Pope Leo the XIV’s first words were words of Peace, we can be confident that he will continue to call for Peace in our world, as Pope Francis and previous Popes have consistently worked and called for Peace as true “instruments of Peace.” It is also clear from that first “Urbi et Orbi” message that he continues to lead the Church on the Synodal path, building on the work of Pope Francis. In the spirit of Pope Francis, Pope Leo emphasized the importance of Christ as “the bridge” and his disciples as “bridge builders,” saying, “We are followers of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge that can lead us to God and his love. Help us, one and all, to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, joining together as one people, always at peace.”
There is much more for our reflection in that brief first message, including Pope Leo describing himself as a “son of St. Augustine” and quoting one of the many famous quotes and teachings of that great Doctor of the Church, who said, “With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.” How wonderful it was to hear and see the “missionary spirit” of our new “Missionary Pope,” as he asked permission to switch from Italian to Spanish, offering a greeting to the missionary Diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru. The Holy Father concluded the message, invoking the intercession of the Blessed Mother, as Pope Francis and so many previous Successors of Peter consistently have done. In Italy, May 8 was the day of “the Prayer of Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii,” so Pope Leo invoked her intercession, invited all to “pray together for this new mission” and then led much of the world in praying a Hail Mary.
On the morning after his election, Pope Leo celebrated Mass with the college of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. Before preaching in Italian, he offered some words in English,
“I want to repeat the words from the Responsorial Psalm: ‘I will sing a new song to the Lord, because He has done marvels,’ and indeed, not just with me but with all of us. My brother Cardinals, as we celebrate this morning, I invite you to reflect on the marvels the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out on all of us through the Ministry of Peter.
You have called me to carry that cross, and to carry out that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me, as we continue as a Church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the Good News, to announce the Gospel.”
Pope Leo’s first homily as pope
I encourage you, if you have not already heard or read and reflected upon this “first homily” of Pope Leo XIV, to click on the link and take some time to read it prayerfully. He speaks powerfully and passionately about “Peter’s Confession”: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). He reminded each of us that we must respond, as Peter did, to Jesus’ question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13). He reminded us that we must make our confession in the world and circumstances in which we live today:
This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which, as Pope Francis taught us so many times, we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour. Therefore, it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). It is essential to do this, first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a daily journey of conversion…”
What is Pope Leo XIV saying to each of us as he begins his pontificate? He is calling us, as Pope Francis did to be “missionary disciples,” proclaiming and sharing the Joy of the Gospel, as a Synodal Church and as true and authentic pilgrims of Hope.
