4th Sunday of Easter (Jn 10:27-30)
“I am the good shepherd.” The fourth Sunday of Lent is what we refer to as Good Shepherd Sunday. Today, it would seem most appropriate to reflect on the image of the Good Shepherd. Why? Because we have a new chief shepherd in the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV. We are slowly learning about this new Pope who is the first Pope that is a United States Citizen. What are his ideas about church?
People put a lot of stock in first impressions. We must always remember that everyone is different. Pope Leo won’t be a carbon copy of any other Pope. He will have his own style. The substance will be the same. The emphasis will vary.
The first thing that impresses us is his choice of name, “Leo.”
Two significant Popes were named Leo. The first Pope that might come to mind is “Leo the Great.” He was the first Pope Leo. He lived in the 5th century. The fifth century was a time of great crisis. The Roman empire was crumbling. No civic leader stepped up to lead. Pope Leo became a stabilizing force in a very unstable world. The church might have collapsed if it hadn’t been for this great bishop.
The second Pope Leo we remember is Pope Leo the XIII. Pope Leo was the leader of the church at the end of the 19th century. At that time, we were at the height of the Industrial revolution. We were moving from an agrarian society to a manufacturing one. A tension existed between the working poor and the owners of industry. Pope Leo wrote a encyclical called Rerum Novarum which said that the church stood with those who sought justice. His encyclical was the first church teaching on Social Justice. All these things were obviously on Robert Francis Prevost’s mind when he chose the name he would use for the rest of his life. He knows the world is in another transition as we move forward with advances in technology that will change the world tremendously. He spoke about the caution we need to have as we contemplate the use of Artificial Intelligence in his first remarks to the College of Cardinals.
A second sign of what the new Pope Leo will be like was revealed in his opening remarks. His first greeting was that of the Risen Jesus when he met his apostles. “Peace be with you.” He paired the image of the Risen Jesus with the image of the Good Shepherd. He reminded us that the Good Shepherd loves every member of his flock unconditionally. No one is more important than anyone else.
The third hint at what Pope Leo believes about church is his references to collegiality. He said, “God cares for us, God loves us all of us, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God’s hands (a direct reference to today’s Gospel). Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us move forward. Help us to build bridges – with dialogue, with encounter, uniting all of us to be one people always in peace.”
Pope Leo, it would seem, isn’t going to be a monarchial ruler but he sees the Church as a pilgrim people on a journey together. The Church is first a community of faith. What are the aspects to being a community. A Church is a group of people who profess a common faith. The Church is about building relationships. The Church exists to fulfill a mission. The Church lives to allow people to strengthen their friendship with God. Members are called to love and serve one another. The Church works to achieve positive change in the world.
Another thing we can derive from Pope Leo’s first words is that he is first and foremost a citizen of the world. He uttered no words in English when he spoke to the world, but he used Latin, Spanish and Italian; a reminder that he is everyone’s pastor. He remembers fondly the diocese or Chiclayo he led in Peru. In fact, he holds dual U.S./Peruvian citizenship.
We can also see from Pope Leo’s first remarks to the world that he is a man of prayer. He led the throngs in St. Peter’s square in the Hail Mary before he gave his apostolic blessing. He isn’t only a man of prayer, but he wants to lead all Catholics in prayer. He will have that awesome responsibility in the years ahead.
Pope Leo said once earlier in his life, “A great flame of faith and love must once again spread across the world, lighting the way for all people of good will.” Pope Leo wants to spread the light of Christ. He wants us to partner with him in this mission. He trusts us. Hopefully, we will trust him.