Hope for the Pope

When I was out to lunch on Wednesday and my mom texted me in capitals…THERE IS A NEW POPE!!  I was just like everyone else.  Clueless.  I hadn’t been paying much attention.  But I have to say, I felt very excited and giddy as I was driving home really fast to see who this new Pope would be.  Friends were calling and I had a couple shivery moments.  I had hope.  Here’s why…

I believe in second chances.  And third and fourth.  There is no doubt, my church is damaged.  My church is broken.  My church is hurting.  We are in a time of transition and reconciliation and down on our knees humility.  There has been sin and shame and cover up and we have hung our heads low.  There has been disgust and disgrace and dishonor and moments of “That is so awful, I can’t even believe it’s true.”  Unspeakable sin has occurred and it haunts us.  People have left and people still leave and some people stay.  But even those that stay are not the same.  Things have changed and they must.

I know from my life and from my faith that when I am hurting, when I am deep down confused and unsure and broken…Jesus shows up.  I have to invite Him in.  But when I do, He is there.  The hurt and brokenness aren’t gone, they do not vanish, I am not the same as I once was…but He is.  And He shows me light.  He saves me.  Not once, not twice, but again and again.

He knows that I’m a sinner.  He knows that I am one step away from messing up again. He knows that we all are sinners.  That’s why He came.  And that’s why we still call on Him.

I’m not going to pretend that I know anything about the new Pope.  I’m reading along with the rest of you and watching and hoping.  He has a reputation for being humble and word on the street is that he doesn’t walk around acting like a pompous jerk.  So that’s good.  There are many illustrations of his kindness and humility.  I like that he rides the bus.

I know this is kind of hard to see but that’s the Pope in white.  Can you imagine?  All the other guys are thinking, “If I was him, I’d be in the limo!” I love this!  He’s so cute!

I’m picturing them singing…”What if God was one of us?  Just a stranger on the bus…trying to make his way home…” (I KNOW he’s not God but that song came to mind!) or as others have suggested, maybe  99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall…who knows?  It looks fun.  As first impressions go, I like him.  I have hope.  It feels like a good moment for the church and for our future.

I LOVE that he picked Francis as his name.  I see this as a very good sign.  St. Francis of Assisi is one of everyone’s favorite saints.   I wear a bracelet that has the prayer of St. Francis on it every day.

For those of you who don’t know the prayer, here it is:

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury,pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen 

AMEN, right??!!  Isn’t that SO AWESOME?!

I hope you will join me in praying for the new Pope…even if you are not Catholic…even if you watch all of this pageantry with more than a little skepticism.  If you are one of the people that has walked away from the faith, if you really don’t care or don’t think it matters, if you are one of the people that has doubted and criticized and judged and condemned, if you think everything I’m saying is a total crock, if you don’t know what you believe, if your faith is shaken to its core, if you are afraid…it’s okay…pray anyway.

Remember what I said earlier about Jesus being with us when we are broken?  He never leaves.  He knows our hearts.  He understands.  Let’s pray that this is His way of giving us a new start…a new hope…a new beginning.

Let’s trust Him.

©2013 Sue Bidstrup, Great Big Yes™ All Rights Reserved

photo from www.patheos.com