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Tomorrow, we lay the body of Pope Francis to rest.
Thousands of dignitaries from around the world will attend the solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
America will be well represented: President Trump and the First Lady will be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a bipartisan Congressional delegation, paying homage not only to Francis, but also to the papacy itself.
The pageantry and ritual draw the gaze of even the most secular among us. And it’s an opportunity to share the joy of being Catholic. The death of this one figure – the head of the world’s largest church – commands the public (dare I say, unified?) respect of all these princes, presidents, and prime ministers.
Tomorrow, they will stand for just a few hours together to honor a man… but really to honor this singular, strange, and divinely-given office.
It reminds me of the passage we heard from Isaiah in the Good Friday liturgy just one week ago:
So shall he startle many nations; kings shall stand speechless because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand. Isaiah 52:15
The funeral of a pope is a startling reminder that all the nations of the earth are “as dust on the scales” (to quote another verse from Isaiah).
The entire world will be watching a Catholic funeral Mass. Why? What is this fascination with the death of the leader of the Church that so many people dismiss as out-of-touch, irrelevant, or even obsolete?
Because, whether they acknowledge it or not, the Barque of Peter is the only hope of salvation in this world. And our true compass is Jesus Christ Himself, who calms all storms.
I know many faithful Catholics will fill that square tomorrow with their witness of prayer and reverence. For Francis. For the Church. For Christ.
And as we pray for the pope’s soul, we will also be praying for the Holy Spirit to descend on the Church and the cardinals as they enter the conclave.
I have one more prayer to offer.
Let’s also pray for everyone in that square who is outside the Church – the world leaders, dignitaries, and everyday curious tourists. Pray that this moment in history will move their hearts to ponder the love of our Good and true Shepherd.
And may God have mercy on us all.
P.S. The Roman Missal offers us this prayer for a deceased pope. Will you pray it with me now?
God, Who, in Thine ineffable providence, didst will that Thy servant Francis … should be numbered among the high priests; grant, we beseech Thee, that he, who on earth held the place of Thine only-begotten Son, may be joined forevermore to the fellowship of Thy holy pontiffs. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Amen.