It is very fitting that we celebrate the solemnity of St.
Joseph, on this, the day that Pope Francis was officially installed as our 266th
pope. St. Joseph is a model to all
of us of following God’s will in a silent way. He didn’t try to prove himself and he didn’t try to make a
statement. He simply did what God
asked.
This
flies in the face of our culture which is made up of “either/or”. “Either/or” permeates our political
system, government and is sadly present in the Church. Anyone watching the secular news can
observe this first hand as they have to find a way to label this new pope. One commentator even asked a politician,
“He is conservative in his morals but progressive in his service to the
needy. Is it fair to call him a
conservative progressive?” The
politician answered wisely, “No.
He is a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.”
On this day we must remember that
St. Joseph is the patron saint of the universal Church. He is the patron saint of liberals and
conservatives. Already, we see
Pope Francis striving to unite the Church and his own example of living out the
faith ought to inspire us. I’ve
mentioned this before here, but I continue to reflect on the “either/or”
Catholics in our area. It seems
either people serve the poor or they pray. Social workers or church mice! Pope Francis shows that we need both because Jesus did both. I confess, my background is more on the
spiritual side of things and my faith grew through experiences in prayer and
the sacraments. The Holy Father is
inspiring me to go forth from Church to help those in need. And I hope those of you who are drawn
by service to learn about and remain steadfast in the beautiful teachings and
spirituality of our Church.
On this great solemnity we pray for
unity in our Church, especially in Duluth and at the College. We pray also for our Holy Father and
seek to follow his example of humility, faithfulness to Church teaching and service
in our lives.
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