Mourning, Celebrating and Praying for Pope Francis

It's 6:12 AM on Easter Monday morning and I have just lit a candle for Pope Francis upon learning of his passing during my Google lectio shortly before my morning Centering Prayer. 

(Some believe the book of world events is written by the hand of God, so perhaps my brief time getting caught up on the headlines between my 1-minute wakeup prayer at 5:01 AM and Centering Prayer at 5:40 AM can indeed be considered a form of lectio. It's a good question for spiritual direction).

The memory of Pope Francis is dear to me. He was elected to the papacy during March 2013, precisely during the period I was separated from my ex-wife, some six months before our divorce. At the time, I thought our first Pope Francis should be a climate-conscious vegan with a compassionate, eco-mystical relationship to animals and Creation. This rather self-centered and fantastical projection of my Generation X Franciscan image on the Argentinian Silent Generation head of the Catholic Church created a barrier between me and the papacy that I never quite overcame when Pope Francis was alive. But now that the screen on which I projected this image has fallen away, I can see how strongly God was reaching out to me through the papacy of Francis. I did not see myself on the path to Catholicism at the time Pope Francis assumed office and now look where I am - giving earnest thought to the vocation of the Catholic hermit. 

So it is that I am mourning the passing of Pope Francis, as the passing of the older man within myself, and celebrating the rising of the new. Especially during this Eastertide season, we cannot allow the passing of Pope Francis to become more than a nine-day wave of mourning in an ocean of resurrection faith. He surely would not want that.

I am also praying for the soul of Pope Francis. I don't mean to suggest that he needs my prayers, but naturally I urge and wish his soul all the best as it faces the final proving ground. Eternal security is an important doctrine for many, but not for Catholics. There have been times on my journey of faith when I have desperately needed the consolation of eternal security, and there have been times when salvation has not felt like something I should take for granted, either for myself or for others who wear the mantle "Christian." Purgatory may have many degrees, and most of us may wind up there.

Prayer for Pope Francis from USCCB:

O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,

look favorably on your servant Francis,

whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;

grant, we pray, that by word and example

he may be of service to those over whom he presides

so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,

he may come to everlasting life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Thank you, Pope Francis.