Second Anniversary of the Visit of Pope Francis to Lac Ste Anne
Liturgy of the Word
Homily
[Ezekiel 36. 24-28; Ephesians 4. 1-6; Matthew 18. 15-20]
Two years ago, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, set foot on this holy site. We gather to commemorate that historic moment, thank God for the extraordinary gifts we received through it, and ponder together our way forward. I feel honoured and blessed to be among you all this afternoon. Though we had little time to prepare and accomplish the papal visit, yet even in that brief period there was a great deal I learned from my partnerships and friendships with the Indigenous Peoples with whom I worked. What I witnessed showed me that reconciliation can become a reality, and how it can be achieved. To illustrate what I mean, allow me to share some memories.
The centre around which everything unfolded was this: speaking the truth and listening to the truth, all in the service of reconciliation. Let’s notice right away that this is precisely what Jesus himself says we must do when we grow estranged from one another. “If [a] member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault… If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.” In other words, essential to our reconciliation with one another is speaking and listening to the truth. That is precisely what we all witnessed in the course of the last few years.
A very important moment occurred when the delegation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit representatives met with the Holy Father at the Vatican. I was greatly blessed to have been a participant and witness to everything that took place. For four solid hours, the delegates spoke the truth to Pope Francis. They shared their own stories, or those of others entrusted to them, of how they had experienced deep harm from members of the Church. For that same amount of time, the Pope listened, and did so deeply. As he said at the end of that week, he sought while he listened to imagine himself in their place and feel within his own heart the pain they were expressing. It was clear to everyone that the Pope listened with his heart to what the Indigenous delegates spoke from the depths of their own, and that he truly heard them.
When the Holy Father came to this land, he spoke the truth from his heart and we listened with ours. With profound emotion, Pope Francis spoke words of sincere apology and deep remorse; he admiringly extolled the resilience of the Indigenous Peoples; he looked in appreciation to the wisdom of Indigenous traditions and the beauty of Native cultures; and with conviction upheld Indigenous rights. The listening accorded by the Indigenous Peoples gathered around him was expectant, attentive, and respectful. We all wanted and needed to hear what he would say to us. Both at Rome and in Canada, heart spoke to heart; and heart listened to heart. We all knew that healing and reconciliation could not otherwise be advanced.
Gathered today at Lac Ste Anne, this sacred site reminds us that speaking and listening to truth in the service of reconciliation cannot be only horizontal, among ourselves. These holy grounds testify that there is also a vertical dimension to healing. Jesus, the Son of God made flesh, offered his life on the Cross so that all of God’s people would be reconciled to one another. True and lasting healing, peace, and reconciliation require, therefore, that we speak the truth to Jesus the Lord and he speak the truth to us, and that each listen to the other, all from the depths of the heart.
This brings to mind another precious memory related to the visit. Early in 2022 I came out to Lac Ste Anne with some members of the papal visit planning team. At that point, we knew only that the Holy Father had promised the previous fall to come to Canada. We did not know when or where a visit would take place. I was hopeful, though, that it might include Lac Ste Anne, so we came and were met by some of the local people here. At a certain point, Chief Tony, Chief Rod, Eugene, Fr. Les, and Gary Gagnon accompanied us to the shore of the lake. There, at the gazebo, a prayer song was offered. It was a very moving plea from the heart, lifted up to the heart of Jesus, asking that the Pope come to Lac Ste Anne. The truth of our desire was spoken to Jesus, who obviously listened with his own Sacred Heart. The Pope, Successor of Saint Peter, came from Rome to Lac Ste Anne, and prayed at the shores of “God’s Lake”, next to the gazebo.
So now, as we gather here two years later, let us in turn listen with our hearts to Jesus as he speaks truth to us today from his own heart. “…truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” The truth Jesus speaks here is that he is with us; that he listens to us; that he wants us to be reconciled; and that he will grant what we agree among ourselves to seek from him, just as he answered the united prayer offered from the gazebo at the lake. Today, gathered for this anniversary commemoration, what shall we agree among ourselves to ask Jesus? Perhaps Pope Francis himself can help us answer that question.
At the end of his homily for the Liturgy of the Word celebrated at this very spot, he said this: “Dear Indigenous brothers and sisters, I have come here as a pilgrim … to say to you how precious you are to me and to the Church. I want the Church to be intertwined among us, as tightly woven as the threads of the colored bands that many of you wear. May the Lord help us to move forward in the healing process, towards an ever more healthy and renewed future.” Let this be our own united prayer to Jesus. As vitally important as the papal visit was, it remains but one step along the path of reconciliation. May the Lord Jesus enable us to walk that pathway together, our hearts intertwined, by speaking and listening to the Lord and one another in both truth and love.
Most Reverend Richard W. Smith
Lac Ste Anne Shrine, Alberta
July 23rd, 2024