Homily
[Acts 4:1-2; Psalm 118; 1Peter 1:3-9; John 21:1-14]
Since the announcement of his death, countless reminiscences of Pope Francis have been shared around the globe. In this homily, I offer three of my own, together with the prayer that the aspects of the Holy Father’s papacy they elucidate will help us receive the message of the Word of God just proclaimed.
First, my mind returns to the discourse offered by Pope Francis at Lac Ste Anne in the context of his visit to Canada. At that beautiful lake he knew to be sacred to Indigenous Peoples, he directed our thoughts to another body of water made holy by the very presence of our Lord. He spoke of the Sea of Galilee, and invited us to “return” frequently in our hearts to that place, where faith in Christ began to awaken.
As we ponder the meeting between the Risen Lord and the disciples at that lake, recalled for us in the text from John’s Gospel, the full significance of the Sea of Galilee emerges. Before all else, it is the place of encounter. Jesus takes the initiative and comes to meet his disciples. In that encounter with the Risen Christ, everything changes for them. Their minds and hearts open to the wondrous truth that is risen, alive, with them, and this fills them with unspeakable joy. From within this encounter with the Risen Lord, his original call to evangelization is renewed, symbolized once again by a large catch of fish. Finally, this appearance of the Risen Jesus is a clear reminder to them that, without the Lord, they can do nothing. Only Jesus can indicate where the “nets are to be put down”; only he can bring about a miraculous “catch”.
Throughout his papacy, Francis spoke of the disciple’s personal encounter with the Risen Lord Jesus as central to the Christian life. In the light of the Gospel, his legacy invites us to ask: is this the moment for my personal “return to Galilee”, to ask of the Lord Jesus a new and life-transforming encounter with him; how am I, how are we all, summoned at this historical moment to hear the Lord tell us where to put down the nets of evangelical mission; and shall we, once and for all, give up the illusion of self-reliance and recognize our radical dependence upon the wisdom, providence, and power of the Lord for the discernment and accomplishment of our Christian duties?
Our total reliance upon the strength and energy the Lord provides leads me to my second reminiscence: the wheelchair. We ourselves saw his constant reliance upon it throughout his visit to our country, as has everyone throughout the world as the Pope was increasingly confined to it in recent years. This becomes a powerfully eloquent symbol the more we remember that the Pope is the Successor of Saint Peter. The text from Acts highlights the heart of the Petrine ministry, which is to proclaim with boldness and energy the gift of salvation given uniquely in the Risen Christ. Pope Francis certainly did begin with a boundless energy that left his assistants exhausted and with a boldness evident in both word and gesture. Yet, it was precisely as he became physically weaker that the energy emanating from him expanded. Moreover, as in recent months his ability to speak was increasingly restricted, even to just a few words, the message he was sent to proclaim grew ever stronger: the Lord Jesus is guiding his Church – with untold power and in mysterious ways – precisely through human weakness to draw all people to himself. Implicit in the visible limitations of the Pope is an invitation to us not only to admit our own weaknesses and inabilities, both to ourselves and others, but also gladly to offer them to the Lord as instruments of his saving power for the sake of the Gospel.
Finally, my memory of Pope Francis takes me to a chapel in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, the great sanctuary dedicated to the Mother of God. The heart of that chapel is an ancient icon of the Madonna, precious to the people of Rome, and object of veneration by many Popes over the centuries. It was especially treasured by Pope Francis, so much so that he will be buried in that chapel tomorrow, in accordance with his wishes. As we know, the Holy Father would visit that chapel immediately prior to and after every apostolic journey, entrusting their success to the intercession of the Blessed Mother.
Here again we are given an instructive example from the ministry of Pope Francis. In his many messages, homilies, and speeches, he would echo the teaching of St. Peter that every disciple of the Lord carries within the heart “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. Then he would summon us to exercise our co-responsibility for the Church’s mission by announcing that hope to a world so obviously in need of it. At the same time, through his constant recourse to the Blessed Mother, he was reminding us all of our common need for Mary’s maternal embrace and powerful intercession, as we seek under grace to answer the call to holiness and mission. Do we hear in this particular aspect of the Francis legacy an invitation to entrust our lives, with all their joys and sorrows, to Mary as Mother of Church and our mother? Is it time to renew and deepen our relationship with her?
Now, in our Liturgy of the Eucharist, we join our intentions to those of the Blessed Mother, and offer our prayers through the Risen Lord Jesus to our Heavenly Father on behalf of Pope Francis. May he who announced without cease the joy of the Gospel now enter forever the joy of his Master.
Most Reverend Richard W. Smith
Saint Joseph Basilica
April 25th, 2025
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