Good Monday morning...
… and we offer our condolences to our Catholic brothers and sisters in the death of Pope Francis who died early this morning. His legacy is what, I pray, will be one for all of Christianity, to focus on the Christlikeness of the church, primarily being the “Good Samaritans” in the world and being a church for all… open doors for all. This emphasis on humble service and bold vision has positive ramifications for all believers everywhere!
On the other hand, the enemy of the Lord and His mission to rescue humanity from sin and death, will be hard at work to replace the Pontiff with someone who will not focus on the unifying and humble service of the Catholic Church. All of us should be praying for the Lord’s anointing on the process and selection of the next leader of the Catholic Church. The humble servant from Argentina who, in 2013 began with an emphasis on Christlikeness, will be replaced by another Catholic leader. May the Lord have mercy on the process of selection.
It is very interesting that Pope Francis died on the first day after Holy Week. For me, one who has, from birth, been on the Protestant side of the tracks, find the timing intriguing. It smacks of God’s fingerprints on it all. It was no accident, in my humble opinion, that the worship leader of our church would mention the Pope’s Easter message during our Easter morning service. A gesture of respect, a willingness to acknowledge the brotherhood of and, in Dave’s words, one with whom we share more in common than opposition. I love that!
So, in the spirit of unity which Jesus’ prayed for on the night of his betrayal, arrest, mock trial and prophesied conviction, we mourn with our brothers and sisters in Christ on the death of their leader. I pray that the honor paid to his memory and legacy will capture the character of his life, one of Christlike service and the ironclad conviction that the doors of the church of Jesus Christ is open for all people… “Todos, todos, todos” he would say. After all, the death of Jesus of Nazareth, on the cross of Calvary, paid for the sins of all humanity.
May the next Pope play the role of his Master with as much grace and wisdom as that of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, son of immigrants and raised in Argentina, who became the archbishop of Buenos Aires before becoming Pope Francis.
For His glory,
Pastor Mike