By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK
The chair under me is rolling from starboard to port and back as I write to you this week because I do so aboard the USS San Antonio at sea. In my ministry here I am following through on something Pope Francis has asked of all of us: I am seeking souls at the periphery.
Our military men and women are very much at the periphery, at the margins of existence, because they are very often without a priest when they deploy. No one is more marginalized than Catholics without the sacraments because they are believers without living sacramental contact with the Savior in whom they have put their faith.
The crew was at sea during the period of the Holy Father’s visit to the United States and so I shared with them from my experience of his presence among us. As we pause to look back in wonder at the graces bestowed during Pope Francis’ visit to America, we can truly be thankful. A visit from the Successor of St. Peter has always been a grace-filled experience for Catholics and others of goodwill in our nation, and this was no exception.
The ministry of the Successor of St. Peter is one of strengthening the brethren as established by Christ in commissioning Peter. The apostolic voyage of Pope Francis to Washington, Philadelphia, and New York managed to do that quite well in a number of instances.
There were highlights along the Pope’s itinerary that left us confident that his message might be heard also in its aspects of moral teaching which the world often rejects. His address to the United Nations was encouraging for its mention of the sanctity of preborn human life, and its direct challenge to gender manipulation and the redefinition of marriage.
The Pope’s address to the bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington was notable for his courage in offering words of brotherly support for them, many of whom suffered along with many of the faithful in the wake of the scandal of sexual abuse at the hands of some priests.
We can never ignore the suffering of, and should always offer every means of support and healing for, those who suffered abuse. But this does not mean we have to ignore the suffering of others who grieve because of what happened to them. When one suffers, we all suffer. It was right for the Holy Father to acknowledge that all who love the Church suffer when any part is suffering. We all need support and so do our bishops.
His comment, “I appreciate the unfailing commitment of the Church in America to the cause of life and that of the family,” helps the many culture warriors to know that they are indeed remembered and supported by him. Disappointment with his lack of forthright mention of the word “abortion” in his speech to Congress continues to be voiced by a number of the faithful. It seems at times as though the things he should be saying to the world, he says to the Church internally and vice-versa.
Congress is largely with him on immigration and the environment; what they need to hear more about is the scientific and moral fact of the humanity of the unborn child from the moment of conception. Many Catholics, on the other hand, are on board with the sacredness of life but may not have warmed to the causes of inclusion or recycling and may be allergic to any critique of capitalism.
The closest that Pope Francis approached direct mention of abortion in his words to Congress was when he called on them to “to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.” Catholics know very well this phrase is crafted to include unborn children. For those who have yet to admit that humans exist from the moment of conception, however, the comment will not serve to challenge their comfortable coexistence with federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
An obvious exception to this was the UN speech which seemed to be the clearest in drawing a bright line around life, marriage, and the natural difference between the sexes as well as the goodness of creation in each person.
John L. Allen of the Boston Globe remarked on an aspect of the Pope’s speech at the White House that suggests a direct challenge to the president. He noted that the Pope was addressing our bishops and, “He praised their ‘vigilance’ on religious liberty in his speech at the White House, pointedly turning and looking at Obama as he delivered the line.”
Allen highlighted the importance also of the fact that the Pope gave positive reviews to the bishops and the Church when “he thanked them profusely for their efforts to welcome immigrants, and even angered some victims of clergy sexual abuse by lauding the ‘courage’ shown by U.S. prelates in confronting their scandals.”
I agree with Allen when he says that we will not know right away what the effects of the Pope’s visit will be, but differ with him as to why. The end result of faith is salvation, which is something that all of us have to wait for. Each of us will only die once but our hope and prayer is that we will “persevere to the end,” cooperating with the grace which is necessary to be saved. We pray for a holy death in our tradition because that is the surest prelude to beatitude.
As I accompany faithful who are dying, I often find that I am at their side to strengthen them with my own prayers and words of encouragement in their final earthly moments. They are never so weak and helpless as when they face death and they therefore depend upon those who accompany them to remind them of their lives of faithful love of God and others in keeping the Commandments. The evidence of their faithful lives is an offering to Him in preparation for a judgment of mercy leading to life eternal.
A stronger praying and witnessing Church, which serves as an effective leaven in society, is an important ingredient for such an accompaniment and support of others at the end of life as well as throughout. We can only hope and pray that Pope Francis has contributed to such a renewed Church while we recognize that the results of such a “report card” will be revealed only beyond the veil.
Thank you for reading. Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.
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(Follow me on Facebook at Reverendo Padre-Kevin Michael Cusick and on Twitter @MCITLFrAphorism. I blog occasionally at mcitl.blogspot.com and APriestLife.blogspot.com. You can email me at mcitl.blogspot.com@gmail.com.)
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