THE POPE FEELS ALL THE ANGUISH OF THE CHURCH (C6)
Our love for the Church inspires us to… accept loyally, with an enlightened faith, the guidance and teachings of the successors of Peter and the Apostles
(Constitution 6)
Writing to the people of his diocese, Bishop Eugene presented the people of his diocese with Pope Pius IX’s letter to the universal Church asking for help for the victims of the terrible famine in Ireland. It gives an interesting glimpse into Eugene’s understanding of the Pope and the suffering connected with his responsibility. He begins by paraphrasing St Paul’s text, “I am under daily pressure because of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28), and continues:
Chosen by Heaven to represent the Supreme Shepherd of souls throughout the world, he sees the Church militant, obliged to endure unceasingly terrible attacks and to withstand harsh struggles.
He feels all the anguish of the Bride of Jesus Christ, whose heart is stricken by all the blows directed against her and torn by all the wounds she receives.
Bishop Eugene’s Circular Letter to the people of Marseilles, 12 June 1847, EO III Circular n 3
Speaking of the sufferings of the Church, who is the Bride of Christ, Eugene’s earlier language of the Preface of 1818 is echoed: “The Church… has in our days been cruelly ravaged. The beloved spouse of God’s only begotten Son is torn with anguish…”
The Church continues to be “cruelly ravaged” today and in unity with Pope Leo how do we respond to the suffering of our Church, the Body of Christ, who “endures unceasingly terrible attacks and withstands harsh struggles.”
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I truly believe that the Pope does feel all the anguish of the Church. It is the Spirit who will guide him, accompany all not only within the Church but for all beings.
And God gives us the gifts we need to join in with the Pope, the Bishops, Priests, Religious and Lay Persons alike – for we are all humans created by the One God. Who among us can pass by those who cannot find shelter, nourishment and love. So we allow them to touch our hearts. Who watch the News be it on their phones, computers or TV who are being as they are seemingly sent by a few to oblivion of life.
The mark of a person is not how rich or seemingly powerful they are, but rather how humble and compassionate they are; how greatly they share not just with a few who look like themselves but with all those who are ignored or abandoned along the wayside.
I think of Eugene’s invitation to come and learn who we are in the eyes of God. First of all in how we have been created to acknowledge our humanness, then how we are called to respond to our one God above all other small gods, no matter our culture or where we come from or how we have been touched by God. And finally how we become saints or holy (whole) beings.
The Popes are human men who have been given a special role. Their oblation is so deep that it is not always recognized. And it portrays a deeper sense of what it means to “turn the other cheek…”
This reflection has reminded me to look beyond what only my eyes can see but rather how my heart’s eyes see so much more as they pass through the empty violence of the darkness to that which even our senses cannot behold.