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I was so heartened this week to see the Pope in France. Pope Leo is a Christian leader who is recognizable by media standards. I was taken with the sight of hundreds of thousands who came to Paris to greet him. What spoke to me most was not denominational membership so much as an ordinary citizen’s hunger for the values Christians hold. What was evident by the sheer numbers was the humility of the crowd’s desire to see and seek Love, forgiveness, and sacrifice; these Christian values that we have been told by the current culture were out of tune and detrimental to the personhood of individuals in the modern world.
Many have tried the precepts of modernism: "Me First," "MY Way." These mantras are everywhere in our consumer culture. People are finding that selfishness ends up being a dead end to a peaceful and joyous life. Some have found that choices made only for self often lead to empty pools of depression or anxiety, and some seek drugs or a behavior that blocks the outcomes of these choices. They try to avoid the sadness and void that come with selfish choices. We are Children of God, and He loves us dearly. He has given us a path that is not without suffering but brings us into community and allows for satisfaction with our lives. We are meant for others, but if we constantly choose ourselves, we miss community, others, sharing, and the sheer joy of the human family we are meant for.
Yes, selfishness is part of our human makeup. It is the original sin, but Jesus gives us a path to overcome it through a Christian life and a Church that helps us along the way. One key to a good life is forgiveness. Forgiveness is exhibited by God repeatedly in Scripture. Jesus's life shows the humility of his ordinary birth, clothed in flesh; on the Cross, he asks His Father for forgiveness: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness is always about humility. This virtue is rare in our world today. It means I do not hold a grudge, see myself as better than you, or see you as a challenge to my self-worth. I see you as someone who needs love and compassion, and forgiving you releases me from what keeps us apart. I embrace you as a person, as a soul, as my brother and sister. Reconciliation renews us, lifts the burden of hate, animosity, or misconception from our shoulders, and lets us communicate again as equals.
When I see the thousands that turned out for the Pope in Paris. I do not see denomination here but a yearning of the human spirit for more than things, honors, or power. I see people who are actively looking for some depth in their lives, for love, compassion, and direction to values that are not bought and sold in the marketplace. They are humbly asking for a return to being loved, to a pathway that leads to community, to a life that feels complete in joy. If I were to put it in a visual form, they would be looking for a family to love them. I was talking to another Chaplain the other day, and we were discussing what we do. The other person said to me, "Do you know what I have noticed? When someone is close to death, many do not call for their children or their partner; they call for their mother." I recognized this in my own mother; as she was actively dying, she called for her mother. Who is mother but the first place we experience sacrificial love and care? These are not values we can order on Amazon. They come from the heart, from being born into a pathway of dignity and respect for others. These precious qualities come from days and weeks of living a good life with grace and prayer. From many hours of sacrificing our own wants to help others. You cannot buy these virtues; you must live them. These values speak to our children and community alike. To be a Christian is to be a light to those who need to see in the darkness.
Our world today has hunger. This is not about a need for stuff or food. It is about the virtues that make us human people. Our spiritual life is so undernourished in our current society. We can have everything we need and more and still be hollow inside. It was uplifting to see the hundreds of thousands greet the Pope; it visually says I want more in my life; I want to be loved, forgiven, and seen for who I am.
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ( John 6:35)