Keep Moving

I must say that this is my pin-up picture of our new Pope LeoXIV.  He is truly the Pontiff, a great man, in a sacred ofice, but still a man all the same.  In Hebrews, we are told that the priest is first human. If you are not human, how can you be a priest?  This is assuring us that the sacred, while coming from above, firmly grounds itself in human experience. 

On learning that Bob Prevost was elected by the Conclave, I wrestled with my amazement that I now had a personal connection to the Pope.  "How can this be?" was my question.  Me?  

What I learnt that night was that a person, in such a respected and high office, comes from somewhere real in life.  This somewhere may be even shared by me.  Doesn't this say something about the dignity of our life?  This realization gave me a new lease of life.    

His life journey, rich in universal experience and learning, has prepared him to take on such a sacred role.  Like the rest of us, he comes from the midst of our shared reality.  He shares our journey.  He is one of us.  As he said, in quoting St Augustine, 

"With you, I am a Christian.  For you, I am a bishop."  

For me, this is humbling.  We are humbled to know that, out of our human origins and struggles, we are called to greatness.  So we keep moving towards our sacred goal to achieve our own greatness, knowing that we can do it, but never alone.   Vaya con Dios!