If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
John

As I write this, enormous crowds recently lined the streets of Rome to watch Pope Francis’s burial procession. Watching it was incredibly moving, even at 5 a.m. But when the Popemobile reached St. Mary Major Basilica, I suddenly, understood why he had chosen to be buried there. The outside of the church was thronged by migrants, homeless people, prisoners and members of the trans community, Church officials had even invited a delegation of them to present a display of white roses.

At the end, Pope Francis wanted to be with people on the margins rather than the powerful who got the best funeral seats  in  St. Peter’s Square.  The “people’s pope” had lived the message of today’s gospel from John.  “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” He taught us how to do this.

Pope Francis knew that emulating Jesus’ radical stances for the poor would get him in trouble with a lot of powerful people. He did so anyway, He had enormous power and used it for the powerless in a way I’ve never seen. 

Like Jesus, Pope Francis was more than willing to endure criticism (persecution, if you will) from the modern equivalent of the pharisees if that was the price for loving people as radically as he believed God does.           

Just as Jesus embraced the lepers and social outcasts of his day including sinners, tax collectors and women adulterers, Francis constantly reached out to their modern equivalents. Believing in God’s unconditional love for all people, he never confused himself with God. Instead of casting out those who did not strictly conform to church rules, he blessed them and asked, “who am I to judge?”

Today I am thanking God for the gift of Pope Francis and recalling how his example inspired my own feeble attempts at emulation, like the year I decided to make a weekly donation to a good cause in his honor. Then I started fudging and wondering if a larger monthly donation would be better etc But at least I gave more and thought more about sharing more of my good fortune.  I hope that Pope Francis will continue to goad  my conscience  when meeting the demands of Jesus to be in solidarity with people on the margins  seems too hard,

I confess that I am not praying FOR Pope Francis as he requested but instead am praying TO him, especially to help migrants and people being deported.  May he rest in peace.