From the Pastor's Desk | March 9, 2025

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis

As of the date of this writing, our Holy Father, Pope Francis remains hospitalized with bilateral pneumonia, a polymicrobial infection in his lungs, and early kidney failure.  Please continue to pray for the health of the Holy Father and, as always, that God’s will be done. Blessed Solanus Casey would say those words often when people asked him for prayers for healing. He would reply, “May God’s will be done.”  

What happens in the event that the Holy Father were to die? While the pope can make certain modifications and amendments to his funeral and burial, the centuries old traditions largely dictate the process.  Upon the death of a pope, the camerlengo (a cardinal of the papal household who manages the finances and revenues of the Holy See) is responsible for confirming the pope’s death.  This used to be done by calling out the name of the Roman Pontiff three times but now medical professionals verify death through modern means.  The camerlengo then destroys the papal ring thereby preventing anyone from using it.  

Once confirmed, the death of the pope is announced to the universal Church.  At this moment, flags are lowered to half staff and church bells peal.  The Church then enters a period of nine days of mourning called Novemdiales (novena of nine days).  The pope’s body is prepared and vested in papal vestments.  The body is then placed in St. Peter’s Basilica where it lies in repose to allow the lay faithful and other mourners to pay their respects.  Special Masses and prayers will likely take place throughout the world during this time.  

A pope’s burial takes place four to six days after his death and the funeral Mass is held in St. Peter’s Square led by the College of Cardinals.  Most popes are interred in St. Peter’s Basilica but Pope Francis has requested to be interred at Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major) in Rome.  Traditionally, popes are buried in three nested coffins (cypress, zinc, and elm).  Pope Francis, however, has opted to be buried in a more simple wooden and zinc coffin.  Each pope is buried with a rogito - a special document summarizing his biography and papacy. 

With the pope’s death, the Church enters a period known as sede vacante (the seat is vacant).  The seat referred to is the pope’s cathedra which is actually found in the Basilica of St. John Lateran (not St. Peter’s Basilica).  You will notice that during Mass, when the pope’s name and position are typically mentioned, nothing will be said.  Rather, only the local bishop’s name and position will be mentioned during the Eucharistic Prayer.  

During this period of sede vacante, the College of Cardinals assumes temporary leadership of the Church.  No major decisions or changes can be made and must be left to the pope’s successor.  The College of Cardinals eligible to vote for the new pope (those under the age of 80) will enter conclave weeks after the pope’s death to give them time to assemble from around the world in Rome.  

Conclave takes place in the Sistine Chapel which is sealed off to ensure secrecy.  Speeches are made and voting takes place in rounds with a two-thirds majority needed to elect a new pope. After each vote, if a two-thirds majority has not been attained, the ballots are burned with chemicals to create black smoke through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel indicating that no pope has been chosen.  In the event a two-thirds majority is attained, the ballots are burned with chemicals to create white smoke indicating that a pope has been chosen.  

The new pope is taken directly to a small room where he clothes in the white cassock and papal vestments.  This room is known as “the crying room” because of the heavy burden placed upon this particular man’s shoulders.  After the new pope is vested, he is taken to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and the world hears, “Habemus Papam!” (We have a pope!).  

Whatever God’s will is right now, let us continue to pray!  We pray for the health of Pope Francis.  We pray for the College of Cardinals.  We pray for Pope Francis’s future successor, whenever his time comes and whoever he may be.  God’s will be done!

Organ

Unfortunately, we will not have the organ repaired and restored in time for Easter.  It will take 8-10 weeks to complete the project.  This should begin in the next week or two!  

Gospel Reflection

In the homily on Ash Wednesday, I commented that one of the reasons we commend ourselves to acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving is to simplify our lives.  As we move deeper into life, life gets all the more complicated and busy.  We become more and more responsible for ourselves and even others.  And, as we attend to everything that we must attend to, at the end of the day we have forgotten about our relationship with God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

Actions of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving takes the focus away from ourselves and redirects that focus toward the other - God and our neighbor.  As we engage all the more in actions of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, what happens?  We tend to remember.  We remember that we are creatures, created by God out of love and for love.  We remember that we were created for relationship with the divine.  As we engage all the more in actions of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we give God permission to work in our lives.  We allow Him to take the lead so to speak.  

In our Gospel today, we hear the familiar telling of the temptations of Jesus.  It is interesting how the life of Jesus parallels the life of the Israelites.  For forty years the Israelites wandered the wilderness in preparation for the Promised Land.  For forty days Jesus wandered the wilderness preparing Himself for his public ministry - to draw everyone back to Himself and to prepare them for the Promised Land of eternal salvation.  

I think we can sum the three temptations of Jesus into three words or categories: sensual pleasure, power, and glory/honor.  Sound familiar?  We get caught up in the same temptations.  We long to satisfy our sensual pleasures.  We long for power.  We long for honor.  Jesus, who is (keep in mind) God Himself, eschews all of that and chooses none of it.  Rather, His focus is solely on His relationship to His Father.  

Can we say the same about ourselves?  Is our relationship with God most important to us?  If not, why not?  Our life, our very being and existence is nothing but a gift.  How often do we take that gift for granted by focusing on ourselves as though we are most important, as though our desires for pleasure, power, wealth, and honor are paramount to our relationship with God?  Sure, we can rationalize our actions and behaviors in an attempt to lessen our culpability (guilt).  We can make a good case for many, most, if not all of our actions and behaviors.  At the end of the day, however, who is most important?  Ourselves or the one who created us and gifted us life? 

As we move through Lent, perhaps our focus should be on the end.  Is our aim eternal salvation - eternal relationship with God?  Or, is our aim to acquire the most pleasure, power, wealth, and honor as we move through life? 

“[Jesus] summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mark 8:34-36).

Know of my prayers for you all! 

Fr. Ryan