“…first, Simon, who is called Peter” (Matthew 10:1).
I recently read the English translation of an interview provided by the personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (who is 95 years old), Archbishop Georg Ganswein, who explained that the Pope Emeritus had once told him… “I would never have believed that the last stretch of the journey that would take me from the Mater Ecclesiae monastery (where he currently resides) to the gates of heaven with Saint Peter would be so long.”
And I have been reflecting on the length of this journey, and on the vocation of priesthood and religious, and – most importantly – on the role of the Pope…
In the Gospel of Saint Matthew (10:1-7), Saint Mark (3:13-19) and Saint Luke (6:12-16) and also in Saint Luke’s Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:13-14) when we are told who the apostles were we are told that Simon Peter was FIRST, “…first, Simon, who is called Peter” (Matthew 10:1). We are not then told who was second or third or fourth. We are told only who was the leader, and he is “Simon, who is called Peter” (Matthew 10:1).
You know, recently Prince Philip Mountbatten-Windsor, the Queen of England’s consort died. In the days following his passing, the Queen’s official statements commented often about the support that he offered to her in her role of leadership, during their 73 year marriage. And this has caused me to reflect on the responsibility of this leadership of the Holy Father, because the leadership of the Pontiff is a leadership that cannot be shared.
And I have been thinking about how to support the man who is – through his vocation of priesthood and vow of celibacy – completely and utterly alone at the head of the Church… You see, though others may advise the Holy Father, it is the Pope and the Pope alone who must bear the weight of the decisions that he makes – decisions that affect a billion Catholic (and even more non-Catholic) souls.
The Bishop of Salisbury in Zimbabwe, Monsignor Chichester once asked Pope Pius XII, “Your Holiness, do you sleep well at night?” The Pope was quite amazed by the question and replied, “Yes, I do ... but why do you ask me that?” The Monsignor responded, “When I was little, a lady used to take care of us. Every night, when she got us into bed, she prayed with us one Hail Mary ‘for the Pope of Rome, so that he can sleep peacefully despite his many concerns.’ I have always been praying it, and, to be honest, I was curious to know if it works.”
And with that story in my mind and that prayer on my lips, I wonder, if perhaps there are other ways to support the Holy Father and the Pope Emeritus during his “last stretch of the journey”… After all, the Communion of Saints is the gift I have been given to be united in prayer. And it is such a beautiful gift, I would wish that it could be of some use to he who is FIRST…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.