Pray for Pope Francis!... and His Successor
The Rest is *Salvation* History Bonus Post: The Book of Numbers and Pope Francis's Health
It’s always a difficult subject to discuss- the end of a pontificate. While there’s really no telling what can happen with the Holy Father’s health, the recent news of his hospitalization has, undoubtedly, made all the faithful wonder if we will soon see a new Pope rise to the Chair of St. Peter. Amidst the news and worries, Sacred Scripture can be our guide for how to carry ourselves and prepare our hearts.
“Memento Mori”
Let’s face it, Pope Francis is going to die one day, and so are you the reader! Although one can argue it’s a morbid subject to prepare for the death of someone who is still alive, the Church herself does this every day. Last Rites is administered to those on their deathbeds, and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick can be done prior to even a routine surgery just in case something goes wrong. The Church in her wisdom is always preparing her children for their judgement, even in the prime of their lives.
All that is to say, no one should ever wish for the death of a Pope (or anyone for that matter), but it is a good idea for the faithful to prepare for it. This is a benefit to the Holy Father because he would have the entirety of the Catholic Church praying as he goes to his judgement, and it helps the Church as the next conclave opens. OR Pope Francis, after recovering, has a revitalized spirit with the prayers of the faithful guiding him forward. Either way, God will NEVER waste our prayers of intercession- regardless of the outcome.
Again, the health of Pope Francis is changing every day. Sometimes there’s disheartening news, other times he is on the road to recovery. Catholics may feel like they are in a state of uncertainty amidst all of this. Perhaps this is God’s way of showing that our hearts must always be prepared for sudden changes and to offer our prayers and sacrifices so the Church Militant will rise to the occasion, whether it’s a new pontiff or not. God has been known to use extreme measures to prepare His people, just look to the book of Numbers.
The Passing of the Torch
If you have been keeping up with The Bible in a Year Podcast, then you have reached a critical moment for the Israelites on “Day 63”. After sending 12 spies into the Promised Land, Israel decided that they would not move ahead because 10 of those scouts gave a report that the Land of Canaan was impossible to conquer. This showed a lack of trust in God’s love and protection, and God cursed Israel to wander in the desert for 40 years. (Numbers 13-14).
To look ahead, Moses will die before Israel enters the Promised Land, and it will be Joshua who leads Israel on the conquest of the Land of Canaan; however, a change in leadership is not why God had Israel wandering in the desert.
The 40 years of wandering for the Israelites is applicable to the situation of the Church today. What the future holds for the Vicar of Christ is unknown, just as it was for Moses; regardless of Pope Francis’ health, the faithful are called to pray and prepare their own hearts, just as the Israelites were called to empty themselves and prepare to enter the Promised Land, regardless of who would lead them.
Don’t Jump to Conclusions
Israel’s first mistake was to make a rash decision at the first sign of opposition and uncertainty. Following the negative report of the Land of Canaan, all the assembly wanted to elect a new leader on the spot and return to their life of enslavement in Egypt (Numbers 14:4).
We can fall into this same pitfall. Amidst the uncertainty of Pope Francis’s health, we could just want a solution immediately, hoping that the Holy Father resign the papacy or he pass on to Eternity. That is the wrong mentality to have. After all, Israel’s curse of wandering was partially a result of their poor reaction to uncertainty about their leadership.
If Israel was susceptible to a sinful attitude in just wanting a new leader to make them feel safe and comfortable, then we, infected with the same Original Sin, are capable of a similar vice. Always pray for our Holy Father, but we must remember that our own “earthly desert wanderings” are about preparing ourselves for the true promised land- Heaven.
Self-Emptying, Not Self-Satisfaction
The point of the 40 year wanderings of Israel was not only to rid the nation of those who rebelled against God, but it was also a way to prepare the next generation of Israel for the Promised Land, “Your little ones, however, who you said would be taken as spoil, I will bring in, and they shall know the land you rejected… [Y]our children will wander for forty years, suffering for your infidelity” (Numbers 14:31, 33).
In His mercy, God had an innocent generation wander in the desert to prepare their hearts so that they would fully trust in God. It was ultimately the sin of not trusting in the strength and love of God that doomed Israel to wander, so that sin and vice had to be rooted out of the younger generations. That was considered a merciful act of God because the removal of that vice not only made Israel holier, but they were able to FULLY enjoy the Promised Land without fear of its inhabitants.
While He did punish the older Israelites, God’s main goal of exposing Israel to the uncertainty of the desert wanderings was to strengthen and prepare their hearts for a big change- one that did include a new leader, but was ultimately about a new home, the Promised Land.
If we just submit ourselves to God’s will amidst this uncertainty regarding Pope Francis’s health, we are really preparing ourselves to enter our TRUE home- Heaven. Yes, that may come with a new Pope before we get there- just as Israel received their new leader, Joshua, before entering the Land of Canaan. Use this time of uncertainty to grow in holiness, just as Israel did for 40 years. Then you can pray for Pope Francis, and, yes, pray for the next successor of St. Peter. Perhaps Joshua was strengthened by the prayers and sacrifices of Israel during their wanderings, and that led to one of the brighter spots in Israel’s history. And perhaps God is preparing to do the same by strengthening the next Pope with the Church’s prayers. Regardless, that is only possible when we hunker down in our daily vocation and strive after holiness and sanctity. (I always recommend adoration and the rosary for help with that!)