What do we know of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio? Today he took a new name--Pope Francis I. What does he tell of who we are as human beings? What can he tell us, if we open ourselves to him--to the person of God that he is?
Many people look to his country of origin--Argentina, Buenos Aires to be specific as to his home. Others speak of his age--76 years old. Still others highlight his positions on issues facing the Catholic Church. I hear some people note his personal qualities--his pastoral nature--his humility.
I am deeply struck by another aspect of Jorge Mario. Since he was a teenager, he has lived--breathed--with the capacity of one lung. An infection left him to live differently than he might have otherwise.
Jesus spoke of--speaks of--living open to vulnerabilities in all areas of our lives. The College of Cardinals did what I questioned--yet hoped--they would have the courage to do. The College of Cardinals has given their blessings to the service of a man who may bring his vulnerabilities to us in service.
Are we willing--can we open ourselves to living our vulnerabilities as the gifts of our lives?
Is the threshold of our judgment of the Pope--our assessment, be it positive, or negative--his positions on "the issues?"
Are we up to the spiritual challenge of making ourselves open to the vulnerabilities of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as personified in Pope Francis I? Are we willing to be mirrored in the face of Pope Francis I?
In the name of Jesus, as a child of God--a person of God--I pray we may so be.
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