“We want to be a Church that moves forward, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close above all to those who are suffering.” Pope Leo XIV.
Artist: Angel Valdez
I was reading a commentary on the Gospel according to St. Luke at the time when an event that surprised the world took place.
It was unexpected that a missionary to the poor of Latin America, a priest, then bishop, then cardinal, who had reached out to the marginalized, to refugees for years, could become Pope of the Catholic Church. Not only was he an American, but also a citizen of Peru. Yet in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, Robert Prevost was elected and took the name of Pope Leo XIV.
The Cardinals at the Conclave apparently very much appreciated his other qualifications and experience as well–as international prior of his Augustinian religious order, as the Vatican Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. His doctorate in canon law appealed to many Cardinals.
For those of us in the Catholic Worker movement, it has been his life and work with the poor of Latin America that especially touched our hearts. His immediate call for peace when he was presented after the conclave and his emphasis on working toward a more just world economy echoed the concerns of Dorothy Day and all in the CW movement.
The book I was reading about the Gospel of Luke brought out the meaning of the Beatitudes presented there (in some contrast to the Beatitudes in the Gospel of St. Matthew). Taking time to actually read the Gospels, especially the Beatitudes, can change our perspective and our hearts.
Here are the Beatitudes from Luke 6:20-26.
“Than he looked up at his disciples and said:
Blessed are you who are poor
for yours is the kingdom of God
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”
In his commentary Luke Timothy Johnson explains the significance of St. Luke’s language about ‘the rich’ and ‘the poor, “The rich stand for those who have their consolation already in society and have no need of God’s consolation. The poor stand for all those who have been rejected on the basis of human standards, but are accepted by God.” (Johnson, 22)
Johnson reminds us that God is at work in these words of Jesus recorded by St. Luke in the Beatitudes, “transforming values, challenging perceptions: the mighty are being cast down, the lowly are being lifted up.” (111) Some have called this the “Great Reversal “ of the values of the world.
The words of St. Luke’s Gospel are not different from Pope Leo’s words in his homily at his first Mass with the Cardinals after the conclave: “Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.
At his next homily our new Holy Father emphasized today’s realities which can be enlightened by the Beatitudes pf Luke’s Gospel: “In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest.
Pope Leo XIV’s Great Call for Unity
In his homily for the Mass of the beginning of his pontificate on May 9, Pope Leo made an impassioned call for unity in the Church and the world.
“Brothers and sisters, I would like that our first great desire be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.
“In the words of Saint Augustine: “The Church consists of all those who are in harmony with their brothers and sisters and who love their neighbor” (Sermon. 359,9).
“For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world. We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his offer of love and become his one family: in the one Christ, we are one. This is the path to follow together, among ourselves but also with our sister Christian churches, with those who follow other religious paths, with those who are searching for God, with all women and men of good will, in order to build a new world where peace reigns!
Pope Leo XIV and Pope Benedict XVI on Borders and Divisions
In his homily for Pentecost this June, Pope Leo referred to Pope Benedict’s Homily for Pentecost in 2005 when he said, “The Church must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race. In her, there cannot be those who are neglected or disdained.”
Pope Leo went on to speak of how the Holy Spirit breaks down barriers and opens all kinds of borders – in our relationships with others and between peoples. He concluded:
“Let us invoke the Spirit of love and peace, that he may open borders, break down walls, dispel hatred and help us to live as children of our one Father who is in heaven.”
References:
Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke. (Sacra Pagina series, Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., Editor.) Liturgical Press, 1991.
Pope Leo XIV. Homily at the Mass for the Beginning of the Pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, May 18, 2025.
Pope Leo XIV. Homily at the Holy Mass Pro Ecclesia celebrated by Pope Leo XIV with the Cardinals, May 9, 2025.
Pope Leo XIV. Homily for Pentecost 2025.
Houston Catholic Worker, July-S
