April 27, 2025 - "Our Holy Father Pope Francis"

The first event on which I wish to reflect was the canonization of St. Junipero Serra, which took place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  This was highly unusual as most canonizations take place at the Vatican in St. Peter’s Basilica.  Here is the final paragraph of the homily Pope Francis gave during the Mass when St. Junipero Serra was canonized:

 

Father Serra had a motto which inspired his life and work, not just a saying, but above all a reality which shaped the way he lived: siempre adelante! Keep moving forward! For him, this was the way to continue experiencing the joy of the Gospel, to keep his heart from growing numb, from being anesthetized. He kept moving forward, because the Lord was waiting. He kept going, because his brothers and sisters were waiting. He kept going forward to the end of his life. Today, like him, may we be able to say: Forward! Let's keep moving forward!

 

The second event I recall today is the address of Pope Francis at a joint session of Congress on September 24, 2015, the day after the canonization of St. Junipero Serra.  Pope Francis mentioned that many men and women in the United States offered us a way of seeing and interpreting reality.  In honoring their memory, we are inspired to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves.  He then spoke about the life and legacy of four such Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. He concluded his remarks to Congress with these words:

 

A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to “dream” of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.

 

In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream.

God bless America!

 

Until next week,

Fr. John