{"id":39038,"date":"2013-04-04T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2013-04-04T13:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=39038"},"modified":"2013-04-03T16:09:24","modified_gmt":"2013-04-03T21:09:24","slug":"the-audacity-of-pope-francis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/04\/the-audacity-of-pope-francis\/","title":{"rendered":"The Audacity of Pope Francis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"francis_benedict\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On Good Friday morning last week, I received this text message from a friend, \u201cYour new Pope is all kinds of awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can probably derive from the message that my friend is not Catholic. \u00a0He read in the news about Pope Francis\u2019s Holy Thursday visit to wash the feet of prison inmates and, like many of us, was impressed by the act of love demonstrated by the Holy Father.<\/p>\n

Others, however, have had different reactions. \u00a0I read about those who think that, by washing the feet of two women, Pope Francis was signaling support for women in the priesthood. \u00a0He wasn\u2019t. \u00a0I\u2019ve also read that, because one of the women was Muslim, Pope Francis was endorsing Islam. \u00a0I seriously doubt it.<\/p>\n

I expect these kind of things from the mainstream media, who look for any deviance from protocol to imply that the Pope is going to \u201cchange\u201d Catholicism. \u00a0What I was less prepared for was the ultra-traditionalist Catholics who decried Pope Francis\u2019s actions as undoing all of the good work of Pope Benedict XVI. \u00a0Here\u2019s just a taste of that reaction for those who missed it, quoted from an AP article that ran in USA Today<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

One of the most-read traditionalist blogs, “Rorate Caeli,” reacted to the foot-washing ceremony by declaring the death of Benedict’s eight-year project to correct what he considered the botched interpretations of the Second Vatican Council’s modernizing reforms.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This led me to reflect on the first couple of weeks of Pope Francis\u2019s leading of the church. \u00a0It has been so different from the leadership of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, but excellent in an entirely different way.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that Benedict sought to reinstate some of the beautiful traditions of the church that were unnecessarily disregarded after the Second Vatican Council. \u00a0This was his conviction and he made it a personal mission. \u00a0He sought to put forth the image of the church as he saw the image of God, the Father. \u00a0He wanted her to reflect God\u2019s majesty, grandeur and \u201cotherness\u201d in the world. His efforts to that effect were beautiful and enriching to the church.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Pope Francis wants the world to see the another face of the church: the one connected to God the son, Jesus. \u00a0He has a vision and passion for a servant church that, like Jesus, does not \u201cregard equality with God something to be grasped\u201d (Phillipains 2:6<\/a>). \u00a0In his actions he\u2019s calling us all to embody the servant Jesus, filled with charity and love for the \u201cleast of these.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s different than Pope Benedict XVI… and that\u2019s ok. \u00a0If the universe is big enough to a Triune God, it\u2019s certainly big enough for a church that images the three persons of the trinity. \u00a0We all need to stop wailing about the actions coming out of Rome and putting them into the context of our democratic desires for the church. \u00a0The actions of Pope Francis, and Pope Benedict XVI before him are catechesis for you and for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever has ears ought to hear\u201d (Matthew 11:15).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Good Friday morning last week, I received this text message from a friend, \u201cYour new Pope is all kinds of awesome.\u201d You can probably derive from the message that my friend is not Catholic. \u00a0He read in the news about Pope Francis\u2019s Holy Thursday visit to wash the feet of prison inmates and, like… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,4,90,92],"tags":[55,156,1593,330,1518,1505,474,1059],"class_list":["post-39038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-acnm","category-blog","category-faith-blog","category-news","tag-catholic-2","tag-god","tag-islam","tag-jesus","tag-pope-benedict","tag-pope-francis","tag-tradition","tag-traditional","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":106016,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/04\/pope-francis-holy-year-of-mercy-message\/","url_meta":{"origin":39038,"position":0},"title":"Pope Francis’ Holy Year of Mercy Message","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"April 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Pope Francis released the Papal Bull of Indiction of the Year of Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy titled Misericordiae Vultus\u00a0on Saturday April 11, 2015. [powerpress] This homily was given by Deacon Guadalupe at St Mary Cathedral in downtown Austin, TX. https:\/\/youtu.be\/b2-HfQZL1h0 \u00a0 https:\/\/youtu.be\/cbw1aSz165Q","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pope Francis Papal Bull of Mercy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/PapalBullofMercy-550x366.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/PapalBullofMercy-550x366.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/PapalBullofMercy-550x366.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":154956,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/mind-blown-top-quotes-from-pope-francis-visit-to-america\/","url_meta":{"origin":39038,"position":1},"title":"Mind Blown: Top Quotes from Pope Francis’ Visit to America","author":"Britt Echtenkamp","date":"September 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Unless you're living under a rock\u00a0that doesn't get Wifi, you've heard about Pope Francis' visit to the United States of America. His visit was historic. It was inspiring. It was filled with surprises and joy and humility. Everything he said could be turned into a semester-long study on theology or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World and News"","block_context":{"text":"World and News","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":196661,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/garden-mercy-meditation-misericordiae-vultus-pope-francis\/","url_meta":{"origin":39038,"position":2},"title":"Garden of mercy: a meditation on Misericordiae Vultus (The Face of Mercy by Pope Francis)","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"January 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In \u00a0Misericordiae Vultus, (\"The Face of Mercy,\") the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy\u00a0from Pope Francis, he has given us new seeds, a bright and verdant diagram, a vision of joy, a plan of hope for the renewal of the \"oasis of mercy\" that is the Church,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"11014687_10205420240358310_67969404638646009_n","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/11014687_10205420240358310_67969404638646009_n-e1452541649280-550x326.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/11014687_10205420240358310_67969404638646009_n-e1452541649280-550x326.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/11014687_10205420240358310_67969404638646009_n-e1452541649280-550x326.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":163894,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/my-father-friend-jesus-my-guide-pilgrimage-journey-to-philadelphia-world-meeting-of-families-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":39038,"position":3},"title":"My father & Friend Jesus, My Guide: Pilgrimage Journey to Philadelphia World Meeting of Families 2015","author":"ATX Catholic","date":"October 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The following is a guest post by Michelle Mata from Austin, TX sharing\u00a0her experience for the visit of Pope Francis to the US in September 2015. Jesus\u2019 representative on earth, the \u201cPope of the People\u201d, as\u00a0he is often called, inspires me; he inspired me to go all the way to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"WMF2015","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WMF2015-550x209.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WMF2015-550x209.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WMF2015-550x209.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":163455,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/march-for-religious-freedom-november-22\/","url_meta":{"origin":39038,"position":4},"title":"March for Religious Freedom November 22 Part I","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"October 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201c[T]he most fundamental human freedom [is] that of practicing one\u2019s faith openly, which for human beings is their reason for living.\u201d Saint John Paul II On Sunday, November 22nd, the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Knights of Columbus from the Austin area and around the state of Texas will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Texas State Capitol","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/capitol-150x99.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41639,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/09\/pope-francis-asking-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":39038,"position":5},"title":"What Pope Francis is Asking from Us","author":"Julia Motekaitis","date":"September 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"photo credit: the guardian Today I read several different excerpts from various publications of the August 2013 interview with Pope Francis from the America Magazine and tried to process the angles which were presented. \u00a0I admit, several of the Holy Father's points I found refreshingly honest and true, yet they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pope Francis","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Pope-Francis-010.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39038\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}