Francis’ alarm clock goes off at 4:45 every
morning in room 201 in St. Martha’s House, when everything is still
pitch black. Such an early start to the day means Francis has to have a
siesta after lunch.
Juan Perón called this time of rest an “almost
liturgical must” which made it possible for him to fit “two mornings”
into his day.
The first few hours of Francis’ day are
dedicated to prayer and meditation on the Readings which the Pope
comments on, in the brief homilies he gives in his morning masses in the
chapel of the place he likes to call the “boarding school”, commonly
known as St. Martha’s House: a simple and modern building decorated with
light-coloured marble and stained glass.
The Bishop of Rome sits in the
pews at the back of the chapel to pray.
These spontaneous but not completely improvised
morning preachings are one of the most important changes of the new
pontificate. And this is where the third leg of our journey begins.
The
Pope is assisted by cardinals, bishops or visiting priests and the
masses are attended mostly by Vatican staff – from IOR staff to rubbish
collectors - and their families. Francis greets all of them one by one
and then has breakfast in the St. Martha’s House “common room”.
For
Francis, being with people and hugging them one by one is in no way a
chore or a waste of time: in Argentina he would spend whole nights
listening to confessions without wearing his cardinal’s insignia, so
anonymously, when big pilgrimages to Our Lady of Luján would take place.
The man who deals with requests to participate in
the Pope’s morning masses and sends out invitations is a priest from the
northern Italian city of Bergamo, Fr. Tino Scotti. The Pope/parish
priest breaks the Gospel down for and with the faithful who attend the
mass, in such a way that Vatican Radio is able to provide a summary of
what Francis said, just two hours later. This has helped make these
morning celebrations popular across the world. Bergoglio is a big
admirer of Argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges and once invited him to
the high school where he was teaching, so his pupils could meet him.
Every morning Francis comes up with new and effective illustrations to
his messages, such as the “babysitter” church, the concept of “God
spray”, confession not being like a “dry cleaner’s”, “sitting room
Christians”, “museum-piece Christians” and “starch-pressed Christians”.
Then there are his references to “prayers of courtesy”, the “balm of
memory”, “adolescent progressivism” and “pastoral customs” which instead
of fostering people’s faith, complicate it.
But the most striking thing about Francis is the
simplicity of his words. Particularly those about tenderness and
forgiveness: “The message of Jesus is mercy. For me, I say this humbly,
it is the Lord's most powerful message.” This message has encouraged
people across the world to return to the Church and to confession after
years of estrangement.
“The Pope preaches like he used to do in Buenos
Aires and no one in the history of the Church has broken down the Gospel
as he does. We have still not realised the theological significance of
this. People are aware that these are not just abstract reflections,”
the founder of the Bose community, Enzo Bianchi told Italian newspaper La Stampa.
Francis has quoted his grandmother Rosa Margherita
Vassallo in many of his homilies, even the big ones in St. Peter’s
Square. She used to explain little Jorge the importance of Jesus’
resurrection and not being too attached to money because “burial shrouds
don’t have pockets”.
And when her Jesuit grandson was about to be
ordained, she said to him: “Celebrate mass, every mass, as if it were
your first and last.”
Francis’ grandmother testified the faith of the
simple and ordinary people, which is something that links the Pope to
John Paul I. The elderly archpriest of the Italian town of Canale
d’Agordo would tell Albino Luciani who was a seminarian at the time:
“Remember when you preach, that even the little old lady sat at the back
of the church who didn’t go to school must be able to understand you.”
During his discussions with the Apostolic Nuncios,
the Pope’s ambassadors across the world, who have been entrusted with
the task of selecting candidates for the episcopacy, Francis urged them
“to choose pastors who are close to their people, fathers and brothers,
who are meek, patient and merciful,” who “love interior poverty”
and live that externally with a simple lifestyle.
They should not have
“the mentality of a prince” and should steer clear of ecclesiastical
“careerism”. He warned against “triumphalism” and should not place too
much trust in wealthy bodies within the Church. This shows a strong
continuity with what his predecessor Benedict XVI said and wrote.
Historian Andrea Riccardi said “it seems to me
that by putting together the old and the new, he has created a language
made up of gestures that give meaning to the great words of faith. This
is clear for everyone to see when you look at how the people relate to
Francis. He has only been in office for one hundred days but his message
has gone far…” Now bishops need to get in tune with this approach which
is purely evangelical and not so clerical.
“Something similar happened with John XXIII,”
Riccardi went on to say. “Getting in tune is not always easy. The Church
is not a radio with a channel selection button. It is a process that
encounters great enthusiasm but also resistance.”
“Francis represents a powerful provocation for
everyone. Providence has given us this wake up call. Each one of us is
trying to follow the Pope in our own personal way. It’ll take some
time…,” said Cardinal Angelo Scola.
Meanwhile, the bishops of the
northern Italian region of Lombardy have met and announced that they
feel the responsibility of taking on the challenge of Francis’ new style
and language.
Since his election, Francis has often said : “I am ok, I
have not lost my inner peace, I have not lost any sleep over a
surprising event like the one which happened to me. And I consider this a
gift from God.”