A "Remembered" Pope

As many of know (or might not know) I grew up in the Catholic Church. For awhile, especially during my high school years, I was bitter towards the Catholic Church. I felt like they didn't teach me about Jesus like I thought that they should. It wasn't until college that I began to fully appreciate my Catholic upbringing. When I was a freshman, I took my first ever theology course with one of my (still) favorite professors, Dr. Matthew Thompson at Southwestern College. Then, I took Church History and eventually History of Methodism. Throughout those courses, I realized how well the Catholic Church prepared me for ministry, theologically speaking. I grew up reciting the Creeds and the different prayers and liturgies of the Church. When I was in college and learned about the history of them, they came alive to me. My academics brought healing in my life and led me to a place where I began to fully appreciate my own spiritual history as a member that was baptized into the Catholic Church.

When Pope John Paul II died, it was a big deal. Now, know, I have never had any big opinions about the Pope. You know, some people have heated ideas about what the Pope stands for, but I've always appreciated the idea of him. With Pope John Paul the II how could you not? He was literally the Pope the entire time that I was a part of the Catholic Church. He was really wonderful. Anyway, I remember sitting in Latin class when I was a senior in college and my teacher began talking with us about Pope Benedict XVI. He said the following, "You know, I just don't think that Pope Benedict will ever be a "remembered" Pope. Sure, he's doing great things, but there's nothing that sticks out about him that I think the Catholic Church, as a whole, will remember."

Then, Pope Francis was elected. How amazing! He was a "first" in many categories -- the first non-European Pope in over 1,200 years, the first Latin American pontiff, the first Jesuit.  People weren't sure what he was going to be like. But, as I think back to my Latin class and our conversation about Pope Benedict XVI so long ago (isn't funny the random things that you remember?), I think it's intriguing to now say that Pope Francis will be a "remembered" Pope. His spirit is gentle, his words, profound. His very nature proclaims Christ. If you haven't read/watched the latest story about the little boy that he allowed to join him on stage, then you should. It's sweet.