Let’s not fool ourselves.
The fact that this mess between President Trump and Pope Leo unfolded at the end of Divine Mercy Sunday is not an accident.
It’s not a coincidence that it happened on the day when the Gospel gives us the newly-risen Christ’s first word to his followers: “Peace.”
Beyond that, it unfolded after millions of Catholics heard homilies about reconciliation, belief, mercy and, yes, peace. Many churches offered opportunities on Sunday to go to confession after Mass. It was a day to continue the spirit of joyful hope that took root and flowered on Easter Sunday. It was a day of grace.
This also came hot on the heels of widespread media coverage, touting the near-historic number of people joining the Catholic Church this year, and the phenomenal growth the Church is enjoying. (Even “60 Minutes” mentioned it in its interview with the cardinals Sunday night.)
But last night, someone threw a monkey wrench into all that. Face it. The driving energy behind what happened is not a force for good, for holiness, or for any sort of sane political or spiritual dialogue. It was not the voice of Easter.
Far from it.
Division, hostility, hatred, contempt, disrespect — these aren’t empowered by angels, and they aren’t inspired by any force for good. (Check out Proverbs 16.)
A lot of people don’t like to talk about it, but let me throw this out there: Satan right now is having a field day.
The Father of Lies is the also the author of conflict and anger, disruption and discord. He loves to sow division. And he especially enjoys doing it when it can breed disharmony and spite toward the Vicar of Christ — a man who, significantly, spoke the word “Peace” more than 100 times during his first 100 days in the Chair of Peter.
Jesus famously prayed before his crucifixion that “all may be one.”
What we have been witnessing in the last day or so is an aggressive effort to thwart that — and fuel anger and outrage.
And, I have to say it: nowhere do you see that more than on social media.
If you are the praying kind, this is a good moment to click off your computer or phone and spend time praying for peace, not just peace as the absence of war (God knows, we need that) but peace as the absence of name-calling, finger-pointing, labeling and shaming. The devil, they say, can take a pleasing shape; sometimes that shape is a screen with emojis, buttons and small keyboards. If you want to do something constructive, resist the temptation to taunt. Put down the phone. Walk away. Live life. Thank God for it (and that’s something I’ve personally become more keenly aware of over the last few weeks.) It sounds trite to say that life is fleeting. But, damn, it is. Don’t waste it on shallow, baseless hate.
But back to last night. It was clearly designed to diminish and degrade the Holy Father. It was contemptuous and bitter.
You want to wreck the Easter mojo? That’s a good start.
Who really thinks that way? I’ll give you three guesses.
We can’t ignore what is happening in our world. But we can’t be blind to what’s behind it. And we need to do our part to stand (or kneel) in prayerful defiance of it.
Padre Pio used to tell people, “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” That was good advice when he walked the earth. It’s good advice today.
Especially now.
Let’s make this our project during these 50 days of Easter: Pray for peace. Live for it. Practice it. Turn away from efforts to kill it. Engage in efforts to promote it.
Everywhere. In every heart. In every relationship. In every conversation. In every home.
We have a lot of work to do.
