As the Cardinals of the Catholic Church congregate in the
Sistine Chapel for the election of the new Pope the world is abuzz with
speculations on who the 266th Pope will be. Media outlets from all
over the world have their own lists of papabili
who according to their own estimations have the greater chance of election due
to their popularity or relevance.
Secular media is alien to the inner workings of the
Church who in her work for salvation is fond of quiet reflection in contrast to
the spectacle of speculation, intrigue, and sensation of the world. What most
outsiders would consider is the name and fame of each cardinal-elector. The
reflective mood however of the conclave points to the search of who among the
electors has the capacity to keep the Church faithful to the teachings of
Christ in our time.
In a world facing issues of life and life-choices, the
Church has been branded as medieval. I think it is altogether missing the
point. The Church is not medieval; it is consistent with her teachings
throughout history. It is not outdated but continues to strive to be faithful
to Christ her spouse. The magisterium, regardless of the personal and
individual opinions of her members is bound to faithfulness through the grace
of the Holy Spirit. The Church, then, needs a leader who would continue to be a
vanguard for this faithfulness.
The landscape of the world may change over time, yet the
same laws subsist forever, laws that are rooted in truth and reality and not in
the fluid opinions of intellects that pass into oblivion and annals of history.
The Church, through the Pope, reads the signs of the times and discerns the
call of God through the changing world yet the call remains the same – the call
to holiness. Be perfect as your heavenly
Father in heaven is perfect. It is a call to fidelity.
As what Mother Teresa of Calcutta would put it, God calls
us not to be successful but to be faithful. Faithfulness entails a seeming
defeat, opposition, and persecution. In faithfulness, there is no promise of
success for success is a mere illusion of the world and a not so worthy prize
for steadfast faith. In faithfulness, there is only the promise of Presence. I
will be with you until the end of time.
The beauty of the Church and also of the papacy is not
that she in herself is faithful, or that human nature by itself is faithful,
for in fact all that is human is fallible. Her real dignity is that God
promised to be faithful with her that not even the gates of hell would prevail
against her. Only God is faithful and it is His faithfulness that brings
sustenance to His people.
It is sad to hear of religious who complain and much
worse, quit their paths because they feel unfulfilled or sad in their living
out of the vows. The radicality of religious life is not exemplified in the
success of the ministry. It is actually seen in the faithfulness of the
religious in the vows he had made despite the trails, failures, and sadness in
his or her following of Christ. Would Christ be pleased to hear a disciple quit
because the work is unrewarding and unfulfilling? No, Jesus would rather have
His disciples carry their cross and follow Him.
Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI spoke that there is a crisis
of faith in the world. The Church needs a Pope who will nourish and enliven
once more the Faith in a world that is bereft of it. Not a faith blind to
reason nor a faith that is bound to the senses but a Faith that is alive in the
Spirit and fuelled by the impulse to love without recompense and steadfastly
through times good and bad.
