HOMILY
Memorial Mass for Pope Francis
Tuesday of the Octave of Easter – April 22, 2025
“Woman, why are you weeping?” … Jesus addresses these words to Mary Magdalene as she journeyed to the tomb on that first day of the week to anoint the body of Jesus after his burial. She had already announced to the disciples that the tomb of the Lord was empty. Thinking that the body of Jesus had been taken away, she remained at the tomb weeping for the loss of her Lord and what appeared to be a final indignity to the rabbi from Nazareth whom she and so many believed to be the long-awaited hope of Israel and savior of God’s people.
The exchange between the two leads to Mary’s recognition of the risen Jesus, who then directs her to “go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
How providential that the readings for this day – Tuesday of the Octave of Easter – offer for us this dialogue between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. In so many respects, they strike us as words that would likely be uttered by our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis, whom we remember in prayer during this liturgy, don’t they? “Why are you weeping?” … “For I have seen the Lord! And my hope has been fulfilled through the resurrection of Jesus.”
Few of us could have imagined that as we saw Pope Francis emerge on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica on Easter Sunday and then ride through the square to encounter his people that he was actually saying “good-by” with one final gesture of blessing. In that good-by on Easter Sunday, he reminded us as he so often did throughout the twelve years of his papacy that hope for the Christian is not simply optimism, irrepressible idealism or wishful thinking. No, “authentic hope is born solely of the resurrection of Jesus. It consists precisely in this, that in facing death, which appears to be the end of everything, we have the certainty that, thanks to the grace of Christ imparted to us in Baptism, ‘life is changed, not ended’ forever.”
Pope Francis will long be remembered as a pastor who gave us reason to hope. Beginning with his defining teaching in Evangelii Gaudium less than a year after his election as Bishop of Rome, the Holy Father taught us that at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus was a message of hope and mercy for everyone. There was never condemnation in his words or a litmus test for entrance into the Church for any soul who sought to be reconciled with the Lord – who looked for meaning and life beyond this broken world in which we live. No – he stood with open arms before all of us as struggling souls and in his native Spanish would proclaim time and again todos, todos, todos – that the Catholic Church is a place for everyone – everyone.
During one of the defining moments of Pope Francis’ papacy, his proclamation of the Year of Mercy in 2015-2016, he called the entire Church to reflect on the richness of God’s mercy, reminding us that we are all invited to experience and share this mercy with one another, especially those most in need. His focus on God’s mercy – and that no one can be excluded from it – was not just an abstract teaching. It permeated his words and actions, from his encounters with the poor and marginalized, to his tireless efforts to foster peace and reconciliation around the globe.
Pope Francis’ ministry was a living witness to the Gospel message. By putting Christ at the center of his life, he was able to demonstrate his great love for the poor, was able to use his voice to call for the care of creation and worked tirelessly to build bridges of understanding among all Christians.
As we give thanks for the gift of Pope Francis to the Church and to our world, may we reflect upon some of the final words that he shared with us in his Easter homily given just two days ago – words that so beautifully capture the invitation that the Lord gives to us, the challenge to live the gospel that he calls us to embrace, and the hope that is ours through faith in his resurrection:
“Our Easter faith, which opens us to the encounter with the risen Lord and prepares us to welcome him into our lives, is anything but a complacent settling into some sort of ‘religious reassurance.’ On the contrary, Easter spurs us to action, to run like Mary Magdalene and the disciples; it invites us to have eyes that can ‘see beyond,’ to perceive Jesus, the one who lives, as the God who reveals himself and makes himself present even today, who speaks to us, goes before us, surprises us. Like Mary Magdalene, every day we can experience losing the Lord, but every day we can also run to look for him again, with the certainty that he will allow himself to be found and will fill us with the light of his resurrection.”
“Why are you weeping?” … Jesus is risen and we, God’s people, pass from death to resurrection and eternal life. Amen!