What was it about this bent over man with trembling limbs who seems to call upon every bit of strength just to move about, that reaches out to us and makes us take notice of him and his mission?
He is, understandably, the most powerful religious figure in the world, but it is not his power that draws us in. He controls a vast empire of Christians around the world, but it is not his control of that organization that touches us. Papal trappings, miters and chasubles cannot reach across the divide between Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Muslims and even nonbelievers, as he has.
He is of keen political mind. He meets with presidents and less democratic rulers, and they listen, at least while he’s with them. Still, we expect such from strong leaders. That is not what has reached beyond our exteriors and taken hold of our hearts.
The thing that has made him so strong in our minds, the thing that has gotten us past the fact that he is Catholic and we are not, is not his strength, but his weakness. Actually, we have come to appreciate that his weakness has become his strength.
Most of us don’t want to be seen in public if we’re having a bad hair day, much less the kind of physical problems the pope has. We try to keep others from seeing our frailties and imperfections. We’re too proud to wear our reading glasses in public.
Yet here is a bent and drooping man who chooses to place himself in the spotlight of the world in a place that is physically challenging even for those who are younger and healthier.
Even more than that, he shows how weak he is: he, the holy religious leader, makes his way haltingly to the Western Wall, stands silently, then places a piece of paper in the Wall, a prayer asking forgiveness from the Jewish people.
The note reads:
“God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your Name to the Nations. We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking Your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.” At the bottom was his signature and the date.
Weak, frail, trembling, bent...the perfect vessel for God’s strength to come through! God’s grace was sufficient for him.
It is the weakest, the most frail, the youngest, the oldest, the ignored, the most humble, even an ailing pope, who cut through all the nonsense and go straight to our hearts. May it’s because the weakness of these folks allows our defenses to go down so that we can see less of what we want and more of what God wants. God gave a powerful demonstration of that through this frail pope.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
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