Acts 9:1-6
John 21:1-19
“Turn and Feed my Sheep”
I love this Season of Easter, when our Sunday readings include all these wonderful stories of Jesus’ Resurrection appearances. After all the worry, stress, pain, and regret of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and execution… And after the strange and unsettling realization that his body was no longer in the tomb on the third day… Jesus shows up for his friends and followers to assure them that he is actually alive again!
He appears to them. He speaks to them. He shares food with them. He allows them to touch him and to see that he is really alive. And in doing that, he assures them and us that God is more powerful that hatred, violence, and even death itself. Though he was dead, he is alive again! And though we also will die, we also will live forever with God.
But today’s two stories – from the Gospel of John and the Book of Acts are particularly important for the church. They are important because they are Jesus’ encounters with Peter and Paul, who will become two of the most influential leaders of the Christian Church.
Most of you have probably heard that I had the privilege last weekend of attending the funeral mass for the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis. In my current role as President of The Canadian Council of Churches, I received a very sudden and unexpected invitation from the Prime Minister’s Office to be part of the Governor General’s Canadian Delegation to Rome for the funeral.
And although I had to get organized super quick, and get myself to the airport about an hour and a half later, I was delighted to be able to attend, representing The Canadian Council of Churches and Christians in Canada.
I have been telling people that it was a whirlwind visit to Rome. We were literally only there for 19 hours, including one night in a hotel, the funeral service, and a reception at the Residence of the Canadian Ambassador to the Holy See, at which we were able to visit with the Canadian Cardinals.
I was part of a delegation that was led by the Governor General, and included Indigenous Leaders, Canadian Senators, and a few others. I think I was the only specifically religious leader in the group, though many of the other delegates were Roman Catholic.
The service itself, which took place outside in St. Peter’s Square with about 250,000 people in attendance, was quite simple and not very showy. It was a typical Catholic Mass, including prayers, readings from Scripture, a homily, the Eucharist and sharing of Communion, and more prayers.
The Scriptures were read in several languages, and the liturgy was in Latin, though everything was easy to follow with English translations in the booklet and my personal familiarity with Catholic liturgy. I enjoyed singing along with the choir in the various psalms and chanted prayers, and I think my singing out encouraged the Canadians in our group to sing as well.
Although it was a really big trip to make for such a short period of time – just to attend one worship service, that I probably could have watched on TV, I felt very privileged to be there. I was at the funeral of the leader of the Catholic Church throughout the world!
I was there to represent Canadian Christians, and to join my prayers with Catholics and all Christians around the world who were praying for and laying to rest a faithful follower of Jesus and servant of the church.
The Solemn and moving celebration was presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. In his homily, the Dean of the College of Cardinals delved into the many highlights of Francis’ remarkable and intense 12 years of Petrine Ministry marked by his style of closeness to the people and spontaneity of his gestures until the very end, but most importantly, by his deep love for the Church which he wanted open to everyone.
Referencing the Gospel passage where Christ charges Peter with shepherding his flock, Cardinal Re remarked that “Despite his frailty and suffering towards the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life,” in which he “followed in the footsteps of his Lord, the Good Shepherd.”
“The final image we have of him, which will remain etched in our memory, is that of Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite his serious health problems, wanted to give us his blessing from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. He then came down to this Square to greet the large crowd gathered for the Easter Mass while riding in the open-top Popemobile.”
In his twelve years of service as the Bishop of Rome, I think that Francis was able to do much that was faithful to Jesus’ commissioning of Peter to “feed my sheep.” Perhaps most strikingly, Francis consistently rejected any kind of riches or glory, but chose to live a simple life of service that was most concerned for the needs of the poor, the marginalized, those suffering from war or persecution, and for the Creation itself, in need of care and attention.
It makes perfect sense to me that John 21 was chosen at the Gospel reading for his funeral, because Francis clearly loved Jesus, and he expressed that love through his dedication to feeding sheep – to caring for all God’s beloved children.
In the wake of his death, I hope that we will join with Christians around the world to pray for his successor, and for the Conclave that will discern together who that successor will be. Although it may be political and difficult, my hope and prayer is that the Holy Spirit will guide the Cardinals, as the Spirit is so capable of guiding the whole church towards a leader who will continue Francis’ legacy of humble service, care for the marginalized, and listening to the whole People of God.
Although there were a variety of people in the Canadian delegation to Rome, I think it was most significant that it included several Indigenous leaders – the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, Former National Chief Phil Fontaine, the leader of the National Métis Council, Victoria Pruden, and TRC Commissioner, Chief Wilton Littlechild.
Many of these leaders were part of the delegation of Indigenous People and Survivors of the Residential School System who visited Pope Francis in 2022 and shared their experience with him. And they were also present to welcome him a few months later when he came to Canada to make an official apology to all those affected by the schools operated by the Catholic Church.
And that made me think of Paul. The Apostle Paul who had once been called Saul, and who had used his power and authority in the religious establishment to persecute those who belonged to the Way, the followers of Jesus who had strayed from his present understanding of the faith.
Although coming to terms with the sins and errors of the church itself is difficult, Pope Francis must have trusted that like Paul, the church also could have the courage to acknowledge its failings, to turn and hear Jesus’ voice calling us to change, and to go in a new direction.
I don’t know if Paul ever apologized to the early Christians that he threw in jail, but he turned away from that life of power and persecution towards a ministry of service, grace, and support for those to whom he had once caused harm.
As Presbyterians, when we read the stories of the Apostles Peter and Paul, we rarely associate them with the particular ministries of certain church leaders like the Pope. We hear about their encounters with the Risen Jesus in which they are challenged to turn their lives around and to commit themselves to lifelong service, and we recognize that those calls are for us also. Those calls are for the whole church to embody together as we carry out Christ’s mission in our time.
May God bless the church universal in the coming weeks with a leader for the Catholic Church who strives to continue the missions of Peter and Paul. And may God bless the whole church and all of its local expressions, that with the Spirit’s help we also will be the successors of the Apostles in all that we do.