Charting Our Course

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This weekend I had the opportunity to peruse the papal documents of Pope John Paul I. Previously I knew nothing about him other than that he spent 33 days as the Successor of Peter, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 28, 1978, but now I can say his prose is as much a delight as that of the current pontiff.

For example, during his first Angelus, John Paul I spoke of going to the Sistine Chapel the day before “to vote tranquilly,” but soon after “the danger for me had begun,” and he took comfort in the encouragement offered by two colleagues.

Francis, too, noticed that when “things got dangerous” for him in the conclave voting, his “great friend” Cardinal Claudio Hummes comforted him.

Colloquialisms are another common thread between the pontiffs. “Up there in Veneto I heard it said, ‘Every good thief has his devotion,’” Pope John Paul I said during his second Angelus, then quoted St. Gregory the Great: “So that I will not be shipwrecked, throw me a safety belt with your prayers.”

Similarly, in his first public remarks after being elected, Francis quipped that “the duty of the Conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother Cardinals have come almost to the ends of the Earth to get him.” He ended with the request, “Pray for me.”

But the words of Pope John Paul I that struck me as most fitting for this moment in our local Church are from his homily on the Occasion of Taking Possession of the Chair of the Bishop of Rome.

For that day’s liturgy, the Master of Ceremonies chose obedience as one of the themes, and the newly elected pope said, “I confess that when it speaks of obedience it places me in a slight embarrassment. Today, when personal human rights are confronted with the rights of authority and of the law, it is so difficult to convince! In the Book of Job there is a description of a war-horse: He leaps like a locust and snorts; he paws the ground with his hoof, then he hurls himself fiercely forward; when the trumpet sounds he neighs with delight; he smells the battle from afar, the cries of the captains and the noise of the troops.”

The horse, Pope John Paul I said, is a symbol of liberty. On the other hand, authority “is like the prudent rider” who uses a gentle voice and judicious use of the spurs, bridle and whip to urge on the horse or to control “its impetuous course,” the pope said.

He compared the passionate horse with the laity of the Church, who contribute much to the welfare of the whole Church but need the guidance of pastors so that “all, in their measure, will with one mind cooperate in the common task,” he said, quoting the Vatican II document “Lumen Gentium.”

Reading that brought to mind the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s Pastoral Plan, which Bishop Oscar A. Solis released a couple of weeks ago. The plan is intended to chart the diocese’s course for next five years. For the plan to succeed, we will need the unbridled enthusiasm of the laity as well as the gentle guidance of the clergy, with Bishop Solis as their head, as we work together to “deepen our love for each other and extend our care for all in Utah,” as the plan’s vision statement says.

Toward this end, the words of John Paul I come to mind: “Let us pray that the Lord will aid both the bishop and the faithful, both the rider and the horses.”

Marie Mischel is editor of the Intermountain Catholic.