Pope Francis is in Mexico this week. Watch him carefully.
His words will be important, but more important, I believe, are his symbolic
gestures/actions in the places he visits, among them, Chiapas, one of the poor states of Mexico
that has been subject to the brutality of powerful forces over the years. He’ll stand at the
Mexican-US border, his presence a hope
for all who want freedom from fear, freedom for life.
You’ve heard the words of Saint Francis of Assis: Preach always. If necessary, use words.
That’s what Francis does. On his first trip after being elected, Francis went to Lampadusa, an island off Italy’s
mainland where refugees were brought, some dying on the way. Francis went
there, prayed and threw a wreathe into the water in remembrance of all who died. Then he
celebrated Mass on the shore. The cup he used for the Eucharist was made of
wood salvaged from a refugee-laden boat that broke up on the offshore rocks.
Remember this photo of Francis taken in St. Peter’s Square? Francis hugged, held close for long minutes
the lumpy, misshapen face of a man who had disfiguring disease. Francis did
not turn away from him or stare in revulsion as others did. Who had last held
this man’s unappealing-looking face
close?
Francis is not the only one who performs symbolic gestures.
We can, and we do. Think hard this week of the symbolic gestures you’ve made or
neglected to make. Be aware of the symbolic gestures you or others have received. Be ready to be inspired to make symbolic gestures when moved to do so.
We do not always recognize or appreciate the power and
impact of symbolic gestures. Here’s an example of a multi-leveled, intertwined
set of symbolic gestures. As a gift, I recently gave a friend a cutoff from my
mother’s crown of thorns, a floor to ceiling plant which is now 43 years old.
Since then, this friend has been diagnosed with stage four liver cancer, and is
undergoing treatment. Last week, her husband came home with a sun lamp for the
crown of thorns to help it through a bleak winter with sparse light. How many
gestures of support and connectedness are in this simple story!
Children seem to know the value of symbolic gestures. At the
children’s hospital Pope Francis visited
on Sunday, children shyly slipped him pictures and cards with hearts on them.
Francis gave rosaries and remembrance cards. He took pictures with as many children
as he could. Frequently, our newspapers carry stories of children whose
generous hearts move communities to give whatever is needed so that others may
live. Two eighteen-wheelers took bottled water from our area last week, because
a Webster boy’s heart was moved to do
so. Symbolic gestures soften the harsh and difficult times of life.
Watch Francis and the people around you. Be inspired. Weave the power of symbolic gestures into your
daily lives. I’ll do the same.
There is a boy here who has five barley
loaves and two fish;
but what good are these among so many?
(John 6.9)
~ Sister Joan Sobala
