The Pope and the flock
By Aaron Tyler McCoy, Marquette University graduate student in theology
In a few hours time, we will set foot in Philadelphia, a day prior to Pope Francis’ arrival.
It is an honor to have the opportunity to be as near him as we will be, but it’s also a little strange. Chances are we won’t get close enough to make out the details of his face, to see the glimmer of his smile through anything other than a Jumbotron.
It’s a worthwhile question to ask: what is the point of being here when there are so many people between us and the Pope?
Francis once said that the shepherd ought to smell like his flock. The statement was undoubtedly intended for priests and church leaders, encouraging them to experience life with the people in the pews.
A necessary exhortation, for how could a shepherd effectively manage his sheep if he does not know them? I think about Francis and his example, choosing to serve and eat with the homeless of D.C. rather than dine with Congress.
He knows his sheep and he goes to them. Francis smells of the needy, of the marginalized, of the least. He shepherds his flock by being with his flock.
In trying to figure out the point of being a part of a crowd miles away from Francis, I have to ask myself: Am I a member of his flock? Of the flock of Christ?
And if I am, and the shepherd knows me, knows us, then I can find peace in the companionship of my brothers and sisters?
Even if I cannot see him physically, Pope Francis, the vicar of Christ, knows something of my heart. I know this because something deep within me stirred watching him address Congress yesterday.
An overwhelming excitement for the man has leapt up within me since he arrived on U.S. soil. His words of kindness, his admonitions of justice, his prayers for peace, they resonate with me. They resonate with his flock.
So we gather in D.C., in New York, in Philadelphia. We gather to see our Pope who points us in the direction of our true shepherd. We stand in long lines, in masses, without tickets or expectations.
We are here because we belong here, with our shared companion, who unites us together.
