Death and Its Tempations: Praying for Pope Francis!

illustration painting of the Death as know as Grim Reaper holding the scythe against the eclipse
on the background, digital art style, Generate Ai Free Photo

I was praying for the pope this morning after reading the section in The Spiritual Combat on the temptations that precede death. What a frightening time that must be as we all will learn unless we die suddenly.

The first temptation is against faith, the second, the temptation to despair. Even St. Therese of Liseux, who probably never committed a mortal sin, lay immersed in darkness as death approached. What must the situation be for Pope Francis who has committed so many offenses against Holy Mother Church and scandalized so many poor souls? 

The doctors tell us his situation has stabilized and his recovery progresses. Perhaps he will end up out of the hospital and back at the Vatican. But for how long? Death is inevitable; no one can escape it, not even with the help of the devil himself. Rasputin was hard to kill and, if anyone was ever possessed, he appears to have been. Nevertheless, his assassins were finally successful. Not even Satan himself can slay the Grim Reaper.

Pope Francis will die. The only question that matters is the one each of will face. Will we die in the state of grace, a good and faithful servant, to be welcomed by the King, or will our final judgment be condemnation and eternity with the prince this world, he who was a liar and murderer from the beginning?

I was praying today that Pope Francis will use his serious medical condition to reflect and repent for all the pubic scandals he's caused on his watch: Pachamama,  packing the Pontifical Academy for life with pro-abortion/euthanasia enthusiasts, demonizing the traditional Latin Mass and those who attend it, attacking in overt and subtle ways dogmas of the faith. I could go on. It's a shocking and frightening list.

But no one is beyond God's grace and Pope Francis is still alive.

What if Francis truly repented and wanted to publicly recant his scandals. What if he wanted to make a public confession and repudiate his past actions and express his grief and apologies to the faithful. 

Think about that for thirty seconds.......

Even if Pope Francis wanted to publicly repent, would he be allowed by the deep church surrounding him to articulate that desire? I doubt it. Remember John Paul II who wanted to name Russia when he consecrated the world to Our Lady of Fatima. Why didn't he? One can only assume he was strongly advised, perhaps threatened, not to do it. And so he made an oblique reference. Was it sufficient? Opinions differ and that's not really the subject of this post.

God doesn't want any of us to die unrepentant, of that I'm sure. He pursues every one of us, like Francis Thompson so eloquently described in his poem, The Hound of Heaven. We often flee from his love fearing "Lest having Him, [we] must have naught beside." Do we believe that He wants our happiness? He does, you know despite 

How little worthy of any love thou art!

Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,

Save Me, save only Me?

All which I took from thee I did but take,

Not for thy harms,

But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms....

I am He Whom thou seekest!

Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.’

When we are in the midst of tragedies and disappointments, it's hard to believe that God loves us or that what is happening is for our good, but it's true. God want our happiness, our true happiness: ultimately to "be happy with him forever in heaven." [Baltimore Catechism] 

Let us pray for Pope Francis, if for no other reason than the fact that he sits on the chair of Peter, a lonely throne with grave responsibilities. How many of us would want to bear a burden like that? 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

St. Joseph, guardian of Holy Mother Church, pray for us.