Gregorian hymns… Why do they remind me of Francis - the late Pope? Perhaps because they make so much sense—in these times when very little does. They remind me that the Spirit still moves, still wins, even in an age of noise, fear, and hollow religion. In a world addicted to pride,mercy is a scandal. Truth has never been popular with Pharisees.
I’m sitting here listening to Gregorian hymns—
and they soothe me in a way few things do anymore.
Something that actually makes sense
in these perplexing times.
And yet, as I listen, I find myself asking:
Could this truly be the last days?
(Deep sigh.)
A Pope for the Weary
I am — still — incredibly grateful for the papacy of Francis.
Imagine, instead, a cold, remote pope in these trying times.
No question, such a pope would have been desperately loved
by those who see the Church as something separate from Christ—
something to guard jealously from the ragged, the lost,
the sullen-eyed, the dispossessed, the hungry, the cold.
The very ones who also got lost during Latin Masses—
whose fathers and grandfathers went through the motions,
pretending they understood.
That’s the kind of church some still cherish—
one that makes them feel better than others.
As if sanctimony could win souls.
“Shame them with your holiness, boys and girls! Show them!”
But for Calvary Christians—for those who follow Christ up the hill,
not around it—Francis was a godsend.
The Holy Spirit Won
It was God’s love for us
that stirred the Holy Spirit—
to place His hand upon Cardinal Bergoglio,
to guide Benedict’s abdication,
and to move among the cardinals
in bringing forth Pope Leo.
The Holy Spirit won.
I remember writing an essay the week Leo was elected,
exclaiming with joy:
“Francis won! Francis won!!”
I was wrong.
It was not Francis who won.
It was the Holy Spirit who won.
Seeing the Hand of God
At first, I was disheartened by the election of an American pope.
I saw it as a victory for those who despised Francis.
But once the dust settled, I began to perceive the hand of the Spirit—
guiding Francis even through the labyrinth of his critics.
I grew giddy.
Giddy with pride in the pope I loved—
the one who had drawn me into the Catholic Church.
Believing he had outmaneuvered the enemies of mercy,
I shouted again:
“Francis won! Francis won!!!”
When I should have said instead:
“The Lord and Giver of Life won! HE won!”
A Kinder Church
At the time, I felt the forces determined to undo Francis,
to paint his papacy with opprobrium,
had been checked.
I believed the new pope would save American Catholicism—
that he would sow the seeds of a kinder, sweeter,
more compelling Church…
One that draws rather than repels.
So yes—enjoy these Gregorian hymns.
We need something that makes sense in times like these.
On Loving Faith and Loving God
And by the way—
next time you hear someone boast,
“I love my faith deeply,”
say to them:
“No one asked you to love your faith deeply.”
What Jesus, the Son of God, asked was simple:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
Love your neighbor as yourself.”
I once heard a man declare that he “loved his faith deeply,”
and in the same breath,
he said,
“There are too few prisons.”
I wish I could have told him:
“You cannot love your neighbor as yourself
and still wish him in prison.”
You cannot love your neighbor as yourself
and say, “I hate the word empathy.”
If you love God and love people,
then—and only then—
do you truly love your faith.
Peace in the Hymns
So yes…
just enjoy these Gregorian hymns.
Because we need something that makes sense—
in times like these.
And these hymns make sense.
I rest my case.
— Don Kenobi
🎧 Listen:
Gregorian Chant – Miserere Mei, Deus (Psalm 51)
Labels / Tags:#MyFrancisEssays, #DonKenobi, #FaithAndReflection, #GregorianHymns, #PopeFrancis, #HolySpirit, #Catholicism, #LoveAndEmpathy, #Christianity
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