The Pope of the prophecy.
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Fr. Z likes to call him the Pope of Christian Unity. That works. But the more I ponder it, the more I think he is John Bosco's Pope; the Pope who guides the Barque of Peter into port, anchoring the Church between the two columns of the Eucharist and Our Lady, Help of Christians.
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In St. John's dream, some of the ships remained at a distance from the Pope's ship during the stormy battle, but gradually they drew near in support. I'm convinced we are witnessing this today with the Eastern Churches, the traditional Anglicans, and perhaps even the SSPX. One by one.
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Perhaps I'm being too pious about this, but I am continually reminded of St. John Bosco's dream whenever the Pope speaks to the many hopeful signs occurring in our midst these days. The Holy Father's message to the new Archbishops seems to me especially striking:
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Benedict XVI concluded his homily with a call to action aimed at the new archbishops. He told them to "throw out the nets of the Gospel into the stormy seas of our time, to obtain the adherence of men and women to Christ, so as to draw them out ... from the salty waters of death and from the dark where the light of heaven does not reach. "You must bring them onto the earth, to live in communion with Jesus Christ." - CNA
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What kind of lifelines?
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It's amazing what can be done. I may have written about this before, but years ago a friend's mother suffering from cancer needed to be reconciled to the Church. She was a fallen away Catholic due to the fact she was divorced and remarried. The couple had been married for years, their children grown. Acting on an intuition, I called the lady's pastor and asked him to hear her confession. She was quickly and eagerly reconciled to the Church and the sacraments, and after her recovery, she and her husband lived as brother and sister and attended daily Mass. There was a lifeline thrown to that woman and she was united once again to the Church.
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Similar stories happen all of the time - even with same-sex couples. God always provides a way for those who need to come home.
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That is why I think our Holy Father's words in reference to St. Peter Canisius are so important for us in our concern not only for the salvation of others, but ourselves as well; the saint humbly “avoided severity and the rhetoric of anger ... and sought only to explain our spiritual roots and to revitalize faith in the Church.” Charity, truth in love, is what attracts the floundering soul. It is not beauty that will save the world, but love.
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I think we need to remember there is always a lifeline. Nothing is ever impossible where love is concerned - in other words, nothing is impossible with God.
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Art: Dream of Two Columns - © A.Vonn Hartung St. John Bosco Church, Orocovis, Puerto Rico
