Pope Francis Talks about the Stones that “Block the Hopes of Humanity”

In his 2024 Easter blessing today, Pope Francis asked a troubling question:

“Like the women disciples of Jesus, we ask one another: ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ (cf. Mk 16:3).”

Francis was referring to the huge stone that blocked the entrance to Jesus’ tomb, which women were visiting to perform a final ritual. In despair, the women saw no way to move the stone, and yet the stone moved (or was already rolled away). For Pope Francis, the stone that blocked Jesus’ tomb thousands of years ago was a metaphor for the terrible stones of war and suffering that, in Francis’ words, “block the hopes of humanity.” The metaphor of the stone reminds us never to give up hope, never to give up on love, compassion, and forgiveness. As Francis said:

“The Church relives the amazement of the women who went to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. The tomb of Jesus had been sealed with a great stone. Today too, great stones, heavy stones, block the hopes of humanity: the stone of war, the stone of humanitarian crises, the stone of human rights violations, the stone of human trafficking, and other stones as well.”

As Pope Francis acutely noted, horrible wars and suffering wrack the world, from the Middle East and Ukraine, and on to, central Africa, Kivu, and elsewhere. Francis reminded the 60,000 worshipers gathered at St. Peter’s Square that Syria suffers from a decades-long civil war. He appealed for humanitarian aid, the release of hostages, and cease-fires. He still came back to his metaphor of stones, asking, how will we ever roll these terrible stones away? He recognized that desperate people, who see no hope, who think themselves helpless, all face – metaphorically – the same dilemma:

“Without the forgiveness of sins, there is no overcoming the barriers of prejudice, mutual recrimination, the presumption that we are always right and others wrong.”

On the one hand, Francis assured the worshipers that only Jesus can roll away the stones of war and hatred. Francis did not, on the other hand, omit that human beings today need to act. Instead, to follow Jesus—means, according to the Pope’s blessing, for us to reach out with love and compassion to one another:

“Let us not yield to the logic of weapons and rearming. Peace is never made with arms, but with outstretched hands and open hearts.”

Sojourner Truth and Her Metaphors

Metaphors carry great power. Metaphors—like equating a tombstone with today’s terrible moral failings—force us to see connections that our narrow-mindedness leads us to deny. Francis’ metaphor had two prongs. First, yes, the massive stones that block us seem overpowering and we feel helpless to move them. Second, however, in the biblical accounts, the enormous stone was, indeed, moved. The moving of the stone added hope to the Pope’s metaphor. To move today’s stones, Pope Francis said, we must reach out with our hearts and faith, to forgive one another, to show compassion, to move the stones, not with anger or violence, but with love.

A powerful Easter message. Will the world listen?

by William D. Harpinw

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Earlier Posts:

Pope Francis Asked the Catholic Church to Listen

Pope Francis' Sermon for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees

  

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The English text of Pope Francis’ blessing is taken from the Catholic News Agency.

Copyright © 2024, William D. Harpine

Image: Pope Francis, edited from a historical White House photo

Pope Francis Asked the Catholic Church to Listen

Pope Francis

“The Church: a single harmony made up of many voices and the work of the Holy Spirit. That is how we should think of the Church.”

So said Pope Francis on October 4, 2023 at the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, devoted to the topic of “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.” Francis emphasized that the Synod needed to rely on spiritual guidance. A synod (literally, “gathering”) is a meeting to discuss issues. The Synod’s title says “communion.” Let us think about communion: we all want to be heard. We want to be part of a greater group. That means we all need to listen. Not just Catholics, but all of us.

Francis emphasized the Synod’s need to rely on spiritual guidance.

Francis' speech emphasized the importance of listening. To resolve controversies, he insisted we must start by understanding one another. We must understand one another's perspectives. We must hear one another. Francis focused the participants’ attention on that basic feature of human life.

That is not merely true of the Catholic Church; It is true of everyone. Listening is not just good communication; it is the fundamental human value that helps us work together. To resolve controversies, we must begin by hearing one another.

We cannot expect everyone to share the same opinions, even in an authoritarian, tradition-bound organization like the Catholic Church. Pope Francis had once said that it was an “honor” when the conservative American bishops criticized him. Because to resolve our disagreements, we must, first, know what those disagreements are.

So often, when people meet, our goal is to state our own opinions. We frequently want to win more than we want to understand. In contrast, Francis said that the Synod’s purpose was to listen. Reversing the usual way we think, Francis stated that the Synod’s purpose was not to make decisions, but to share questions and issues:

“If the Spirit is in our midst to guide us, it will be a good Synod. If there are other ways of going about things, based on human, personal or ideological interests, it will not be a Synod, but more of a parliamentary meeting, which is another thing.”

Francis concluded that it was time for a break, like a vacation, when people could listen rather than argue:

“It is a break for the whole Church, as we engage in listening. This is the most important message.”

If no one listens, what good is it to speak? The Catholic Church, like many religious (and political!) groups, faces conflicts between liberals and conservatives, men and women, and tradition versus insight. To resolve those issues, the church's leaders need, first and foremost, to understand one another. Furthermore, to understand, we must listen before we disagree.

So, Francis insisted:

“Then, I want to say that in this Synod – also to make room for the Holy Spirit – the priority should be to listen.”

That is good advice for families, couples, political groups, and all the rest of us.

Yes, the Catholic Church has faced many moral dilemmas in recent decades. The Catholic Church has long underestimated those dilemmas, and, sadly, often continues to do so. The fact remains that churches, like many other institutions, are imperfect assemblages of human beings, and can offer deep insights to all of us. So, let us remember to listen.

by William D. Harpine

© William D. Harpine, 2023

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Pope Francis' Sermon for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees

Image: US government photo, via Wikimedia Commons