On June 21, 1963, the last pontiff to be born in the 19th century was elected and was known as Pope Paul VI.
This Vatican bureaucrat who had labored for two popes before him, saw himself as a servant of the Church. In fact, he turned down the cardinal’s hat three times until his predecessor, St John the XIII, named him a cardinal in 1958. During Paul’s pontificate, he would preside over the last three sessions of the Vatican Council; travel the world like his namesake, Saint Paul the Apostle; build on the foundation of Catholic Social Teaching; and, endure criticism from members of the right and of the left in the Church and in Western Society. He suffered greatly for his prediction that a contraceptive culture would usher in this culture of death which we see all around us today.
Paul VI’s contributions to the Church are at times overlooked because he served as pope between two giants of the 20th century, St. John XXIII and St John Paul II. Yet, the work of these two charismatic popes does not diminish St Paul VI’s contributions to the life of the Church.
In addition to Paul’s leadership during the Council and post-conciliar decades, two events characterize his holiness and his leadership to the Church. On November 13, 1964 after a moving session of the Second Vatican Council that dealt with the world-wide crisis of poverty, Paul VI at the conclusion of the daily Mass, rose from his papal throne and descended the steps to the Altar of Sacrifice and there he placed the papal crown or tiara which would never be worn again by him or his successors. Used for 12 centuries by those elected to the throne of Peter, the tiara was the symbol of every pope’s spiritual and secular power and it was used at the coronation of every new pope. By placing the papal crown on the Altar, Paul made clear that the Church would no longer wait for people to come to Her. By taking this action Pope Paul emphasized the Church’s solidarity with the poor of this world and the Church’s commitment to the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. With renewed vigor, the entire Church was commanded to go out to all the world to tell the Good News through works of charity and justice. (On a side note, the papal crown was sold and the money went to the poor. That particular tiara has its permanent home on the lower level of this Basilica.)
A second significant moment in the Pope’s pontificate took place just 8 days later in the Basilica of St Mary Major on November 21, 1964, the feast of the Presentation of Mary. Pope Paul VI solemnly declared Mary as the Mother of the Church. That is, that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary is our true Mother – Mother to Christ, our brother and thus, Mother to us – the members of His Mystical Body.
Not since the Council of Trent 400 years earlier, would the universal Church make such a dramatic shift in Her approach to the world as She did under Paul VI. The reforms of the Second Vatican Council directed by Pope Paul would re-emphasize the role of God’s people in evangelizing the world. Just as the apostles and disciples prayed with Mary in the upper room and were imbued by the Holy Spirit to go out and preach to all nations, the Church of our century must be filled with the joy of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ by all Her people. And, just like the mission of the early disciples, this new evangelization is supported by the intercession of Mary, the Mother of the Church.
However, Mary is not just our Mother, she is also the model of the Christian Life. We need to be open to God’s plan just as Mary was open to the power of the Holy Spirit when she accepted the Father’s invitation to be the Mother of Christ. Just as Mary held the mysteries of her life with Jesus in the recesses of her heart, so should we reflect on the presence of Christ in our daily lives. We need to take the time to wrestle in prayer with Church teachings we do not understand. Just as Mary interceded for the young couple in need at Cana, so we need to be attentive to the needs of our sisters and brothers. At the foot of the cross Mary shared by her compassion in the sufferings of her Son, so we are called to enter into the mystery of suffering experienced by refugees, the poor and those oppressed and on the margins of modern life. Our compassion must move us to action as members of Christ’s Body by our commitment to work for justice because we are all made in God’s image and likeness. We are ambassadors for the Prince of Peace and as Pope Paul stated in 1972, “If you want peace, work for justice.”
These last fifteen months have been marked by great social upheavals spawned by the world-wide pandemic, the death of George Floyd, and the events that followed. We have witnessed the national discord exemplified by the presidential election. We continue to see the increasing violence on our own streets and in sub-Saharan Africa. The wars and oppression in Afghanistan, Syria, the Holy Land, Burma, Yemen, have created a humanitarian crisis not seen since the end of World War II. The Uyghur (we-ger) genocide in China goes unchallenged. Our southern border is overwhelmed by desperate people seeking freedom and safety for their children. And, we still have many people in our own land and around the world who are unable to find meaningful work.
However, what occupies the American zeitgeist?
Whether Meghan will ever be welcomed again at Buckingham Palace. Whether or not the Golden Globes will recover from scandal. Will Barstool get out of politics and stick to sports? Will Melinda Gates get $15 million a month in alimony or less? Will the cancel culture finally cancel me?
We binge on Netflix and Hulu and we consume a steady diet of Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok. We are entertained by every conspiracy theory and our eyes glaze over with the newest cat or dog video on YouTube. And, some suffer with addiction to the darker elements of social media.
The sound judgment of Paul VI that technology may have succeeded in “multiplying our opportunities for pleasure but it has great difficulty in generating joy,” is a judgement that we should all take to heart. As members of the household of God, we need to be at the forefront of restoring peace through our commitment to justice. But, first, we must rouse ourselves from the malaise of indifference to the suffering of our sisters and brothers. We may not be able to end a war but we can pray for its end and we can support the efforts of others caring for displaced persons. We may not be able to stop a pandemic but we can offer rides to the elderly so they can be vaccinated. We may not be able to tame social media but we can create posts and sites that lift up the human spirit rather than pull people down into the gutter. We may not be able to end world-wide hunger but we can end the hunger of people in our city and neighborhood. We can end one person’s hunger for dignity and thirst for recognition as a human being by encountering the people in a homeless shelter or nursing home when they open up. We can share in the joy of encountering one another and our God through worship and service to others. We can rediscover real human interaction when we take the airpods out of ears and put down the ubiquitous iPhones and risk raising our eyes to see the face of my brother and my sister in need. For when we see the face of a brother or sister in need we encounter Christ and hope is rekindled in their hearts and ours.
As members of the Body of Christ, supported by Mary, our Model and Mother of the Church, we cannot afford to remain in fear hiding behind the locked doors of exclusion and condemnation of the other. Rather, filled with the Holy Spirit we must proclaim the Good News of Jesus’ love story with the whole human family and with each of us individually. We, the Church, born of blood and water must invite every man and woman to the foot of the Cross of Christ. For from the Cross the Savior does not condemn or exclude; rather, Christ puts division and sin to flight as He invites each of us to take Mary into the home of our hearts as our Mother and our Model of true discipleship.
As members of Christ’s Body do not be afraid to engage a world so much in need of the Gospel of peace. We cannot return to a fortress mentality of triumphalism as some would have us do. Nor can we be silenced as the sins of many members expose us to ridicule. We must be authentic in the work of evangelization. Authenticity is rooted in holiness – a holiness that engages the world and does not hide from it. Pope Paul VI wrote, “The world calls for, and expects from us, simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially toward the lowly and poor, obedience and humility, detachment and self-sacrifice. Without this mark of holiness, our WORD will have difficulty touching the heart of modern man” (and woman).
My dear brothers and sisters, you have achieved much in your short lives, but you are called by Jesus to take up the work of evangelization beyond this hallowed institution. Do not be afraid to answer Christ's call to bring His Gospel to bear upon your decisions and actions. With Mary as Model and Mother, we are the disciple whom Jesus loves. Our discipleship will never end but now you are also prepared to take up the mantle of apostleship as you leave The Catholic University of America. Do not be afraid. Mary our Mother and our Model stands with you as you proclaim the Good News of Her Son, Jesus Christ. My sisters and brothers, “while we have time, let us do good.”