Hey Deacon!

We all woke up on Monday morning the second day of the Easter Octave, to the sad news of Pope Francis passing onto eternal life.   His whole life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and the Church.  His gestures, his words, his actions were good reminders to live out the gospels – embracing the sick, visiting prisoners, preaching the sanctity of all human life – “There is no human life that is more sacred than another and no human life qualitatively more significant than another.”  And also, his famous quote, “Who am I to judge?”   A good reminder that we often fall into the trap of quickly judging others.
 
God’s mercy was a constant theme in Pope Francis’ preaching and was so central to his vision of what the church’s ministry must embody that he proclaimed in 2015 an extraordinary ‘Holy Year of Mercy’ for 2016. I mention this proclamation because it resonated with me and my diaconal ministry.  I have a modern icon in my home office/chapel that depicts the ‘Merciful Father’ caring for the forgotten.
 
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city, December 17, 1936. He was ordained a priest in December 1969.  In 1973, he was appointed superior of the Jesuit province of Argentina.  In May 1992, Father Bergoglio was named an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. He was appointed coadjutor archbishop five years later and became archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998.  Then in 2001 Pope John Paul II named him to the College of Cardinals.
 
Cardinal Bergoglio was a known and respected figure within the College of Cardinals, so much so that no one disputed a respected Italian journal’s report that he had received the second-highest number of votes on all four ballots cast in the 2005 Conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.   Eight years later, Pope Benedict retired, and the College of Cardinals arrived in Rome for the 2013 Conclave.  Shortly thereafter, there was ‘white smoke’ and Bergoglio was elected pope taking the name Pope Francis.
 
One of the lesser-known rituals that a newly elected pope partakes of is visiting the ‘Room of Tears.’  The purpose of the Room of Tears is not to examine the pope’s body; it is to allow the new pope to change into papal vestments before receiving the pledges of obedience from his fellow cardinals and then being introduced to the people of Rome and to the world from the loggia above St. Peter’s square.  The room is nicknamed the Room of Tears because new popes have often been overcome with emotion at the thought of the heavy burden that has been given them.
 
I recall Pope Francis mentioning a few times about the “gift of tears” or the “grace of tears.” He used these expressions when speaking about appreciating great blessings or understanding great tragedies. 
 
When we experience tears, we see that they come at the two extremes of life: great joy and great sadness. I like to think that tears are a gift from God -- a sign that we have loved, been loved, and appreciate the preciousness of life.  We can empathize with another human person’s suffering and joy.
 
As we pray that the Holy Spirit blesses us with another holy and humble leader of His Church, may our tears of sadness for Pope Francis’ death be surpassed with tears of joy for the gift of eternal life. 
Author Bio:
 Deacon Dan Vaughn