Anne Lastman
A recent comment by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, sent the anti-Francis brigade into overdrive criticism. Again.
A simple comment that he hopes hell is empty was immediately changed to the “ Pope says that there is no one in hell.” “That hell doesn’t exist.” “That no one goes to hell.” Indeed, his comment, which was a human passing comment by a holy man hoping that hell is empty because that would mean that satan had lost the battle that he wages against God for His creation, (human being) and he (satan) would have failed because everyone was/is/has been saved. It was a comment which anyone of us would make even about the weather “I hope that tomorrow will be cool” or “I hope that we can get to football game on time” or “I hope my football team will win” It’s a comment which is common. I hope is spoken a million times a day without causing such angst. However, the Holy Father’s detractors were able to pick it up and make further accusations and pointing to his ineptitude as pontiff out of it. Again, to drive a wedge between him and his “children” given to him in his spiritual care. To encourage those who have never accepted him as pontiff to be further alienated from him. To encourage further wicked names to call him. To speak words that “I hope he goes soon before he destroys the Church.”
Perhaps what they are saying is that “they hope that hell is full,” that is, according to their estimation and their knowledge of the millions of sinners which the Holy Father refuses to see and acknowledge as sinners and even irredeemable.
Hope is borne out of a desire for good. For something that might be possible and indeed Hope is one of three theological virtues, Faith, Hope and Charity. We use the term hope not necessarily because of a theological perspective, but it has become part of the normal day to day language which has a meaning of looking to the future, and always meaning “desire for good” Of course there can be attached two meanings to hope. A negative and a positive one.
The negative would be something like “I hope he loses his step and trips over the rocks and breaks a kneecap” This is a negative. Or a false hope, that is that some disaster happens to them. A “desire” for harm and we couldn’t possibly call this a theological desire. It’s a desire which comes from anger, and evil desires come from the evil one who always tries to mimic the “good” but whose desire is to wish harm.
The positive example of a good hope would be “I hope that he recovers his health very soon” This is a desire (hope) for the return of health, for the good welfare, of a brother/sister in Christ. This is a theological desire and true Hope. So, the Holy Father’s comment is a forward-looking desire hoping for the good of all because as he said right from the beginning of his pontificate, “who am I to judge” He leaves the true deep judgement to God who sees the whole picture not fragments that human eyes see.
Having labored in a garden of pain for over 30 years, I have learned right from the beginning not to “judge” because beneath what looks like wickedness there is a huge story, much pain which has led to that “visible” wickedness.
A young woman coming for counselling for self-destructive behaviors ( because of multiple abortions) is seen visibly as someone who is evil, wicked. Someone who has aborted 7 babies and now she can’t sleep, she hears them call to her, but looking deeper into this there is another horror. Sexual abuse by family member. The first abortion was as a result of this pain and fear of this abuse never ending, and she endured the following ones because she began to live a life of promiscuity, drugs, self-harm. To the person talking to her they might see her self disregard, drug behavior, self-hatred, but God sees the moment the poisoned seed was first planted and the ugliness which it sprouted. And the Holy Father’s “who am I to judge” can be seen here.
A young 19-year-old youth coming “to talk” to someone because his friends suggested he needs to do so before something terrible happens to him. And he did so. A tattooed young man, nice looking face, terrible unwashed body and hair, clothes which I’m sure had been taken from some bin, drug behaviors, but a voice so gentle. Prodding gently into his life and especially early life. Sexual abuse by stepfather while his mother was at work (night shift) and threatened to be beaten himself and mother if he told her. Eventually he decided to run and sleep under a bridge where he met other young people in similar situations and together, they formed a small community to protect one another.
Yes drugs, little food, drink, and a young man who no one would claim as their son….And yet beneath all of this…horrible abuse of a young person when his mother was at work providing for them. Looking at him…. He’s not worth it some would say, “he belongs in gutter” he was told, but God sees the moment the poisoned seed was planted which led to this time and situation.
These are several examples, several thousand more have visited my practice. Always where there is trauma a poisoned seed is to be found and only God can see the seed while we humans can only see its effects. And so, the Holy Father who understands this can truly say “who am I to judge?”
There are many different examples of deep pain which lead to life styles and behaviors which “we normal” people show disgust when we see them and of course judge them, Love is the Holy Father seeing need and finding places and resources where street people can go and find help without judgement. The proud person can look at them and say “Lord I am so glad that I am not like those street people, but Lord look at me I’m holy, I’ve lived a good life, I go to church, I give large donation to church, I look after my family, I’ve given them everything,” and these same people walk past a young or elderly person sleeping in corner of building, or one who rummages through a street bin and eats what he/she finds in there and they can walk past these without even offering a bottle of water (not glass in street) or even to buy a sandwich for them, and then our concept of ourselves is that “I’m a good person I’ve done everything for my family” and that street person is not a brother or sister in Christ but a loser.
The Theological virtues have inscribed in them qualities of God, “all good”. Faith, Hope, and love, leading to the greatest of these. Love. Walking past one who rummages through a street bin and not helping is not love but anti love.
Faith, a belief that God in his goodness and mercy wills, desires (hope) that all will experience and desire love and hope for this love. Hope, as I see, is also a real desire that the one rummaging through the bin will first find some help and the one-day meet the Lord who doesn’t judge him, loves him, and welcomes him into the home he has created for him.
It’s inconceivable that the Holy Father would say “yes, my hope is that hell is full of people who’ve spent their life not behaving like God and I would have wanted them to” There is so much lack of charity (love) and pride in this comment. There is no sign of mercy. There is no sign of the Holy Spirit’s work of leading to an understanding of right and wrong and enfolding the hurting one in his wings, and the eternal Father, Son and Spirit knowing the desires of, or “hope” of the soul of a created one with the breath of the Father enervating them.
This new attack on the Holy Father comes in an ongoing unrelenting barrage against him. It comes from those with hearts which lack compassion and walk past a street person and look with disdain at him, one who hasn’t been able to take care of himself. These are the ones the self-assessed “holy” ones are wanting the see hell overflowing with citizens dressed in attire rummaged from street bins.
We pray for Mercy, faith, love, healing, hope for the wounded and abandoned ones and also for those who think about their own perceived perfection that they might see what is written in Hebrews 13:2 “ Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels.”
