“Their sturdy backs bent down, by labor and fatigue, their eyes intent upon the earth, sift through stubble discarded by the reapers.”

—Sister Michaela O’Connor

Sunday Scripture Reflection for May 11, 2025
Fourth Sunday of Easter

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” There is a lot of rejoicing these days, and rightly so, because we Catholics now have the first American Pope. Yet once the initial excitement is over, we need to remember that Leo XIV is not an American Pope; he is a Catholic — Universal — Pope. He belongs to the whole world, and is called upon to rise above citizenship of the United States or of Peru, and to be everyone’s Pope. He hears the voice of the Lord and follows that voice, and invites us to join him in doing so. If it makes any difference that he is an American, that difference will be that he will expect more from us than he might from others. He knows what resources we have and how we can use them for the good of the world, and so he might legitimately make demands on us. But as far as privilege is concerned, I don’t think we can claim an advantage to having friends in high places! Rather, he has a lot of friends in the richest nation on earth!