At the opening of my homily during the Easter Vigil, I used an expression of Pope Francis that I like very much.  He had spoken about Easter as “the tomorrow of God.”  He focused that expression through the experience of a human heart—the Blessed Mother—and he invited our reflection and participation.  Listen:

“For [Mary] the tomorrow of God is the dawn of Easter morning, the dawn of the first day of the week. It would do us good to think, in contemplation, of the embrace of mother and son. The single lamp lit at the tomb of Jesus is the hope of the mother, which in that moment is the hope of all humanity. I ask myself and I ask you: is this lamp still alight in monasteries?  In your monasteries are you waiting for God’s tomorrow?”  (Pope Francis, Rejoice: A Letter to Consecrated Men and Women, 02Feb14, §12)

Francis invited us to wait expectantly with Mary at the tomb of the crucified Lord.  At that privileged position, our Easter story begins.

In this Jubilee Year when we highlight hope, we can hear Francis’ beautiful turn of phrase: “The single lamp lit at the tomb of Jesus is the hope of the mother.” It carries wonderful weight and instruction. Jesus had been crucified and by all evidence was dead and buried.  Mary did not know what to expect, but she did not believe that this was the end.  “Hoping against hope” (Rom 4:18), as Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans, Mary trusted that God would act with inconceivable power and wisdom.  Gabriel reminded her of this truth for just such a situation, “For nothing is impossible for God” (Lk 1:37).  And Francis affirms that Mary’s prayer “in that moment is the hope of all humanity.” We join our hope to hers.

I love thinking about some of the wonderful images that Francis employs to teach us about our faith.  I think that the selection of the “tomorrow of God” was prompted by the Holy Spirit as the Holy Father entered that “tomorrow” some few hours later.  I felt the blessing of drawing my assembled community into the realization of the hope of this very good man.

Knowing that his time on earth was growing short, Pope Francis had prepared a short last will and testament which began:

Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in Eternal Life, I wish to express my testamentary will only with regard to the place of my burial. I have always entrusted my life and my priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy. Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest awaiting the day of resurrection in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

My attention was drawn to the way in which he speaks of “sunset” as opposed to “dawn” in the earlier passage.  Both focus our attention on a tomb, on hope and on the Blessed Mother for whom he had a special devotion.  Clearly, he kept the lamp for new life alight in his heart.

I will miss the guidance and gentleness of Pope Francis.  I, with you, pray for a man of his equal to lead the Church.  And, God will hear our prayer.  Let me close with two of my favorite teachings from the heart of this truly Christian leader.  Both have Vincentian character:

“God is Father and he does not disown any of his children.”

“Oh, how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor,”

Amen.