Episode 3066: Pilgrims of Hope - Morning Episode

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Speak Lord for your Servant is Listening
Book Recommendation of the Day
"Select Orations" by St. Gregory Nazianzen
• Publisher: Loeb Classical Library (Harvard University Press)
• Language: Greek and English
• Content: Includes some of his most famous sermons, including his theological orations on the Trinity.
• Notable orations:
o Oration 27–31 – The Five Theological Orations (crucial for understanding Nicene Trinitarian theology)
Before we get into this episode. In recent decades, there has been a growing and troubling trend: secular voices, media outlets, and political commentators seeking to weigh in on the election of the pope, as though the Vicar of Christ must somehow align himself with the prevailing world order. From op-eds demanding a "progressive pope" to televised panels speculating on whether the next pontiff will support modern ideologies, the world increasingly treats the papacy not as a spiritual office instituted by Christ, but as a political post to be filled by popular demand.
This perspective is not only misguided it is dangerous. The papacy is not a democratic institution. It is not the Vatican's version of a presidency. The pope is not elected to represent the people, nor to further social or political causes. He is chosen ultimately under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to represent Christ on earth and safeguard the Deposit of Faith handed down from the Apostles.
When the world attempts to influence the selection of a pope, or when Church leaders begin to act as though they must appease secular demands, the Church’s divine mission becomes distorted. The truth of the Gospel is no longer preached with clarity and conviction, but diluted to suit human preferences. This opens the door to compromise, confusion, and the corruption of souls.
As our Lord said, "If the world hate you, know ye, that it hath hated me before you" (John 15:18). The Church was never meant to be popular. She was meant to be faithful.
Let us remember: the pope is not a global ambassador for tolerance, climate change, or inclusivity. He is the Successor of Peter, charged with feeding Christ’s sheep not with affirming the world in its errors. Any pressure from the world to conform the papacy to its image is not only a misunderstanding it is a betrayal of the supernatural reality of the Church.
In these times, Catholics must pray not for a pope who pleases the world, but for a pope who fears God. For as St. Paul reminds us, “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
Pilgrims of Hope: Embracing Suffering with Joy
Today we delve into the timeless wisdom of the Church's liturgy. Today is Friday, May 9, 2025, the Friday in the Third Week after Easter.
Epistle: 1 Peter 2:11–19
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from carnal desires which war against the soul, having your conversation good among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by the good works which they shall behold in you, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Be ye subject therefore to every human creature for God's sake: whether it be to the king as excelling, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of the good.
For so is the will of God, that by doing well you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not as making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God.,Honour all men: love the brotherhood: fear God: honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear: not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy: if for conscience towards God, a man endure sorrows, suffering wrongfully.
Reflection: Embracing Suffering with Joy
In today's Epistle, St. Peter addresses the faithful as "strangers and pilgrims," reminding us that our true home is not of this world. He exhorts us to abstain from carnal desires and to live virtuously among the Gentiles, so that our good works may lead others to glorify God. This passage emphasizes the importance of humility, obedience, and patience, especially in the face of unjust suffering.
The Gospel presents a poignant moment where Jesus prepares His disciples for His impending departure. He acknowledges their sorrow but assures them that their grief will turn into joy. The analogy of a woman in labor illustrates the transformative power of suffering when united with Christ's passion and resurrection.
These readings invite us to embrace our trials with hope, knowing that they are temporary and lead to eternal joy. As pilgrims on this earth, we are called to live lives of virtue, bearing our crosses with patience and trust in God's providence.
Gospel: John 16:16–22
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: A little while, and now you shall not see Me: and again a little while, and you shall see Me: because I go to the Father.
Then some of His disciples said one to another: What is this that He saith to us: A little while, and you shall not see Me: and again a little while, and you shall see Me, and because I go to the Father?
They said therefore: What is this that He saith, A little while? we know not what He speaketh.
And Jesus knew that they had a mind to ask Him; and He said to them: Of this do you inquire among yourselves, because I said: A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me? Amen, amen I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice: and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
A woman, when she is in labour, hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she hath brought forth the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
So also you now indeed have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice: and your joy no man shall take from you.
Gospel Reflection
"A little while, and now you shall not see Me: and again a little while, and you shall see Me..."
(John 16:16)
Our Lord, knowing the frailty and confusion of His disciples’ hearts, speaks tenderly of His coming Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Yet He does so with veiled language: “A little while and you shall not see Me…” It is the mysterious unfolding of God’s salvific plan—Christ must go to the Father through the Cross, and the disciples must pass through the sorrow of His absence before entering into the joy of His Resurrection.
Christ acknowledges the disciples’ sorrow: “You shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice…” This is a profound teaching not only about the historical Passion, but also about the spiritual life. The Christian is called to suffer with Christ, to endure sorrows and contradictions while the world celebrates its false victories. But sorrow in Christ is never without hope.
The image Our Lord uses the woman in labor is striking. Pain and anguish come before birth, but the child brings joy that wipes away all memory of suffering. Likewise, the sorrow of the Passion gave birth to the glory of the Resurrection. And in the soul of each believer, the path to sanctity is always through the cross.
"Your sorrow shall be turned into joy… and your joy no man shall take from you."
This is the promise of Easter and the constant reassurance for every soul undergoing purification, trial, or suffering for Christ. The Resurrection is not merely a past event; it is the pledge of our own resurrection. Every loss, every pain, every tear endured with Christ will one day be crowned with unshakable joy.
In the traditional Catholic understanding, this Gospel reminds us that we are pilgrims carrying the cross as we await the vision of Christ. But unlike worldly sorrow, ours has purpose, and it bears fruit. As Dom Gueranger writes in The Liturgical Year, “The joy of the Resurrection shines all the brighter when it comes after the dark hour of the Passion.”
Let us then not be afraid of the “little while” of sorrow for it is but the birth pangs of a glory that shall never pass away.
Feast Day:
Concluding Prayer
Let us pray:
O God, who by the Resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, hast vouchsafed to give joy to the whole world: grant, we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may attain the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thank you for joining us. May the peace of the Risen Christ fill your heart today and always.
Deo gratias.