Anne Lastman
Today I had the privilege of attending the Pontifical Mass for the Repose of the soul of the Holy Father Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, who passed away yesterday Monday 21 April 2025. The day after Easter. After the Resurrection of Jesus.
This Mass which I attended was at my parish, St Mary’s Cathedral Perth and was celebrated by Archbishop Timothy Costello, Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton, Dean of Cathedral Fr Sean Fernandez, Rectors from the two Seminaries and untold number of priests from other Perth parishes and invited dignitaries and heads of other faiths.
The dignitaries were ushered to the reserved first three pews all around sections of the church (six). I say this because I found myself ushered to the first place of the second row , directly in front of the altar.
I think they must have thought I either looked lost or was a dignitary, and I didn’t have the heart to tell the ushers that I was not lost and not dignitary or anyone of note. It was probably the best seat in the “house” (something about the first shall be last and the least shall be first?) though I don’t think this applied to me.
The most beautiful Mass, but it was the Gospel which set my mind to thinking. The Gospel was about Jesus’ appearance after resurrection when He came to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, and she didn’t recognize him until he called her “Mary” If we listen quietly, we can hear the voice, and Mary had loved and thought she had lost. She recognized his voice.
We can look again to the raising of Lazarus, who had been dead for four days. Jesus again called out name “Lazarus come forth” He called his name Lazarus and Lazarus recognized his voice.
The widow of Nain whose only child, a son had died, and with compassion Jesus touches death, in this case “son” and son re – lives. The daughter of Jairus has died and Jesus rebukes death and she awakens. It shows that where ever Jesus nears to death, death must release its victim and flee. And we read and remember that in Issaiah 43:1 God says, “fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name” (called by name) We also recall that Jesus spoke of the shepherd who knows his sheep and calls them by name and again recall where scripture tells us about names “being written in the book of life” the book of the Lamb.
Why have I thought of this? Because Mary heard her Lord call her by her name and she knew and recognized him. Lazarus was called by name, and he knew that voice and responded. The two young children were rescued by the voice of Jesus. And I then I thought of the Holy Father, Pope Francis “Jorge” and the holy father would have heard his name being called and he recognized and responded to the voice which he had known all his life. “Jorge come home.”
When Jesus calls by name, it’s recognized. There is an echo of a long-ago memory of that voice and there is the desire to respond and go.
Mary, Lazarus, Jorge …come.
All these thoughts went through my mind as I meditated on the Gospel read this day at Holy Mass for the Holy Father Pope Francis who left us to go to that voice which called him. RIP.
