Today is the first day of Fall and the first time Pope Francis has come to the United States. I was there to see John Paul II come to Columbia 9/11/1987 at Carolina Coliseum. He too asked everyone to pray for him.
Scripture: 11Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.… (1 Cor. 10:11,12)
Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. (Mt. 10:41)
I have been writing a blog on heroes of the Bible this year. What makes a person heroic according to scripture- is not an ideology but a strong faith. That does not mean that faith does not speak to moral issues. Some on both the left and the right would confine any statements of the church to a building on Sunday mornings. They do not want any pope or any preacher disagreeing with their platform or script.
The Reformation problem with the pope is mitigated by people praying for the pope, but it is not alleviated. When one person is given much power, they can make a mistake and there are no checks and balances or anyone to tell them "No" in a way that can be heard.
Yet this alone does not mean in and of itself that every Pope is a bad pope. There were kings labeled as good in scripture because they sought the Lord as David did. There were prophets and priests labeled as righteous in scripture (see Jesus words in Matthew 10:41 above). Our job is to recognize righteous people and to welcome them. So on this first day of fall, as far as I can tell- welcome Francis! God bless you and God bless the country that you visit today.
Prayer: Help me Lord, to be a welcoming person.
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