Follow Me

“Do you love me?” and Peter said to him,
“Lord, You know everything;
you know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep”…
And when he had said this,
he said to him, “Follow Me.”
(John 21:17-19)

But Jesus long ago gave the definitive qualification for being pope, the “rock” on which He would build His Church. It was not enough for Peter to make reparation for his three denials with three “I love you’s.” Were that sufficient, Jesus might have left the impression that it is the virtue and strength of the man holding the papal office that is most crucial to its success. That it is a human institution, based on Peter’s personality, rather than a divine office. Instead, Jesus qualifies the calling with this essential directive: “Follow Me.”

That is to say, it is by grace and obedience that Peter will be able to fulfill the task to “feed My sheep,” as Jesus commanded him. Contrary to contemporary expectations, it does not rely upon his intelligence, theological prowess, charisma, or personal skills (as helpful as these may be), but upon his willingness to follow Jesus — and teach the nations to do the same.^[1]cf. Matt 28:19-20

…we are not only looking at what will be the reactions of the mass media saying, “We need a pope who is communicator in this world,” or secondary criteria that “Now we need an African or now we must return to an Italian,” or all these stupid criteria. They have nothing to do [with the papacy.] We have to look to the explanation Jesus Himself gave of the service and the office of St. Peter, in the words He spoke to St. Peter: You are the rock and I give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven and you have to confirm your brothers in the faith and you are the shepherd of the the universal Church. —Cardinal Gerhard Müller, April 24, 2025, lifesitenews.com

In some ways, the series I wrote called Jesus Week is an unintentional preamble to the upcoming conclave. It lays out the pure and undiluted Gospel, which is the heart of the mission of the Church in every generation. Everything the Catholic Church possesses today — the development of the “deposit of faith”, her rich spiritualities, her diverse liturgies, her charisms and ministries, the catalogue of saints and martyrs… all flows from this central mission to “make disciples of all the nations.”^[2]Matt 28:19-20 This is why the Church exists.^[3]“Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ’s sacrifice in the Mass, which is the memorial of His death and glorious resurrection.” —POPE ST. PAUL VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 14 It is to this mission that every future pope must commit himself wholeheartedly: the mission to follow Jesus.

A Mission of Faithfulness

As such, whoever is chosen to succeed Francis has but one great commission before him: faithfulness to the Master. In the words of the late pope:

The Pope, in this context, is not the supreme lord but rather the supreme servant — the “servant of the servants of God”; the guarantor of the obedience and the conformity of the Church to the will of God, to the Gospel of Christ, and to the Tradition of the Church, putting aside every personal whim, despite being — by the will of Christ Himself — the “supreme Pastor and Teacher of all the faithful” and despite enjoying “supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the Church”. —POPE FRANCIS, closing remarks on the Synod; Catholic News Agency, October 18th, 2014

Thus, everything that has been handed on in Sacred Tradition is the divine food with which Jesus asks the pope to “feed My sheep” and “strengthen your brothers.”^[4]Luke 22:32 Thus…

The pope isn’t an absolute sovereign, whose thoughts and desires are law. On the contrary, the ministry of the pope is the guarantor of the obedience toward Christ and His word. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Homily of May 8, 2005; San Diego Union-Tribune

Perhaps this sheds light on what else Jesus said that day on the beach to Peter:

Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. (John 21:18)

Indeed, in these aging years of the papacy, a man is chosen in the conclave by his confreres. He is dressed in garment that he may not personally ever choose, that of the Vicar of Christ. And he may be led where does not want to go — the narrow and difficult road that leads to Calvary, for the Pope is always being led by Jesus.

‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. (John 15:20)

In some ways, then, leading the Catholic Church as its chief shepherd should be, in some ways, one of the easiest jobs on earth. The Pope doesn’t have to be the great inventor; he is not called to change teaching, to make it more palatable, to add to Sacred Tradition or take away from it. He is called to simply be faithful.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! (Galatians 1:8)

The Pope, alongside his brethren bishops, is to proclaim the Gospel with a “new ardour”, as St. John Paul II would say. To “be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.”^[5]2 Timothy 4:2 Of course, as Pope St. Paul VI said:

Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses…. —Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 76

To follow Jesus is simply to become holy — also, in obedience to the Master:

…to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy (Romans 1:7)… be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

If a pope wants to begin a revolution, may it be the revolutionary force that holiness always is.

It is not enough to update pastoral techniques, organize and coordinate ecclesial resources, or delve more deeply into the biblical and theological foundations of faith. What is needed is the encouragement of a new “ardor for holiness” among missionaries and throughout the Christian community, especially among those who work most closely with missionaries. —POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II, Redemptoris Missio, n. 90

Who’d Be the Best Pope?

If we were to choose the first pope 2000 years ago, perhaps some may have pushed for St. John. After all, he was the contemplative who leaned upon the breast of Christ. He was the only Apostle to remain beneath the foot of the Cross. He also penned four of the books of the New Testament. Or maybe some would promote Matthew, not only for his spontaneous conversion and obedience, but clear historical knowledge and grasp of Christ’s life. And yet… it was Simon whom Jesus chose — a man whose passions and compulsion often led the moment to the point of needing rebuke and correction, not only by Jesus on several occasions,^[6]Matt 16:23, John 13:8-10, Matt 26:52 but by St. Paul.^[7]Gal 2:11-14

While still a cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) was asked on Bavarian television in 1997:

“Is the Holy Spirit responsible for the election of a pope?”

His reply might surprise some:

“I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope… I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather, like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense—not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined… There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!” —May 5, 2025, The Catholic Register

That opinion likely never changed as Benedict XVI would later say:

The post-Pentecost Peter… is that same Peter who, for fear of the Jews, belied his Christian freedom (Galatians 2 11–14); he is at once a rock and a stumbling-block. And has it not been thus throughout the history of the Church that the Pope, the successor of Peter, has been at once Petra and Skandalon — both the rock of God and a stumbling block? —POPE BENEDICT XIV, from Das neue Volk Gottes, p. 80ff

In that regard, we as Catholics ought to pray that the Holy Spirit lead the Conclave to choose the man that God’s will deigns for this hour. He may not at all be whom we, the laity, would choose on the natural plane. He might be for some a rock, and others, indeed, a stumbling stone. He might be the leader we need… or the “king we deserve.”^[8]cf. 1 Sam 8:18 Regardless, Christ’s promise has held for 2000 years, and will continue to hold until the end of time:

I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

The building of the Church depends not upon pope or prince, but the Lord himself.^[9]see Jesus, the Wise Builder

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

So grateful for your prayers and support.
Thank you!

 

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