Fullness of God Fills Our Emptiness

The startling contrast of empty St Peter's Square, and silence in between the whole ceremony of Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) of Pope Francis on 27th March 2020 in the Vatican left me thinking once again about our life on this earth.

In addition to the above image, there are two other things of Vatican that have left indelible mark in my memory in the last few years as moving experiences.  The wind that continually flipped the pages of the Bible which was placed on the coffin of Pope John Paul II and the Pope Benedict XVI's exit from the Vatican as Pope Emeritus and being taken away in a helicopter.  But Pope Francis' special prayer service with his deep and insightful reflections with an empty St Peter's Square and its huge Bernini's Colonnade certainly leave in us unforgettable mark, indeed, given its special significance when the whole world is being devastated by the Corona pandemic.

(photo courtesy: repubblica.it)

An 83 year old Pope in his advanced years, who is the leader of the global Catholic Church with his hip and lung problems still praying in a completely empty square was simply moving. Every person who has seen this scene must have felt the weight behind this important gesture of the Pope to pray for the suffering humanity. Perhaps there was a deep feeling that an evening of our life on the face of this earth has come so quickly, suddenly and early. 

Pope Francis put up a brave front infront of the beaming video cameras which transmitted each detail and every movement of Pope to the entire world. Moreover, with the Blessed Sacrament in front of him and giving a solemn blessing of hope and healing surely put us in a mood that there exist someone, somewhere who is beyond us and as His children we have every right and reason to worship and ask for the grace of healing, comfort and forgiveness.

Even though Pope Francis looked terribly shaken by the devastation that Corona virus is causing to the survival of entire humanity and especially Italy, which saw already on this day 10,000 deaths within a span of 15 days, he showed great courage of love and hope. His fervent prayers at the foot of the icon of Salus Populi Romani (health of the Roman people) and the "miraculous crucifix" of St Marcellus, Pope pleaded for the entire humanity with a great responsibility as successor of St Peter, the Apostle. Trusting entirely at the immense benevolence of Jesus our Lord, who only could take us safe in Peter's boat, Pope Francis led the world with utter humility towards the power of the Blessed Sacrament.  

What caught my imagination is the rain which continued to pour with its thrumming sound from the time Pope started to address a bit dark but the empty Square with its well lit colonnade and specially erected huge fire places around the stage where usually Pope conducts liturgies.

(Photo courtesy: vatican.va)

The empty square was in a way a reminder that human person in front of the global tragedies of such magnitude of today stands open with empty hands, a sign of nothingness and finitude. Bernini's colonnade were like almost embracing human person's hollowness at this juncture. 

Pope's solemn blessing moved the world and stormed the heavens through the ringing of Church bells, rains dropping on the ground and at the corner siren of an ambulance. This did give a testimony that we are not in control of this world including of our life and our empty noise.  

The very beginning of the discourse of Pope put us where we are today in this distressing time: "For weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by; we feel it in the air, we notice in people’s gestures, their glances give them away. We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel [Mark 4:35-41] we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.

Yet, one thing is certain, in spite of such magnitude of distress and frustration when the whole world is unable to find a way out from this pandemic, God is there, watching us our helplessness and misery. He who is full will fill our emptiness, whatever may come today or tomorrow. He brings serenity into our storms, because with God life never dies.

You may read Pope Francis' reflections here

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

29th March 2020