In this Octave of Easter, we hear the stories of those first encounters with the Risen Lord. One of my favorites is the famous Road to Emmaus story, in which the two weary and grief-stricken disciples encounter a stranger along the way who listens to their concerns and breaks open the Scriptures to them. These travelers are so enamored with the message of this stranger that they invite him into their home. And then something amazing happens. We are told that, in the breaking of the bread, their eyes are opened and they come to see that this stranger is none other than the risen Lord. The blindness of their grief gives way to a new vision as Jesus opens their eyes.

When I first became bishop, I invited retired homiletics professor Father Richard Delillio to come and give a workshop to the clergy of my diocese. In that session, Father Delillio defined preaching as “the act of removing the scales from one’s eyes.” This act refers not only to the hearers but to the preacher himself, for we all can become blinded at times. 

As we mourn the loss of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, we behold a holy man who preached the joy of the Gospel unrelentingly. In “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis intentionally offered an instruction on preaching. He was passionate about opening eyes not only to Jesus Christ but also to those who live on the peripheries, like the poor. But he also believed that this effort all began in gazing at Jesus daily in prayer. 

Now that God has called Pope Francis to his eternal reward, it is incumbent upon us as preachers to extend his vision and echo his message by preaching the joy of the Gospel. At the heart of the Gospel is an invitation to encounter and be encountered by Jesus. As preachers of the Word and servants of Christ, may we go forth inspired by the witness of Pope Francis and be bold in our preaching and even more intentional in gazing at Christ in prayer so that he can keep our eyes open.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.