Look to the Sistine Chapel for Pope Francis’ successor

I think one of the first benefits of eternal rest in the bosom of Our Lord for Pope Francis will be that he does not have to watch the mainstream media, social media, and everybody in their garage with a microphone and internet access chiming in on what happens next.....➡️CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLES HERE.

I know exactly what is going to happen next. There will be a funeral, and it will be solemn, spiritually beneficial to watch, and hopefully inspiring. Then there will be a gathering of the College of Cardinals, they will pray, some may even campaign, but in the end, there will be a new pontiff.

The other thing I am as certain of as the rising of the sun is that we will all be bombarded by “experts” who will tell us what is right, what is wrong, and what the future is going to be whenever a new pope is officially announced. They will all be mostly wrong. My advice is to limit your exposure to this as it will drain whatever spiritual energy you may have gained by solemnly watching the funeral and praying for the soul of Pope Francis. While we’re at it, pray for all the popes that came before and those yet to come.

When the time comes for the College of Cardinals to usher themselves into the Sistine Chapel and the doors are locked, I will think back to when I was in Rome and “did” the Sistine Chapel like all dutiful tourists are supposed to. My first reaction was that it hurt. You really have to crane your neck in such a way to view the chapel ceiling, and it is overwhelming. There is so much to see that it is difficult, at least for me, to focus on one particular thing.

I am no art historian, but I would have benefited from an art history class before visiting so that I could have appreciated it more. I recently saw a TED Talk with an art historian speaking about the panels on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Listening to the brief, 17-minute art lecture felt like I was back in a classroom, only this time I was paying attention. Besides the obvious beauty of the artistic expression hovering overhead, I learned many subtle artistic and historical flourishes, making it clear I need to return to the Sistine Chapel since there is so much I did not see.

The chapel ceiling and its equally stunning fresco behind the altar tell the story of humanity — from the creation of the world, to the moment you enter, then the final judgment. In between, the story of God’s plan unfolds with so many subtle references to art history and human history that it is impossible to begin to describe. I won’t steal the lecturer’s thunder, but watch this video and be amazed at what you’ve been missing.

And now, we will soon have another pope. He will be chosen by cardinals from all over the world gathered in the Sistine Chapel with all of Michelangelo’s genius gazing down on them. In God’s infinite wisdom, the experts will be left outside.

When the white smoke pours forth from the chimney that has been reattached to the Sistine Chapel, the next chapter, like one of the nine panels on the painted ceiling inside, will tell a new and an old story.

The Church will have a new vicar. He will be what some people expect and what others will see as a surprise. He will be judged and pre-judged by multitudes, but in the end he will be the pope. He will be part of the unbroken chain of 267 men going back to St. Peter. Like the ceiling where the next pope’s election will have taken place, there is more than meets the eye if we look for it, and with the papacy yet to be, the same will be true.

Just as the brilliance of Michelangelo’s art requires effort on our part to understand more fully, so it goes with our faith and with our new pontiff, whoever he is. May God grant everlasting peace to Pope Francis and may the Holy Spirit descend from that ceiling in Rome and bless the next Vicar of Christ.