Maybe I'm overly suspicious. Getting emails with a "please share" request often inspires me to suspect the motives of the sender. A recent email forwarded to me by a classmate inspired that suspicion about the original sender and a reflection on our call to a prophetic role in our world.
In the build-up to the visit of Pope Francis to Albania last Sunday, September 21st, there were news reports of an assassination plot on the life of the pope because of his outspoken comments denouncing ISIS, the Islamist militant group seeking to establish a caliphate in the Middle East. He called ISIS an "unjust aggressor".
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/17/isis-has-plan-to-assassinate-pope-and-plant-jihadi-flag-on-top-of-st-peters-basilica-in-vatican-city/
After the visit, many commentators including CNN commented on security measures taken during that visit and that suspected plot:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/21/world/europe/albania-pope/
As a result of these reports, concern for the pope's safety inspired an Internet proliferation of a papal "request" falsely attributed to Pope Francis:
Weep not for what you have lost, fight for what you have.
Weep not for what is dead, fight for what was born in you.
Weep not for the one who abandoned you, fight for who is with you.
Weep not for those who hate you, fight for those who want you.
Weep not for your past, fight for your present struggle.
Weep not for your suffering, fight for your happiness.
With things that are happening to us, we begin to learn that nothing is impossible to solve, just move forward.
Prayer for Pope Francis? Yes, been praying for popes since the "Apostleship of Prayer" days in grade school, Pius XII in those days.
But this quoted "request" being attributed to Francis since 2011 is of doubtful origin. See more commentary on this at:
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=889404
and
http://www.suscipedomine.com/forum/index.php?topic=6839.0
This purported papal "request" seems to have appeared first in September, 2011, being attributed to Francis coincidentally about the same time as it was included in a blog "Begin Each Day Better Than Today" by Herbert, a 21-year-old kidney transplant recipient conscious of the need to start a new life. See it at
https://mylifeposttransplant.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/dont-cry-for-what-youve-lost-fight-for-what-you-have-left-dont-cry-for-what-has-been-dead-fight-for-what-is-born-in-you-dont-cry-for-who-has-left-fight-for-who-is-with-you-dont-cry-for/
So forwarding this email? No, because bogus attempts like this seem to be inspired by some misdirected personal desire on the part of the sender for some kind of "15 minutes of fame" by having an email invade cyberspace and create a huge proliferation of forwards in response to "please share." The email's author states the goal: "Our goal is to reach ten million Hail Mary's for Pope Francis." Noble as the desire to request prayer for the pope, attaining that goal with the misappropriated "request" would seem disingenuous.
Suggesting prayer for the pope? Yes, because we all have good reason to be supportive of one another with prayer, as well as with good wishes and affirmation.
Advocating for justice on planet, in nation, state and city? EVEN MORE!
ON OTHER SUSPECTED ASSASSINATION PLOTS
In addition to this ISIS threat, others have been suspected of plotting against the life of Pope Francis as I previously wrote in this blog.
http://jacksspat.blogspot.com/2014/07/pope-francis-mafia-and-vatican-bank.html
A PROPHETIC ROLE, OUR JOB TOO
"The guy is just asking for it," some would say about his pronouncements against economic injustice and war in the name of God, to name only a couple of controversial issues he's addressed. Not asking for it, he's just doing his job as a prophet. Truly a prophet in our day, Francis lifts his voice to be "God's mouthpiece for justice and peace." Equally, his "who am I to judge" statement in July, 2013, and his pronouncements on internal justice-related Church affairs, like reinforcement of previous papal statements opposing to the Spirit's call of women and married people to priesthood, may not please everyone. Yet he's doing his job calling a world to what the prophets before him called people to create for justice—a right relationship with God and others. He knows there will be those who wish him ill. And he probably is aware that even reform-minded Catholics pray for him. Notwithstanding, like those before him—the prophets, Jesus and more recently MLK—he's already said he's living with the reality of facing an early death.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2728759/I-2-3-years-left-live-Pope-Francis-speaks-time-death.html
Anyone who effectively and forthrightly speaks the truth to power can expect a life faced with the expectation of opposition, even death threats, from those at whom truth is directed. Would that we were all ready to do our job by following his prophetic example!
