[easyazon_image add_to_cart=”default” align=”left” asin=”1594714789″ cloaking=”default” height=”160″ localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51afgHedTvL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”douloschristo-20″ width=”103″]Page 2: Charles Murphy – Reclaiming Francis
I read Reclaiming Francis about the time I read The Church of Mercy, a collection of Pope Francis’ talks as pope, and found that Murphy captures a great deal of the buzz about the new Pope and helpfully highlights some of the commitments behind the new Pope’s choice of the name Francis for his papacy. Murphy aptly quotes Pope Francis’ challenge: “How I would like a church which is poor and for the poor.” (89) While applauding Pope Francis’ commitment to the poor, the critical word toward today’s economic institutions that is present in Pope Francis’ Evanglii Gaudium does not appear, though Pope Benedict’s Caritas in Veritate is duly noted. Also given the Roman Catholic Church’s official institutional and theological commitments to male leadership, those who might have hoped for a more just and inclusive voice for the full participation of women in God’s church will not be surprised, but will be disappointed, that neither Murphy nor Pope Francis have moved by the Spirit in that regard.
While Murphy is a son of the institutional church, he opens his book with a visit to friends in Santa Fe who, though possessing a spiritual life, lack a vital involvement with Christian community. Murphy seeks the witness of the Saint and the Pope as guides to lead kindred spirits of those friends into “deeper waters” (2-3). In the spirit of a more compelling gospel testimony, Charles Murphy chooses his words well as he closes his effort by evoking the legacy of the saint and the aspirations of the new pope:
‘To become so in love with the God of Creation, so united with the Cross his Son, and so attuned to his Spirit that we come to be perceived as “out of our minds,” is, it seems, the true test of life.'(134)
Passing that test just might renew the church.
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
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