The Jesus Imitation

Pope Francis has taken America by storm! Whenever a country receives a papal visit you expect teeming crowds of expectant, excited people, waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of their leader. He is, after all, the shepherd of the largest Christian flock in the world. But—this pope and this visit were different from those in the past. Pope Francis’ popularity was astonishing on all fronts. The press and the politicians fawned, while the faithful lined up for a touch, a prayer, or a selfie. Even the non-Catholics were gushing with admiration and respect.

The question begs to be asked—why?

Perhaps the reason is simple: Jorge Mario Bergoglio seems intent on imitating Jesus. The real Jesus—the high definition one found in the Bible, not the weak, wimpy caricature of modern culture—is still very popular with the average person struggling to make it through the day. Francis has chosen humility over arrogance. He has chosen people over power and politics. He recognizes the pain of suffering and is compassionately moved to do something about it. In essence, this leader of over 1.2 billion Catholics has chosen Jesus, not another pope, saint, or trendy cause, to imitate. He leads by serving—what a novel idea!

That model happens to be the Jesus paradigm of leadership and what an example to mimic. Perhaps the time has come for all of us to replicate that pattern in our daily lives. Perhaps it’s time to not just ask “What would Jesus do?” in areas of morality, but in every other area as well. For those who wear the “Christian label,” it would serve us well to remember it means “little Christ.”

Perhaps the secret to Pope Francis’ popularity is that he is willing to decrease—to disappear—so that Christ might increase. Perhaps that popularity belongs not to Francis, but to the Christ he works so hard to emulate.