Fr. David Michael Moses is a young Catholic priest from Texas whom I've seen on social media recently.  Above is a video where he points out connections between our new pope and others including Blessed Carlo Acutis.

     ChurchPop lists four liturgical celebrations that coincided with Pope Leo's election on May 8th:

1)  Our Lady of Grace among the Augustinians

2)  Apparitions of St. Michael the Archangel

3)  Our Lady of Luján, patron saint of Argentina

4)  Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii

     Many Americans are looking to connect with our new pope.  White Sox fans have the baseball fan connection.  Chicagoans have the hometown connection.  I have a cousin in a picture with him about 25 years ago on an Augustinian mission trip.

     Today marks 18 years since I was ordained a priest.  I sometimes tell parts of my vocation story if they connect to the feast or readings.  Well, I don't recall talking about two episodes in my discernment from about 1993.

     First, I visited an Augustinian priest at Villanova.  While I didn't want to be a priest at the time, I wondered which religious order I could theoretically join.  I figured I might fit in best with the Augustinians.

     Second, I visited a diocesan priest at Seton Hall with a doctorate in mathematics from the college where I was studying math, Stevens Institute of Technology.

     Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian priest who obtained a college degree in mathematics from Villanova.

     Later when I was already in seminary, I did a research paper on John Baptist Sartori, co-founder of Old St. John's in Trenton in 1814.  Some of my research brought me to Villanova because they had sources that St. Charles Seminary did not.  Also, I had passed Villanova many times on my way to visit my brother Patrick in the nursing home.

     Many people do not like math and think it's too hard.  So, they might miss the glory of mathematics and its usefulness in understanding God's creation.

     When I was being interviewed for the seminary, I had to meet with a psychologist twice.  One time, she had me do an IQ test involving puzzles with triangles.  I was supposed to assemble the triangles to coincide with successively more complex pictures.  Instead of slowing down with each harder puzzle, I kept getting faster.  When I finished the last puzzle, the psychologist said she never saw anyone finish the puzzles in 30 years.  This test wasn't just about spatial relationships, it was also about how to deal with stress and failure.  While I'm pretty good at solving puzzles, there are times when I see a puzzle beyond my ability to solve.  It looks like a chaotic mess.

     Regardless of our ability to solve a puzzle, it is common to experience satisfaction when we bring order to chaos.  God does that in Genesis.  He can do it in our lives too.  Pope Leo seems to be bringing order to chaos already.  He recognizes that it is God doing the work.  Pope Leo is eager to cooperate.

     If someone has a greater than average ability to solve puzzles, then it behooves him or her to put that gift at the service of God and His will.  For myself, one of the greatest privileges I had in solving a puzzle was communicating with my 99.9% paralyzed brother.  Knowing my ability, my mother commanded me to find a way to communicate with Patrick.  He could move his eyes about 1 millimeter.  Up and down corresponded to yes while back and forth meant no.  Subtle variations on these movements (that only two other people could see) offered more meaning.  So, I was being obedient to my mother.  I didn't think it was so extra special.  In hindsight, I suspect that God was providing a great deal more grace than usual.  I don't have a good enough scientific explanation for how my brother and I communicated.  While I tried my best, it wasn't anywhere near enough.  God used what Patrick and I could do and made more happen than seems naturally possible.

     By analogy, Pope Leo XIV is really very smart and humble.  As great as his gifts, education, and formation are, he knows they're not enough.  But he also knows that God is in charge and has called him to this new ministry.  Please continue praying for Pope Leo.

God love you,

Fr. Jim