Pope Benedict XVI lectured House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the “dignity of human life” at a private meeting today, a decidedly less cordial reception than is frequently given many
U.S. leaders.
Every Monday for the rest of 2023, we will be facing our week together, in faith. This week I would like us to meditate upon the invisibility of God.
God is invisible because he is meant to be seen in his people. Anyone who has heard me preach has probably heard me say that, and I mean it. When the world cries out, “Where is God?” It is not an indictment on God. It is an indictment on us, his image bearers, because God has always chosen to make himself known through his people. That’s why we are called his image bearers. That’s why our lives and choices and decisions are so important.
I am telling you, when you really believe this, you cannot just “mail it in” in your life anymore. You start to realize that the way you talk and respond and treat people, it all matters. To be an image bearer is to reveal the image of God to the people who are around you. All you’re called to do is be faithful with the relationships, ministries, and assignments God has entrusted to you.
God chooses to co-labor with us in this world. There is a responsibility that comes with saying, “I am a Christian.” This is exactly what Dr. Scot McKnight was talking about in our conversation with him a couple episodes ago. This is what it means to be a Christian.
It’s an active process. It means I am choosing to walk in the way of the Lamb. Our prayer life shouldn’t just be us asking God to send us someone to help us; it should also be us asking God who he is sending to us for us to help.
Let me give you an example. One of my best friends was a new boss for an organization, and she found out that a veteran employee that was working for her hadn’t received a raise in 10 years. So, she went to the board and got a bonus approved and also doubled that worker’s PTO. When my friend told her team member what she had done for her, the woman started to cry. And do you want to know what? I’m pretty sure when this employee went home, she didn’t say, “God, thank you for this new boss.” I can almost assure you that she went home and said, “God, thank you for seeing me. Thank you for acting on my behalf.” And it was because my friend made God visible in her life. God is still active in the world. And he often shows up via the movements and actions of his church. He showed up in the movements and actions of my friend who fought for her worker, even though she didn’t have to. She decided, I’m going to walk in the way of the Lamb. I’m going to be faithful with the people God has placed in my hand.
And there is someone this week who will feel closer and more seen by God because of what you choose to say or do. I’m asking you to see people, be present for them, show kindness, open doors, make connections on behalf of someone else.
When the world cries out, “Where is God?” It is not an indictment on God. It is an indictment on the church. It is an indictment on God’s people who have ceased to live lives that would make God visible to the world around them.
My challenge to all of us this week is to make God visible in whatever sphere of influence you occupy. That is the call of the Christian, to be the hands and feet of our awesome God, who has chosen to be seen through his people.
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” –1 Timothy 1:17, CSB
Host Bio
Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, at @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.
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Pelosi, D-Calif., describes herself as an ardent Catholic but raised eyebrows last year by saying “doctors of the church” disagreed on when life begins and that abortion “continues to be an issue of controversy” in the Catholic Church.
The comments earned her a public scolding from a number of U.S. bishops, who said the church has believed abortion is wrong since the first century.
The wording of a Vatican statement suggests she received another reprimand from the pope over her support for abortion on Wednesday.
“His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law,” the statement read, “and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.”
Conservatives were already nervous that a papal photo-op would enable Pelosi, and other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, to say that Catholics can reject church teaching on abortion and remain in good standing.
Instead, the Holy See used the encounter to make its disapproval clear, releasing an official statement on what was discussed – a relatively rare step, especially when the visitor is not a head of state.
Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, had earlier said the only photo she wanted to see was one of Pelosi “in the confessional line.”
But after the pope’s stern rebuke, Brown said she hopes U.S. bishops will be more willing to deny Communion to abortion-rights politicians like Pelosi. “We encourage our bishops and priests to emulate the same courage exhibited in Rome,” she said.
In this special episode of The Bulletin, host Mike Cosper sits down with senior vice president of research at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Jonathan Schanzer, to talk about the terrorist backstory of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Peeling back the layers of history, Cosper and Schanzer discuss the origin story of Hamas, Hezbollah’s involvement in spreading Islamism, and Iran’s aggressive influence in an already fragile region.
Joining us this week:
Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he oversees the work of the organization’s experts and scholars. He is also on the leadership team of FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power, a project on the use of financial and economic power as a tool of statecraft. Jonathan previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the US Department of the Treasury, where he played an integral role in the designation of numerous terrorist financiers. Jonathan has written hundreds of articles on the Middle East, along with more than a dozen monographs and chapters for edited volumes. His book, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, is still the only book on the market that analyzes the ongoing Palestinian civil war. Jonathan testifies often before Congress and publishes widely in American and international media. He has appeared on American television channels such as Fox News and CNN, and Arabic language television channels such as Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera.
Listen to More in This Bonus Series:
Making Sense of the Israel-Hamas War
Antisemitism and the Jewish Identity
Hamas and the Laws of War
“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producer: Erik Petrik
Producers: Clarissa Moll and Matt Stevens
Associate Producer: McKenzie Hill
Editing and Mix: David LaChance
Music: Dan Phelps
Show Design: Bryan Todd
Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs
Social Media: Kate Lucky
In her own statement Wednesday, Pelosi made no mention of the papal lecture.
“It is with great joy that my husband, Paul, and I met with his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI today,” she said. “In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the church’s leadership in fighting poverty, hunger, and global warming, as well as the Holy Father’s dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel.”
The papal reception for Pelosi was notable for its contrasts with the warm welcomes given to former President George W. Bush, who shared the Vatican’s “culture of life” ideology even as he rejected church overtures not to invade Iraq.
Yet it would have been hard for Benedict to snub Pelosi altogether without straining diplomatic relations with the United States, since her position puts her second in line to the presidency after Vice President Joe Biden, also a Catholic who supports abortion rights.
Pelosi, whose grandparents were Italian immigrants, is on a week-long tour of Italy with fellow lawmakers. Included in her delegation is Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who has led an effort among Catholic Democrats in the House to create room to disagree with the church on abortion.
DeLauro recently spearheaded a letter to the pope from nearly 50 House members, asking for “clarification” on why the pope lifted the excommunication on a schismatic bishop who not believe 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.
