“It is our wish to entrust to you this ministry, which is by no means of small importance.”
Thus Pope Francis commissioned Cardinal Robert McElroy to lead the Archdiocese of Washington.
When I first heard of this, I was heartened. The Holy Spirit was sending a leader to our nation’s capital who is uniquely prepared to do the hard work our world needs. “If the world is on fire,” I thought, “send a courageous and well-practiced fire chief!”
However, the chief needs the rest of the firefighters to battle the flames of the current administration. As Cardinal McElroy stated, we need to feel called to “the expansive presence of the Resurrection in its fullness.” This Easter might be the most significant of our lives, as we are called to courageously become living witnesses of the risen Christ.
As the new archbishop takes on this crucial role, we too must prepare for the work ahead. And to do this, I have turned to one of the greatest spiritual leaders of our time: Father Gustavo Gutiérrez, a Catholic theologian.
To be a Christian, he taught us, was to “allow ourselves to be judged by the Word of God, think through our faith, make our love more abundant, and witness to the reason for our hope from within a commitment that is more radical, complete and practical.” The spiritual coach is giving us the tools to fight the fire.
First, all things must be judged by the Word of God. This means knowing our Sacred Scriptures and recognizing the coherent picture they present to us. Do the powerful say it’s just fine to exploit the planet, filling it with toxins so they can make a profit? The Scriptures make a judgment on that. They remind us that our world is God’s beloved creation, all creatures are our siblings, and everything, including seas and mountains, give praise to God. We must be protectors of God’s creation; nothing else will do.
Second, we have to think through our faith. This phrase, pensar la fe, means that faith is complicated and engages our reason. Do the powerful say we have to turn on each other, be willing to trample the weak and refuse to aid the vulnerable so we can have more stuff for ourselves? To carefully think through our faith’s greatest commandments to love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves, is to note the challenge of what that means. Throughout biblical teaching, the good works of our ancestors in faith, and the many ways the Church has been present to the most vulnerable for centuries, we can see an undeniable throughline — human dignity is inviolable, and we belong to each other. A well-reasoned faith will not allow for falsehoods; we must be champions of truth.
Third, we are called to make love more abundant. As we roll up our sleeves to fight the fire, our buckets must be filled with the water of love. Do the powerful promise that being selfish, greedy and self-absorbed will make us happy? We must reply with its opposite, with joyful selflessness and generosity. A faith that believes God is love is called to make that love present everywhere and in everything; we can never be bystanders to suffering.
Finally, we are called to give witness to the “reason for our hope” and to do so in ways that are visible and practical. As our Jubilee Year of 2025 is dedicated to hope, this is not about a far-off “someday,” but about a reality that is unfolding and which we make present now through our actions.
Pope Francis tells us that “to hope is to savor the wonder of being loved, sought, desired by a God who is not shut away in the impenetrable heavens but [became] flesh and blood, history and days to share our lot.” Do the powerful say that we are inconsequential and should just give up? A faith that believes God walks by our side can never acquiesce to evil in quiet resignation.
We are each holding a brimming bucket of Resurrection. Now, let us pledge to pour it out — standing with the new archbishop of Washington, fighting this fire para la mayor gloria de Dios, for the great glory of God.
Theologian Cecilia González-Andrieu, Ph.D., is a professor at Loyola Marymount University.
