"Unsnatchable" Easter 4C

 

Acts 9:36–43 and Saint John 10:22–30

“Unsnatchable”

You know you’ve made it big time when a picture of you fills the entire front page of both Chicago newspapers one of which included an embarrassingly bad headline playing off a catch phrase from an ancient Saturday Night Live sketch. 

You also know you have made it when you are the subject of some unbelievably unfunny jokes from late night comedians using threadbare references to deep dish pizzas, Chicago sports teams, and hot dogs without catsup. 

Meanwhile the best summary of the week was not written by some theologian, or political pundit, but by a man named Scott Chiusano in, of all places, the website MLB.com.  Chiusano wrote on the Major League baseball site:

In case you missed it, the Cardinals (not the ones from St. Louis) made a big announcement on Thursday afternoon. White smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel, signaling a new pope had been named – Robert Prevost (officially Pope Leo XIV), who was born in Chicago and is the first American pope.

Naturally the next question on everyone’s mind was: Is the Pope a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan? Local Chicago media ran with it, and there were some conflicting reports out there. At first it looked like the Cubs might be able to claim him, after ABC News reported that he was a North Siders supporter. The Cubs posted a photo of the marquee in front of Wrigley Field exclaiming: “Hey, Chicago, he’s a Cubs fan!”1

Not so fast, perhaps. Pope Leo XIV was born in Dolton, a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, making it far more likely, geographically at least, that he would be a White Sox fan.

That was confirmed in a interview done with the Pope’s brother John who said, ““He was never, ever a Cubs fan. So I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan.”2

So, countering the Cubs marquee the White Sox posted on their scoreboard: “Hey Chicago! He’s a Sox fan.”  To bolster the claim the a picture published in the Chicago Sun-Times was found of him in attendance during the 2005 World Series. The Sox, often outplayed on the field but never outdone in the marketing department held a tribute to The Holy Father before “Friday’s game against the Miami Marlins and ... have already shipped a jersey and a hat to the Vatican.”

Others are jumping on the bandwagon. “The team at the National Bobble head Hall of Fame and Museum based in Milwaukee, {Who even knew there was such a place?} is out with two limited edition bobble heads of Pope Leo XIV.”3  And Portillos is naming a sandwich after him. 

Portillos was beaten to the punch in timing and humour by The Weiners Circle – a place where piety and propriety must be put on hold – whose sign read in Latin translated into English. “He has eaten our dogs.”4

There is even a term for this phenomenon on trying to capitalize on another person’s fame to gain some publicity.  It’s called “Reflected Fame.” Politicians call this the coat-tail effect.   It is an attempt to gain status, or fame, by linking oneself or one’s organization to someone who is already famous.

It’s pretty clear that neither the Cubs nor the White Sox were trumpeting on the message boards – “Cardinal Robert Prevost is one of our fans!” up until Thursday. I doubt that Portillos named a sandwich “The Prevost” or even “The Bob” when he was “just a Cardinal in the Curia.”  And while it is believable that Father Prevost ate at the Weiners Circle, if he did, he did so unnoticed.  But now that he’s famous everybody wants to saddle-up to him as if he were their best customer or most loyal fan.

Some people’s fame is not by association but well-earned like Saint Peter who name and number have been retired from the Papal ranks because of not just who he was but what he did.  And what he did was follow in the footsteps of Jesus who in their last hours together told him to take care of his flock. This is exactly what he was doing in today’s reading from Acts.

Peter is summoned to the bedside of a woman who is so famous in her community she is known by both her Greek and Aramaic names, Dorcus and Tabitha.  It really doesn’t matter what she was called because she was “only woman in all of scripture to be called a disciple, Tabitha cared for the widows, apparently out of her own resources and in the most practical of ways—she sewed their clothing.”5

Not only that she attended to the physical and financial needs of the most vulnerable in her community especially addressing the needs of widows and orphans. So her death “is not simply a personal or family loss; it has significant ... ramifications for the most vulnerable in her town. Tabitha, “provided security to those whose status had rendered them insecure.”6  She is doing the Lord’s good work!

So is Peter and that is the real secret to having your fame spread.  He wasn’t just a fan of Jesus.  He wasn’t just someone who ate where Jesus ate.  And, I am certain he didn’t have a Jesus bobble head along with those of Moses and Elijah on the dresser in his bedroom.  He was going about trying to not only tell people what Jesus did but show people how much Jesus meant to him in the living out of his life.

We’re not exactly sure what the townsfolk expected him to do once he came to Joppa, which interesting enough is now part of Tel-Aviv, but still he comes. We’re not even sure what Peter expected to do once he arrived.  But still he made the journey which is what good shepherds do when one of the sheep or a whole flock is in peril.

I love what the woman do when Peter gets there.  They showed him the clothes that Tabatha made for them.  Like mourners at any funeral, they probably told him one story after another after another of what Tabatha did for them.  

“When I didn’t have two farthings to rub together,” one of the widows might have said, “she bailed me out.”  “When my no-good husband left me with the children,” another might have chimed in, “she clothed us, and fed us, and got us through those hard times.”  And in unison they might have told Peter, “She didn’t care who we were or where we were from – here, there, or anywhere – she provided for us.  She was our social security.”  

Peter is being urged to take action. He is being urged to do something, anything.

What he does is amazingly simple.  “Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, {Tabitha} and she opened her eyes! And when she saw Peter, she sat up!”7

Commentators spill a lot of ink over this moment but I think he may have been as surprised as she was.  When he took her by the hand and helped he to her feet – a probably unwise idea considering he previous condition – he may have been astounded himself.  “Did what happened really happen?” he might have been saying to himself.

And that really doesn’t matter says Dr. Willie Jennings in his masterful commentary on the book of Acts.

Jennings suggests that this story from Luke “makes a point more powerful for our time than probably for him in his time.” Peter simply shows up.  “Peter’s presence declares an unmistakable truth: women matter. This woman matters, and the work she does for widows matters too.”8

This also says to us that all people matter which is in direct conflict to the wisdom of our day.

Commenting on the election of  an American Pope David Brooks said on Friday night’s NewsHour.

First, I just say I found it incredibly moving to watch him give his first remarks as Pope ... an American on the world stage being a decent human being and being a good person. So I found it so just refreshing to see America portrayed in this way by this man.

Secondly, I think the cardinals did a brilliant thing in selecting an American, who represents Catholic social teaching, who represents a series of teachings about the marginalized, about the dignity of all human people, about welcoming the stranger. [T]hey knew what they were doing.

They picked somebody {who is different}. If {some leaders are} about pagan values, about dominance, power, control, victory, conquest, here's a guy {who is} about blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek.

And that's a complete social change and a moral challenge to {our current political climate}.9

 And that is what disciples of Jesus are to be about.

My guess is that, unless we are willing to fork over the money to make that happen, none of us here will find our names prominently displayed on the Wrigley Field marquee or the scoreboard at White Sox Park claiming us a one of their fans.

I doubt that any of us here, unless we are willing to fork over the money to make that happen, will have a bobble-head doll cast in our honour.  Who would want one anyway?

I doubt that any of us here will have a pizza named after us, the way the people at Aurelio’s Pizza in Homewood named one after the Holy Father because that is where the newly elected Pope months prior, dined with old friends prior to his elevation.  They even had a picture to prove it.  

While I am not so sure “Pope-aroni” is such a high honour I wouldn’t mind having the folks at the Weiners Circle name a hot dog after me.  However, I am sure, somewhere in the world there is a place called, “Dave’s dogs.”

While I may have to settle for that, I would much rather be known as a follower of Jesus, who made sure that everyone, no matter their lot or status in life knew they were important and that nothing, or no one,  would cause them to slip through Christ’s loving hands.

That’s the reflected fame I want to have.  And maybe it is just me, but I think, that would be a pretty cool thing to be remembered for.  

Don’t you think?

________________

1. Scott Chiusano, “Is the New Pope a Cubs or White Sox Fan? Everybody Wants to Know,” MLB.com, May 9, 2025, https://www.mlb.com/news/is-the-new-pope-a-cubs-or-white-sox-fan?msockid=3367e46ab94e627c15fdf5d3b83063ab.

2. Jenna Barnes and Ethan Illers, “Pope Leo XIV’s Allegiance to White Sox Sparks Optimism Among Fans,” WGNTV.com, May 9, 2015, https://wgntv.com/sports/white-sox/pope-leo-xiv-white-sox.

3. B J. Lutz, “Pope Leo XIV Bobbleheads Celebrate New Pontiff,” WGNTV.com, May 9, 2015, https://wgntv.com/news/pope-leo/pope-leo-xiv-bobblehead.

4. Rebecca Johnson, “Chicago Loudly and Proudly Claims Homegrown Pope Leo XIV,” Chicago Tribune, May 10, 2025.

5. Heidi Peterson, “Clothed with Compassion: Sunday, May 6 (Acts 9:36-43),” The Christian Century, April 18, 2021, https://www.christiancentury.org/article/clothed-compassion

6. Gary W. Charles, “Acts 9:36-43.  Commentary 2: Connecting the Reading with Scripture,” Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year C, 2, no. 2 (Louisville, KY: Westminister|John Knox Press, 2018): 233–35.

7. Acts 9:40. (TLB) [TLB=The Living Bible. (Carol Stream, IL:Tyndale House Publishers, 1971)]

8. Willie James Jennings, Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Publishing, 2017). 100.

9. Geoff Bennett and Ian Couzens, “Brooks and Capehart on Pope Leo XIV’s Potential Impact on U.S. Culture and Politics,” PBS, May 9, 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/brooks-and-capehart-on-pope-leo-xivs-potential-impact-on-u-s-culture-and-politics.