On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:3-6).Well that’s interesting. We have Paul (at this point he’s still referred to as “Saul”, but it’s the same guy). We have Damascus. We have the bright light. We even have Jesus right in there. But conspicuously missing is any equine companion. Yes, Paul is certainly knocked to the ground, but it never gives any indication of him getting knocked off a horse. Which is odd because for some, if not many, if not most of us who know this story, the scene we remember in our minds is very much like what Caravaggio portrays, horse and all. No matter how many times you look through the Bible, though, Paul’s conversion experience remains completely horseless. This brings up two big questions, the first being: If there’s no horse, why in the world do we remember a horse? In psychological terms, this is often referred to as “memory distortion” or the creation of “false memories.” This skewing of reality can happen for many reasons, but in the situation of Paul and his horse, it very possibly has to do with that painting we began with. Basically, when we try to conjure a mental image of Paul’s conversion, our minds could jump back to the original biblical text but instead often more easily jump back to images of Paul’s conversion that we’ve seen. For lots of us, that’s Caravaggio’s painting or one of the many horse-containing depictions that have been artistically captured over the past couple millennia. When we think of this scene, then, we’re drawn to think of that type of image, one that clearly shows Paul thrown from his horse. Certainly there are portrayals that do provide a horseless depiction. Spinello Aretino painted a wonderful version of the scene all the way back around 1391 that clearly shows the bright light shining down upon a knocked down Paul without any horse in sight.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly and referred to Pope Francis and mentioned spouses who have been beatified and canonized, like the parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.
Pope Leo XIV chose his name primarily to highlight his most recent namesake Leo XIII, whose "historic encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question" to the challenges of his time. What concerns does the encyclical address? How does it speak to its time? And what has been its legacy 134 years later?
On May 25, 2025, Pope Leo XIV was formally installed on the cathedra of the Diocese of Rome at a Mass in St. John Lateran Basilica. In his homily, he said that "communion is built primarily 'on our knees,' through prayer and constant commitment to conversion."
Did you know that the pope has his own cathedral? Pope Leo XIV is about to "take possession" of the Lateran Basilica, which you can read all about here.
On May 18, 2025, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated his pontificate with Holy Mass in St. Peter's Square. In his homily, he said, "I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family."