The Pope died yesterday. It’s hard for anyone who is not living in a remote village without access to communication media to be unaware of this major news. While the death of an 88-year-old man with a compromised respiratory system after a 38-day hospital stay is not a surprise, it is still devastating. The Church has lost a voice of reason, a proponent for the poor and marginalized, and an advocate for healthy debate about doctrine and scriptural interpretation. Civil discourse is an essential element of progress.

This morning during my short drive to campus, I was listening to the New York Times podcast, The Headlines. The host talked about what happens next: the period of mourning which began yesterday, the Pope’s funeral scheduled for Saturday, and the conclave that will occur in the coming days and weeks. (These events will be detailed in a future post on this blog.) This fostered feelings of concern regarding the future of the Church as some uber-conservative Christians hope for regression to pre-Vatican-II theology and liturgical norms.

When the Times podcast concluded, I was about two blocks from the gated parking lot adjacent to Angeli Hall, our main classroom building. I was sad and anxious. I tapped my stereo preset so I could listen to Radio Margaritaville for a couple minutes before exiting the car and heading to my office. “Don’t worry about a thing ‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright … This is my message to you.” The familiar lyrics flowed from a new voice and tempo. Kacey Musgraves’ cover of “Three Little Birds,” the song made famous by Bob Marley, landed differently. I felt consoled. I felt heard. I felt alright.

People lead the church and men choose the pope. The Church is an earthly, human institution devoted to the divine. It is an intersection of God’s will and human agency, which are not always congruent. Today, tomorrow, and in the weeks and months to come, the faithful must place hope in the College of Cardinals —one of whom will succeed Francis—and trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is time to pray that individual aspirations will yield to God’s will for His Church, what he knows it needs—regardless of what anyone may want. Then, every little thing will be alright.

I stayed in the car this morning and listened for a while. This is a rarity for me, but the gentle tone of the music and lyrics carried me along for a while. I was captivated. Music rarely affects my thought process the way literature and film do. Homilies and commentaries sometimes convey important messages about matters close to me and influence me to consider ideas I had not previously. I often say that God speaks to us through other people. Today, I feel as though he communicated through song—yes, a cover of a reggae song on Jimmy Buffett’s Sirius XM channel. Judge my musical taste as you might, dear reader; alas, God’s message is everywhere. I won’t worry about a thing. Today, tomorrow, and in the months and years to come, I will watch and pray. I will trust in God and know that every little thing will be alright.

Thanks be to God.