A Very Different Pope!

There is increasing evidence that the newly-elected Pope Francis is a very different and challenging leader. From the beginning there were small touches that suggested that here was a man who ploughed his own furrow; he appeared simple and humble, yet he was clearly strong-minded and his gestures and words showed that he had a common touch.  

Yesterday I read some articles from a website (www.BigPulpit.com) that publishes daily analysis and insight stories from around the world that are of interest to Christians.  Several excerpts from Pope Francis’ recent homilies resonated strongly with me. This is a man who teaches that love and inclusion must always trump rules and clericalism.  His love is also very practical, neither mystical nor sentimental - indeed, he warns that it is far from easy to be a Christian.

Consider yesterday’s evidence m’lud!

One, Pope Francis describes the ‘sacrament of pastoral customs’. This is when we fail to welcome people with love and goodwill because we are too concerned with procedure and appearance. Instead of greeting with great joy the single mother who wants her child baptised, we get uptight about her unmarried status.  While his own examples are drawn from his priestly experience, I suspect we all have instances when we suffered from an excess of moral uprighteousness and a lack of love and charity.  I think this Pope is going to give any Pharisees in the Curia a hard time!  

Two, the Pope warned that "when a Christian has no difficulties in life – when everything is fine, everything is beautiful - something is wrong."  We have become friends of conformity, of comfort, "a great friend of the spirit of the world, of worldliness."  Fitting in with the prevailing Christian culture, doing social good, is not the same as following Jesus, having an authentic relationship with him; it is more about social advancement, careerism, comfort.  Challenging words for us all.

Three, the Pope acknowledges that he is a sinner. Specifically, he said ”... there are flaws, imperfections, sins – the Pope has his, as well: he has lots of them; but the beautiful thing is that, when we become aware that we are sinners, we find the mercy of God...”  He went on to say that “... sin is an offence against God, but it is also an opportunity: the humiliation of realising [that one is a sinner] and that there is something [exceedingly] beautiful: the mercy of God... God created us in order that we might live in a relationship of deep friendship with Him, and even when sin had broken this relationship with God, with others and with creation, God did not abandon us. The whole history of salvation is the story of God seeking man, offer[ing] humanity His love, embracing mankind.”

...My case rests.

And, if you can, why not join Pope Francis in prayer?  On Sunday 2 June, cathedrals and churches across the world will organize an hour of Eucharistic adoration, coinciding with 5 and 6 pm Rome time. (A little bird tells me that Sacred Heart Church will be organising Eucharistic adoration from 4.15 to 5.15pm on Sunday. Come and pray with Pope Francis, Fr. Kevin and a bunch of us.)

Thanks to http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=7742; http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/25192/; http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/25225/ http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/eucarestia-eucharist-eucaristia-25194/