Thank God for Pope Francis! We are truly enamored and enthralled by his spiritual persona—but have we truly listened to his message? Only a listening heart can truly perceive the depth of God’s message spoken through the words and the person of Pope Francis... Thank God for the presence of God in Pope Francis’ visit to our country. His visit is like a refreshing spring that will hopefully renew the faith of our countrymen and women. But God’s abiding presence is likewise manifested when we truly care for and love each other as brothers and sisters in humanity. Let us listen to Pope Francis’ speaking to us of God’s oracle for our lives. But let us not forget that God likewise speaks to us in everyone and in everything around us. God speaks to us even in the most ordinary of moments—in the rustling of the winds, in the playful rays of the sun, in the pitter-pattering of the rain, in the undulating waves of the ocean shore. Listen, for God is present in the church as in the marketplace. He is truly present when we sincerely kneel in prayer and when we do our most mundane chores with honesty and commitment. Let us immerse ourselves in the wonderful persona of Pope Francis: but all the more, we should listen to his message of peace, of reconciliation, of mutual understanding, of solidarity for the poor and the oppressed, of unconditional love for humanity, love for the cosmos and love for God. Pope Francis says that we cannot be close to God and then fortify our rigid and intolerant walls of division against fellow human beings. We cannot claim to be lovers of God and then close our eyes to the pitiful plight of the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalized. Pope Francis is here in our country, and it is right that we greatly rejoice in his awesome personality. But let us not also forget that God is at our doorstep in the person of the poor, the lonely, the heart-broken, and the suffering: would we still welcome Him, even if He appears to us in the most distressing disguise of the helpless poor? Yes!—let us embrace Pope Francis, but more so, let us follow his humble example of love, mercy and compassion for one-and-all. More than the person of Pope Francis, it is the divine message he brings that eventually and truly matters. So how about it? Something to reflect upon tonight… (Written by Prof. Henry Francis B. Espiritu on January 16, 2015 at 6:11 PM.)
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 11:30:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015