Pope Francis I is a man of energy and enthusiasm. He may be in his late seventies, but he is, in spirit, still in his youth. The youth of the Spirit. He has the same gift of enthusiasm that the early Christians had.
When we read the Acts of the Apostles, we cannot but be enthused ourselves. We are amazed each time we read anew about the account of those men, women and children who took the Gospel message across the world as they knew it then. Their courage, joy, steadfastness and sheer vitality catch at our hearts and make us feel good. What other qualities did they have that made them so memorable?
Well courage for a start; then we could add openness to the work of the Spirit, faithfulness, integrity, humility, truthfulness, justice, a love of prayer. The list could go on....
Looking at what Pope Francis is saying and doing since his inauguration as Supreme Pontiff, we can see the same qualities surfacing in him. As our leader, he is following the example of all our previous popes in his desire for a renewed Pentecost in our time. It was Pope John XXIII who, at the age of 78, started the Second Vatican Council fifty years ago by saying:
"Renew in us, Lord, the wonders of the First Pentecost"
and Paul V1th, his successor who declared "we need the fresh breath of the Holy Spirit" on our
Francis has opened up a new window on the world, on the Church, on us all from the Vatican. He strides through the byways of Vatican City and its environs with a new energy, a wide smile and with what has been called by journalists the "elan" of a Jesuit! Let's look at some of his recent sayings:
"What a joy it is for me to announce this message: CHRIST IS RISEN!"
I would like to go out to every house, and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons...
Most of all I would like to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this GOOD NEWS.
Jesus is risen!! There is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil!
LOVE has triumphed, mercy has been victorious! The mercy of God ALWAYS triumphs!"
"Don't look at the Gospel purely through the intellect, without regard for love or beauty" he advised the employees of the Vatican printing press and newspapers. "When ideology enters into our understanding of the Gospel, we understand NOTHING. Ideologies falsify the Gospel. The path of love, the way of the Gospel is simple. It is the road of conversion, the road the saints understood, the road of humility, the road of love, of the heart: the way of beauty. The Gospel is so beautiful, it makes us beautiful with the beauty of HOLINESS."
"Don't leave the Church out, you cannot follow Jesus, love Jesus, without the Church! You cannot find him. It is the Church which gives us Jesus, gives us IDENTITY"
"You must announce Jesus with your LIFE, with your WITNESS and with your WORDS!"
"Don't be afraid to swim against the tide," he told the young people he was about to confirm. "it is good for your heart!"
And to ten young men on their ordination day. "proclaim the Gospel with JOY and don't forget to thank your parents, your grandmothers, your catechists, for passing on the faith to you!"
He himself was very influenced by his grandmother, who was his mentor throughout this life.
Finally, he said, wistfully, at the beginning of his pontificate.
"How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor!"
The fresh breath of the Spirit is forming us into a new pentecostal community. So let's pray together:
"Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us, on our hopes and dreams, on our mistakes, on our loved ones, on those who walk other paths. Make us all into a world-wide community of love and hope and friendship! " We ask this with faith in the power of your Spirit. Amen.
Have a lovely Pentecost!
