I’ve found it a little challenging to write this post. My previous post on Pope Francis was written the day Our Holy Father went to be with the Lord. Time has passed, reality I suppose has set in. As I watched the funeral of Our beloved Pope, I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness, but also amidst this sadness, I felt an incredible sense of hope.
My sadness was the type you feel when having experienced the loss of a dear family member or friend. With this type of sadness comes a sense of loss and feelings of insecurity. Pope Francis gave me a sense of security; in his ethos, his values, the way he lived his life, the message he preached across the globe. He wasn’t one to teach something and live a life totally contrary to his teachings. He taught ‘humility’ and lived this virtue. Simplicity and lived a simple life right up to his death and funeral. He willed a simple headstone and chose a simple casket.
Build bridges not Walls
Pope Francis gave us a sense of hope and comfort, a real sense of security and certainty, that, in these challenging and uncertain times there was someone who wasn’t afraid to say what they believed and to stand by their conviction, even if this meant (at times) going against popular opinion. He truly was a man of Integrity. He believed in the core values of, the sacredness of human life and upholding the dignity of each and every person. His ethos was that of global peace. Compassion towards migrants, prisoners, the poor and those on the peripheries of society. He once referenced ‘Building bridges and not Walls.
At his Papal Coronation Pope Francis being inspired by the wonderful Saint Francis of Assis took the name Francis. Saint Francis of Assisi lived a life of poverty, one devoted to God and had a strong desire to promote peace and love among all people. This is the life Pope Francis also lived.
The Greatest Commandment is Love
The Holy Father had a deep unwavering love and devotion for the Blessed Mother and encouraged all of us to see the commonalities we share and not our differences. He had a deep reverence and appreciation for the Blessed Sacraments especially the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist and encouraged all Catholics to take advantage of these divine graces, by making them a regular practice. He offered his life in service and encouraged each of us to do the same.
During the funeral Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said something that, as Christians we know is obvious, but also as Christians we sometimes forget, ‘We are all children of One God, Our Father’ he said.
Wow… just wow… this made me stop and think. We are all created by God (Our Father) so we are unequivocally brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of our race, creed, sex, culture. How do I treat my brother or sister in a country different from my own?
As we share the same Father, we should follow Pope Francis’ example and reach out in love to those of our brothers and sisters in need. We need to build bridges between races, cultures, creeds and faiths.
In the silence that surrounded me, I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a world without borders but joined together by bridges.
