Reflections on Pope Francis (part 2)

Last week I reflected upon the Pope's motto, Miserando atque eligendo, which was written across his simple coffin during his funeral. The best translation is “having mercy and choosing him”, inspired by Jesus looking upon Matthew the sinful tax collector with the eyes of mercy and choosing him to follow him. It is this ever deepening encounter with his merciful Saviour that brought Pope Francis joy and led him to devote his whole life to helping others to encounter this same mercy, that they too might find the same joy he found in Christ.

This is all summed up most powerfully in the first letter that Pope Francis chose to write to the church and the world: Evangelii Gaudium, “The Joy of the Gospel”.

This letter was something of a mission statement that pervaded his life and especially his Pontificate and I encourage you to read it in its entirety. I share some excerpts here:

“The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.

In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church's journey in years to come... I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day.

No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since “no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord” [Paul VI, On Christian Joy]. The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.

Now is the time to say to Jesus: “Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace”. How good it feels to come back to him whenever we are lost! Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. Christ, who told us to forgive one another “seventy times seven” (Mt 8:22) has given us his example: he has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again he bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love.

With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew. Let us not flee from the resurrection of Jesus, let us never give up, come what will. May nothing inspire more than his life, which impels us onwards!...Thanks solely to this encounter – or renewed encounter – with God's love, which blossoms into an enriching friendship, we are liberated from our narrowness and self-absorption.

We become fully human when we become more than human, when we let God bring us beyond ourselves in order to attain the fullest truth of our being. Here we find the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangelization. For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?” (Evangelii Gaudium, from paragraphs 1,3,8).