Papa Francis the Boss

[from Pope Francis' homily on May 5th]

"Advance with determination along the path of holiness; do not rest content with a mediocre Christian life.."
We were not made for mediocrity. Humility does not equate failure. It does not mean we sit around thinking we're incapable. No! It means striving for greatness being fully aware of our capacity and God's, knowing that if He wills it we can do it. This applies to every aspect of our lives. My softball coach would always motivate us to play our best "We're Catholics! We're not satisfied with 'just ok'!"

"Dear brothers and sisters, the Church loves you! Be an active presence in the community, as living cells, as living stones. The Latin American Bishops wrote that the popular piety which you reflect is “a legitimate way of living the faith, a way of feeling that we are part of the Church” (Aparecida Document, 264). This is wonderful! A legitimate way of living the faith, a way of feeling that we are part of the Church. Love the Church! Let yourselves be guided by her! In your parishes, in your dioceses, be a true “lung” of faith and Christian life, a breath of fresh air! In this Square I see a great variety: earlier on it was a variety of umbrellas, and now of colours and signs. This is also the case with the Church: a great wealth and variety of expressions in which everything leads back to unity; the variety leads back to unity, and unity is the encounter with Christ."

She loves you. This point cannot be stressed enough in the face of a culture that sees the Church as oppressive. Nothing could be more wrong. By instructing us on how to best live according to our human natures -- by allowing us a fuller understanding of the world around us -- we are freed to truly live!

"You have a specific and important mission, that of keeping alive the relationship between the faith and the cultures of the peoples to whom you belong....May you also be true evangelizers! May your initiatives be “bridges”, means of bringing others to Christ, so as to journey together with him. And in this spirit may you always be attentive to charity. Each individual Christian and every community is missionary to the extent that they bring to others and live the Gospel, and testify to God’s love for all, especially those experiencing difficulties. Be missionaries of God’s love and tenderness! Be missionaries of God’s mercy, which always forgives us, always awaits us and loves us dearly."
Each one of us has been placed in this time, this group of people, this setting for a reason. God wanted you to be in exactly the situation you find yourself now. So how can you evangelize? How can you make the best out of your situation?

"Evangelical spirit, ecclesial spirit, missionary spirit. Three themes! Do not forget them! Evangelical spirit, ecclesial spirit, missionary spirit. Let us ask the Lord always to direct our minds and hearts to him, as living stones of the Church, so that all that we do, our whole Christian life, may be a luminous witness to his mercy and love. In this way we will make our way towards the goal of our earthly pilgrimage, towards that extremely beautiful shrine, the heavenly Jerusalem. There, there is no longer any temple: God himself and the lamb are its temple; and the light of the sun and the moon give way to the glory of the Most High. Amen."