Welcome Pope Francis!

It certainly has been an exciting month for our Church and for our world, as we experienced the resignation of a pope, a conclave, and the election of a new pope.  Here in the Office for Youth and Young Adult Evangelization, we all stopped in our tracks to see white smoke, much earlier than anyone expected.  When discussing our impressions of the day, each of us shared a common sense of hope, joy and peace.  We watched as the 265th successor of St. Peter gave his blessing to the world and knew the Holy Spirit was truly producing fruit in the life of the Church.

As we know, Pope Francis is the first in many things; he is the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope, and the first to take the name Francis. 

Named after St. Francis of Assisi, he is already providing a wonderful example of discipleship for us, for the Church, and for the world.  What is required to live as a disciple of Christ? At the conclusion of his first homily, the Holy Father told us one characteristic of a disciple:

"I would like that all of us, after these days of grace, might have the courage - the courage - to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the Cross of the Lord: to build the Church on the Blood of the Lord, which is shed on the Cross, and to profess the one glory, Christ Crucified. In this way, the Church will go forward.

My hope for all of us is that the Holy Spirit, that the prayer of Our Lady, our Mother, might grant us this grace: to walk, to build, to profess Jesus Christ Crucified. So be it."

 

As our Lenten journey continues, let each of us embrace the Holy Father's call to walk the path of discipleship with a little more courage, build Christ's Church with a little more confidence, and find mercy and grace in the cross of Jesus Christ.