. . . must be your servant. (Mt. 23:1-12)
With all the hub-bub of the presidential hopefuls, the media even tried to get coverage of Pope Francis weighing in on who should be our next president. I tell myself "Beware of sound bites taken out of context!"
I know Pope Francis to be a servant of servants. Some will look for any misplaced word or statement to try to prove that this is not true. Still, the consistent message and example of our servant leader. though misrepresented by some, cannot be denied.
How long ago was Pope Francis in the United States to speak to us? Have we already forgotten his message? Have we taken his words to heart during this Year of Mercy? My "we" I most certainly mean "I". There is not a day that goes by when he is quoted in some way. Am I aware that there indeed a prophet among us?
Jesus said this about the scribes and Pharisees of his time in today's Gospel passage: " . . . do not follow there example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them." (Mt. 23: 1-12) I am so grateful to say that we see the exact opposite in Pope Francis. He most certainly walks the walk with us.
What does this have to do with the Spirituality of Resurrection? Well, we too must walk the walk and follow the Risen Christ today as servant lovers to all we meet. Only I can look within my ordinary day to see what that means for me. Whether I am home or at work, no matter what fills my day, I can try to be more attentive to being a servant to those who God sends into my life. Some people are able to do this kind of thing naturally. Others, may have to work on it. The efforts I make to be more of a servant lover, the more I rise above the ego-centric tendency to think of myself first. This choice to rise above my own needs and wants is most definitely a rich part of the life of one who chooses to go through suffering and death to resurrection and glory.
With all the hub-bub of the presidential hopefuls, the media even tried to get coverage of Pope Francis weighing in on who should be our next president. I tell myself "Beware of sound bites taken out of context!"
I know Pope Francis to be a servant of servants. Some will look for any misplaced word or statement to try to prove that this is not true. Still, the consistent message and example of our servant leader. though misrepresented by some, cannot be denied.
How long ago was Pope Francis in the United States to speak to us? Have we already forgotten his message? Have we taken his words to heart during this Year of Mercy? My "we" I most certainly mean "I". There is not a day that goes by when he is quoted in some way. Am I aware that there indeed a prophet among us?
Jesus said this about the scribes and Pharisees of his time in today's Gospel passage: " . . . do not follow there example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them." (Mt. 23: 1-12) I am so grateful to say that we see the exact opposite in Pope Francis. He most certainly walks the walk with us.
What does this have to do with the Spirituality of Resurrection? Well, we too must walk the walk and follow the Risen Christ today as servant lovers to all we meet. Only I can look within my ordinary day to see what that means for me. Whether I am home or at work, no matter what fills my day, I can try to be more attentive to being a servant to those who God sends into my life. Some people are able to do this kind of thing naturally. Others, may have to work on it. The efforts I make to be more of a servant lover, the more I rise above the ego-centric tendency to think of myself first. This choice to rise above my own needs and wants is most definitely a rich part of the life of one who chooses to go through suffering and death to resurrection and glory.
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