Pope Francis Archives - Shepherd of Faith

I am a follower

I am a follower of Jesus! Did you ever stop to think about what that REALLY means? Of course you have! I thought I had too, until yesterday morning when I meditated with the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. When I think of being a follower of Jesus, I think of “checking all the boxes” – worship, prayer, obedience, charity, forgiveness. Don’t get me wrong, that’s all great stuff. But there’s more!

Yesterday as I prayed the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, the meditation for the third Mystery: the Proclamation of the Kingdom, talked about Jesus describing a Kingdom that is not of this world, a Kingdom that calls sinners, not the just. As I pondered the scene, it occurred to me that being a follower of Jesus means acknowledging and revealing our imperfections and faults to the world. How many times have we heard the phrase, “Jesus came to call sinners?” If we’ve answered that call, then what does that make us? Honor that.

The judgment

I often think of the criticism and judgment Christians receive when they stumble. Honestly, I don’t think anyone of us is immune from it. It’s that phrase that starts with “Oh, some Christian he or she is……….” Imagine if the whole world understood that Jesus CAME TO CALL SINNERS. What if when the whole world saw you following Jesus (because they witnessed you “checking all the boxes”) they saw a sinner and not a saint? As I write this, I think maybe that would change the way people view Church. Maybe we’re part of the problem – we reveal to the world a self-righteous part of ourselves and hide the shadow because we believe that’s what being a follower of Jesus warrants.

What a relief

I’m relieved to know that “checking the boxes” doesn’t mean I have to be perfect – incapable of making mistakes or giving in to temptations. I can be the walking contradiction I am and be okay. As long as I remain open to allow Jesus to work in me and transform my heart one tiny bit at a time, I’ll be fine. I’m a work in progress and that’s alright with Jesus!

Forgiveness is key

Forgiveness of self is an integral part of acknowledging and revealing to the world who we really are. Today’s daily meditation from the Center for Action and Contemplation expresses that beautifully.

Sin and grace

From now on I will view the title of SINNER as a privilege and an honor because Jesus calls ME, the sinner and He is faithful! No wonder Pope Francis’ first words to the world after being elected Pope were I AM A SINNER! He understood the importance and grace of that moment! I hope you can too! God bless you!

Happy New Year!

“Two lines of thought particularly stand out. The first is an affirmation of our interconnectedness and mutual responsibility toward one another, as well as toward our common Earthly home. The second is a denunciation of the aspects of modern life that have led to our current predicament. The essence of the critique is that our situation is not an accident – it is the consequence of the way we think and act: we deny the moral dimensions of our decisions and conflate progress with activity. We cannot continue to think and act this way – to disregard both nature and justice – and expect to flourish. It is not only not moral, it is not even rational. “- Naomi Oreskes, Introduction to Pope Francis’ Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality.

Need a wake up call? Read past the introduction of Pope Francis’ Encyclical. Reading this document made me question what my contribution to society is. It made me want to do more. The fact is we are all connected. Our daily decisions and actions effect more than just us and our personal lives. How? “Carbon footprint” and “fair trade” are two ways. Have you ever heard the terms?

Carbon footprint is defined as the amount of greenhouse gases emitted through travel, food consumption, etc. When we shop for food, how often do we think about where our food comes from, how far it’s traveled and how much our demand for and consumption of food has contributed to the pollution of the environment. Fair trade is defined as trade where fair prices were paid to producers in developing countries. How often do we consider the producers of the products we buy. Do we think about whether they received a fair wage or whether they were treated fairly?

So that’s how our actions and decisions affect the rest of the world. Making a difference is definitely a challenge but every little bit can help. So what can we do? We can buy local, eat less meat, purchase items with the Fair Trade USA logo (confident in the statement we’re making about equality and human dignity) and so much more.

I recently wrote that believing is not enough. Isn’t that the truth! Faith is a beautiful gift from God. But our faith should lead us to think of more than just ourselves. Scripture tells us that faith without works is dead. Specifically James 2:14-26 says:

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Therefore, faith should lead us to become more compassionate and mindful. Faith should lead us to question whether there is anything we can do to make our world a better place. It’s time we start thinking about that. Our desire to consider these things, I believe, is evidence of growth and transformation.

Pope Francis’ encyclical’s subtitle is On Care for Our Common Home. It’s only 150 pages and a real eye-opener. Check your local library – that’s where I found mine.