Devotional 10-9-15

God’s Messenger

Romans Chapter 12, verse 12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Like many of you, I’m sure, I watched with great interest a lot of the coverage of Pope Francis’ visit to our country recently.  I was eager to see and hear this Pope of the People, and I wasn’t disappointed.  It was quite evident that he seemed most comfortable when he was among those who had waited with great anticipation to see and hear him in person.  There were frequent moments that tugged at my heart as the Pope blessed the disabled, the children who were handed to him by security, or whom he greeted along the street as he traveled from one location to another.

I think Pope Francis is a very wise and intelligent man.  He carefully addressed our country’s controversial issues, yet offered much for us to seriously think about.  He shared quite directly his concerns about immigration, the homeless, the imprisoned, the economy, the environment, as well as others, and of course, the state of the Roman Catholic Church. While there is contention and division among our politicians about most of these matters, Congressional members of the House and Senate listened with respect and responded to this Pope’s visit in a very positive way.  We like to think that perhaps Pope Francis made an even greater impact on Congress than we thought.

If I were to summarize what I learned from watching and listening, I would say that he has urged us to simplify our life and to responsibly care for this place God created for us.  He has urged us to more actively help those in need.  He reminded us that most of us were also once foreigners to this country. He said we must be more responsible in helping the poor and more forgiving of the sinful.  Our children and our young people, he said, deserve our attention so they are more challenged to share their gifts within their communities, and guided to have more concern for others.  Perhaps most importantly, he took time to remind us to follow the Golden Rule—to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Pope Francis, during his visit, became for me God’s messenger of hope.  If we take this message to heart, if we are constant in prayer and follow through with this humble man’s advice, surely our world will be a better place.

Hebrews Chapter 11, verse 1:
 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” 

Diane Feaganes