The Children Shall Lead
The images from this past week of the World Youth Day gatherings are stunning. This is my favorite among them. You want kids to show up? Go to the beach. Just like Jesus went to the people, I so love this Pope because that is what he does. Notice the tide behind them, the mountain before them. The truth being spoken to them. Pope Francis talked of basic things, things that are the building blocks of relationship with anyone. In this case, with Jesus. “Pray everyday and you will know Jesus” “Center yourself in Christ” “Shake up your church” Wait, what??? Shake up your church??? Yes, Who better to move things ahead than the youth. They don’t have the same need to keep everything as it is, “because this is how we have always done it!” Brilliant move if you want to get things done. Imagine how annoyed the people who want to focus on contraception and abortion and blah blah blah you know the stuff that has been drawing people to us and making the message relevant for years (I say factitiously!) are processing this? The reality is that this Pope understands that first we must all be centered in Christ. First things first. He gets that we have lost our “relevance” when we are only focusing on our agenda’s and not on the mission of the church which is to call the lost. He knows that the disparity in the way people live is our biggest collective sin. He understands how we have lured away from the gospel message and he is calling us back with the simplest and purest message of all; God loves you. God forgives you. God wants you to talk to him…to listen to him. Simplicity!Pope Francis is calling them to a life of discipleship just as Jesus called people so many years ago. By going to where they are! “Don’t see life from afar! Live it! Jesus didn’t stay out on a balcony. Instead he got involved. Follow Jesus’s example!”
“Dear friends, never forget that you are the field of faith! You are Christ’s athletes! You are called to build a more beautiful Church and a better world.”
By calling these millions to shake up the church, the Pope is giving the green light to follow the Holy Spirit without obstruction. By saying to do it peacefully with the Gospel of Christ as their motivation, Papa F is calling all of us to be courageous and to usher in a new era for our church.So while he is saying that to the younger generation, he is calling on those who are in the hierarchy to change the way that they are conducting their ministry. He is calling them to simplify the message. Go out and find the lost the ones who God is calling us to seek out. Here is the address and there are more articles. Tell me what you thought of the WYD if you caught any of it!
Pope Address to Bishops
