Did you know Pope Francis has Twitter accounts in nine languages and almost 53 million followers? He recently wrote,’Thank you to all who follow me on this account which was opened 10 years ago to proclaim the joy of the Gospel. Let us continue to build up this network as a free space to promote encounter and dialogue and to value what unites us.”
A simple fact of life. We don’t always agree… especially on things that are important to us.
A painful fact of life. Disagreements and conflicts can get out of hand.
But, there is another fact of life. We can and should learn from disagreements.
How can disagreements and conflicts be a learning experience?
“Tell me your friends, and I will tell you who you are.” In this Vincentian Mindwalk I offer a way of understanding Pope Francis through how and for whom he prays.
What is it like to look at the facts from the perspective of a Jewish believer, or even a Gentile who believed in many deities? From this perspective, I see how much courage it took to accept a new way of thinking.
Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to help the lawyer think through the question. The story reveals how Jesus thinks. Is that my way of thinking?
It is a shame that most people only hear polarized pundits cherry-picking from a select few paragraphs, or even just footnotes. It is in reality an inspiring document describing and addressed to the real family of today.
Pope Francis describes God as a dreamer. Think about it! Isn’t God’s dream another name for God’s plan for us and all creation? Do we ever get beyond our own dreams to think of God’s Dream?
VIrtually no one thought it was a good idea for Pope Francis to go to Iraq. A great idea… BUT!
I need to remember that while I can’t do everything, I must do something.
Pope Francis, in “Envisioning and engendering an Open World”, presents a world where we move beyond the original fault of self-centeredness to recognizing the worth of every human person.
“Move us to create healthier societies and a more dignified world, a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war. May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth.”
In his Lenten letter, Pope Francis reminds us that Lent is a journey to Easter. At the beginning of Lent, we have an opportunity to think about where we are heading on the journey of our life.
They were comfortable … until they were told a story. They then learned an uncomfortable truth. The person in the story out there hid in their own heart.