Pope Francis’ Little Book of Wisdom

Pope Francis’ Little Book of Wisdom Andrea Kirk Assaf Pope Francis’ Little Book of Wisdom offers more than 250 bite-size nuggets of inspiration and wisdom from one of the most popular popes of all time.A pope of the people, Pope Francis’ teachings have been praised and shared by the faithful and nonreligious alike. During his short papacy so far, his commitment to compassion and humility have already cemented his position as one of the most popular popes of all time.Pope Francis’ Little Book of Wisdom offers quotes of faith and hope from this incredible man – all in a handy, portable format.This comprehensive book is arranged thematically, covering:• Hope & Joy• Faith & Prayer• The Church & Evangelization• Love & Truth• The Journey of Life• Family• Building a Better World• Listening to God• Humility & Idolatry• Forgiveness & Grace• Human Dignity, Suffering & Solidarity• The Lessons of the Cross Copyright (#u6a9f41bd-9683-500e-8577-f960ef6b5def) First published in 2015 by HarperCollinsPublishers HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk) FIRST EDITION Copyright © 2015 HarperCollinsPublishers Copyright © 2015 by Libreria Editrice Vaticana Compiled by Andrea Kirk Assaf Edited by Tony Assaf Cover design by e-Digital Design Cover photo credit: Pope Francis addresses the crowd on Easter Sunday, 2013 © Alamy. A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Source ISBN: 9780007947447 Ebook Edition © August 2015 ISBN: 9780008139261 Version: 2015-07-21 Take this Gospel and carry it with you, to read it often, every day. Carry it in your purse, in your pocket, read from it often, a passage every day. The Word of God is a light for our path! It will do you well. Do it. Pope Francis addressing the crowds after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter Square, March 22, 2015, after which homeless men and women distributed pocket-sized Gospels, a new Lenten tradition he began in 2014 to demonstrate that “the ones most in need are the ones who give us the Word of God.” Contents Cover (#ue8f71e88-d7fa-538a-b408-ac4d0d8c464f) Title Page (#u2a57b235-409f-5608-98a4-0db85591824b) Copyright A Note from the Editor PART ONE: Hope & Joy PART TWO: Faith & Prayer PART THREE: The Church & Evangelization PART FOUR: Love & Truth PART FIVE: The Journey of Life PART SIX: Family PART SEVEN: Building a Better World PART EIGHT: Listening to God PART NINE: Humility & Idolatry PART TEN: Forgiveness & Grace PART ELEVEN: Human Dignity, Suffering & Solidarity PART TWELVE: The Lessons of the Cross About the Editor About the Publisher A Note from the Editor (#u6a9f41bd-9683-500e-8577-f960ef6b5def) On Palm Sunday this year I happened to mention to an Italian friend that I was compiling quotes of Pope Francis for a small book. Without missing a beat, he recited one of his favorites to me, confiding that he often reads just a sentence or two from one of the Holy Father’s writings or speeches so that he can reflect on it for the rest of the day. He had been wishing for a small volume of selected inspiring quotes by Pope Francis that he could easily carry along with him as he goes about his commute and workday or during moments of leisure. Sandro, this little book is for you, and for me, and for all who have found something beautiful, inspirational, and wise in the words of Pope Francis. May he continue to teach us and charm us with his surprises, wit, and wisdom for as long as the Lord chooses to bless us with his pontificate. May this little book allow Pope Francis to come along with us on our daily journeys as our confidant, fellow traveler, and guide. Andrea Kirk Assaf Easter Sunday 2015 Rome, Italy (#u6a9f41bd-9683-500e-8577-f960ef6b5def) Daily contemplation of the Gospel helps us to have true hope. Keeping our gaze fixed on Jesus is the core of hope. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! This is Christian hope: that the future is in God’s hands. [Y]ou have in your heart a promise of hope. You are bearers of hope. You, in fact, live in the present, but are looking at the future. You are the protagonists of the future, artisans of the future. [F]reedom and hope go hand in hand … wherever there is no hope, there can be no freedom. Do not allow yourselves to be robbed of hope, and carry on! On the contrary, sow hope. Christ is the one who renews every wonderful thing of creation; He’s the reason of our hope. And this hope does not delude because He is faithful. He can’t renounce Himself. This is the virtue of Hope. Hope is the most humble of the three theological virtues, for it hides itself in this life. It’s best to not confuse optimism with hope. Optimism is a psychological attitude toward life. Hope goes further. Hope is having our hearts anchored to our loved ones, our ancestors, to where the saints are, where Christ is, where God is. [H]ope is not for one person alone, hope is something we do together! We must keep hope alive together, all of you, and all of us, who are so far away. There are difficult moments in life, but with hope the soul goes forward and looks ahead to what awaits us. Anyone exercising a role of leadership—allow me to say, anyone whom life has anointed as a leader—needs to have practical goals and to seek specific means to attain them. At the same time, there is always the risk of disappointment, resentment, and indifference, if our plans and goals do not materialize. Here I would appeal to the dynamic of hope that inspires us to keep pressing on, to employ all our energies and abilities on behalf of those for whom we work, accepting results, making it possible to strike out on new paths, being generous even without apparent results, yet keeping hope alive, with the constancy and courage that comes from accepting a vocation as leader and guide. We are all called to rekindle in our hearts an impulse of hope, that should result in concrete works of peace, reconciliation, and fraternity. There is never a reason to lose hope. Jesus says: ‘I am with you until the end of the world.’ Every period of history is marked by the presence of human weakness, self-absorption, complacency, and selfishness, to say nothing of the concupiscence which preys upon us all. These things are ever present under one guise or another; they are due to our human limits rather than particular situations. Let us not say, then, that things are harder today; they are simply different. But let us learn also from the saints who have gone before us, who confronted the difficulties of their own day. So I propose that we pause to rediscover some of the reasons which can help us to imitate them today. For us Christians, wherever the Cross is, there is hope, always. If there is no hope, we are not Christian. That is why I like to say, do not allow yourselves to be robbed of hope. May we not be robbed of hope because this strength is a grace, a gift from God which carries us forward with our eyes fixed on Heaven. Christian hope is not a ghost and it does not deceive. It is a theological virtue and therefore, ultimately, a gift from God that cannot be reduced to optimism, which is only human. God does not mislead hope; God cannot deny himself. God is all promise. This is the joy which we experience daily, amid the little things of life, as a response to the loving invitation of God our Father: ‘My child, treat yourself well, according to your means … Do not deprive yourself of the day’s enjoyment’ (Sir 14:11, 14). What tender paternal love echoes in these words! The Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ’s cross, constantly invites us to rejoice … Why should we not also enter into this great stream of joy? No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, He makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers, too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry, and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ. The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept His offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew. Joy is born from the gratuitousness of an encounter! It is hearing someone say, but not necessarily with words: ‘You are important to me.’ Saint Thomas said: ‘Bonum est diffusivum sui’—Good spreads. And joy also spreads. Do not be afraid to show the joy of having answered the Lord’s call, of having responded to His choice of love and of bearing witness to His Gospel in service to the Church. And joy, true joy, is contagious; it is infectious … it impels one forward. Technological society has succeeded in multiplying occasions of pleasure, yet has found it very difficult to engender joy. We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace. The Gospel is the real antidote to spiritual destitution: wherever we go, we are called as Christians to proclaim the liberating news that forgiveness for sins committed is possible, that God is greater than our sinfulness, that He freely loves us at all times and that we were made for communion and eternal life. The Lord asks us to be joyous heralds of this message of mercy and hope! It is thrilling to experience the joy of spreading this good news, sharing the treasure entrusted to us, consoling broken hearts and offering hope to our brothers and sisters experiencing darkness. It means following and imitating Jesus, who sought out the poor and sinners as a shepherd lovingly seeks his lost sheep. (#u6a9f41bd-9683-500e-8577-f960ef6b5def) Having faith does not mean having no difficulties, but having the strength to face them, knowing we are not alone. The key that opens the door to faith is prayer. But it is one thing to pray, and another thing to say prayers. One who believes may not be presumptuous; on the contrary, truth leads to humility, because believers know that, rather than ourselves possessing truth, it is truth that embraces and possesses us. Faith is no refuge for the fainthearted, but something which enhances our lives. It makes us aware of a magnificent calling, the vocation of love. It assures us that this love is trustworthy and worth embracing, for it is based on God’s faithfulness which is stronger than our every weakness. Of course, we will never be able to make the Church’s teachings easily understood or readily appreciated by everyone. Faith always remains something of a cross; it retains a certain obscurity which does not detract from the firmness of its assent. Some things are understood and appreciated only from the standpoint of this assent, which is a sister to love, beyond the range of clear reasons and arguments. Faith is a path we walk with Jesus … and it is a path that lasts all our lives. At the end the definitive encounter will take place. Certainly, in some moments along the path we will feel tired and confused. However, faith gives us the certainty of the constant presence of Jesus in all situations, even the most painful and difficult to understand. Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, His response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light. True faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, from membership in the community, from service, from reconciliation with others. The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness. With the eyes of faith, we can see the light which the Holy Spirit always radiates in the midst of darkness, never forgetting that ‘where sin increased, grace has abounded all the more’ (Rom 5:20). Our faith is challenged to discern how wine can come from water and how wheat can grow in the midst of weeds. To live by faith means to put our lives in the hands of God, especially in our most difficult moments. Crossing the threshold of faith means that we work out of a sense of dignity and see service as a vocation. It means we serve selflessly and are prepared to begin over time and time again without giving in to weariness—as if all that has been done so far were only a step on the journey towards the Kingdom, the fullness of life. It is the quiet time of waiting after the daily sowing and contemplation of the harvest that has been gathered. It is giving thanks to the Lord because He is good and asking Him not to forsake the work of His hands (Ps 138:8). Crossing the threshold of faith means that we keep our eyes filled with wonder and do not let our hearts grow accustomed to laziness. It means that we are able to recognize that each time a woman gives birth to a child, it is yet another bet placed for life and for the future; that, when we show concern for the innocence of children, we guarantee the truth of tomorrow; and that, when we esteem an unselfish elderly person, we are performing an act of justice and embracing our own roots. To have faith is to make space for God’s love, to make space for His power … for the power of the One who is in love with me, and who wants to rejoice with me. This is faith. This is believing: making space for the Lord so that He can come and change me. Jesus is the Savior and we are saved by Him. This is the most important thing. And this is the strength of our faith. Faith in Jesus Christ is not a joke; it is something very serious. It is a scandal that God came to be one of us. It is a scandal that He died on the cross. It is a scandal: the scandal of the cross. The Cross continues to provoke scandal. But it is the one sure path, the path of the Cross, the path of Jesus, the path of the Incarnation of Jesus. Please do not water down your faith in Jesus Christ. We dilute fruit drinks—orange, apple or banana juice—but please do not drink a diluted form of faith. If we live the faith in our daily life, then our work too becomes a chance to spread the joy of being a Christian. The Holy Spirit is the mover. This is why prayer is important. It is the soul of our commitment as men and women of communion, of unity. Pray to the Holy Spirit that He may come and create unity in the Church. To be friends with God means to pray with simplicity, like children talking to their parents. We all have our likes and dislikes, and perhaps at this very moment we are angry with someone. At least let us say to the Lord, ‘Lord, I am angry with this person, with that person. I pray to you for him and for her.’ To pray for a person with whom I am irritated is a beautiful step forward in love, and an act of evangelization. I ask you all … but reply in the silence of your heart, not aloud: Do I pray? Do I speak with Jesus, or am I frightened of silence? Do I allow the Holy Spirit to speak in my heart? Do I ask Jesus: ‘What do you want me to do, what do you want from my life?’ This is training. Ask Jesus, speak to Jesus, and if you make a mistake in your life, if you should fall, if you should do something wrong, don’t be afraid. Jesus, look at what I have done, what must I now do? Speak continually with Jesus, in the good times and in the bad, when you do right and when you do wrong. Do not fear Him! This is prayer. Miracles happen. But prayer is needed! Prayer that is courageous, struggling, and persevering, not prayer that is a mere formality. To pray is to insist to the point of annoyance but also with an unshakeable certainty. Jesus feels our need when we pray and also feels that we are certain of His help. Pray always, but not to convince the Lord by the strength of words! But as an expression of faith in a God who calls us to fight along with Him, every day, every moment, to overcome evil with good. Do we truly pray? Without an abiding relationship with God, it is difficult to live an authentic and consistent Christian life. Ask yourselves: ‘How much space do I give to the Lord? Do I stop to talk with Him?’ Ever since we were children, our parents have taught us to start and end the day with a prayer, to teach us to feel that the friendship and the love of God accompanies us. Let us remember the Lord more in our daily life! In the face of so many wounds that hurt us and could lead to a hardness of heart, we are called to dive into the sea of prayer, which is the sea of the boundless love of God, in order to experience His tenderness. (#u6a9f41bd-9683-500e-8577-f960ef6b5def) The Church is not a cultural organization but the family of Jesus. May the Church be a place of God’s mercy and hope, where all feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, and encouraged, the Church must be with doors wide open so that all may enter. And we must go out through these doors and proclaim the Gospel. We need saints without cassocks, without veils—we need saints with jeans and tennis shoes. We need saints that go to the movies, that listen to music, that hang out with their friends ( … ) We need saints that drink Coca-Cola, that eat hot dogs, that surf the internet and that listen to their iPods. We need saints that love the Eucharist, that are not afraid or embarrassed to eat a pizza or drink a beer with their friends. We need saints who love the movies, dance, sports, theater. We need saints that are open, sociable, normal, happy companions. We need saints who are in this world and who know how to enjoy the best in this world without being callous or mundane. We need saints. Our smallest gesture of love benefits everyone! Therefore, to live unity in the Church and the communion of charity means not to seek one’s own interests but to share the suffering and the joy of one’s brothers (1 Cor 12:26), ready to carry the weight of the poorest and the weakest. This fraternal solidarity is not a figure of speech, a saying, but an integral part of the communion among Christians. We do not become Christians by ourselves. Faith is above all a gift from God which is given to us in and through the Church. The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel. The Church does not need apologists of its causes nor crusaders of its battles, but sowers humble and confident of the truth, who … trust of its power. You could say to me, ‘But the Church is made up of sinners; we see them every day.’ And this is true: we are a Church of sinners. And we sinners are called to let ourselves be transformed, renewed, sanctified by God. The image of the church I like is that of the holy, faithful people of God … Belonging to a people has a strong theological value. In the history of salvation, God has saved a people. There is no full identity without belonging to a people. No one is saved alone, as an isolated individual, but God attracts us looking at the complex web of relationships that take place in the human community. I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and which then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators. But the Church is not a toll house; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems. This church with which we should be thinking is the home of all, not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people. We must not reduce the bosom of the universal church to a nest protecting our mediocrity. And the church is Mother; the church is fruitful. It must be. You see, when I perceive negative behavior in ministers of the church or in consecrated men or women, the first thing that comes to mind is: ‘Here’s an unfruitful bachelor’ or ‘Here’s a spinster.’ They are neither fathers nor mothers, in the sense that they have not been able to give spiritual life. Instead, for example, when I read the life of the Salesian missionaries who went to Patagonia, I read a story of the fullness of life, of fruitfulness. The people itself constitutes a subject. And the church is the people of God on the journey through history, with joys and sorrows. Thinking with the church, therefore, is my way of being a part of this people. And all the faithful, considered as a whole, are infallible in matters of belief, and the people display this infallibilitas in credendo, this infallibility in believing, through a supernatural sense of the faith of all the people walking together. The Church, which is holy, does not reject sinners; she does not reject us all; she does not reject us because she calls everyone, welcomes them, is open even to those furthest from her; she calls everyone to allow themselves to be enfolded by the mercy, the tenderness, and the forgiveness of the Father. Spiritual worldliness leads some Christians to war with other Christians who stand in the way of their quest for power, prestige, pleasure, and economic security. Some are even no longer content to live as part of the greater Church community but stoke a spirit of exclusivity, creating an ‘inner circle.’ Instead of belonging to the whole Church in all its rich variety, they belong to this or that group which thinks itself different or special. God save us from a worldly Church with superficial spiritual and pastoral trappings! This stifling worldliness can only be healed by breathing in the pure air of the Holy Spirit who frees us from self-centeredness cloaked in an outward religiosity bereft of God. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the Gospel! How often we dream up vast apostolic projects, meticulously planned, just like defeated generals! But this is to deny our history as a Church, which is glorious precisely because it is a history of sacrifice, of hopes and daily struggles, of lives spent in service and fidelity to work, tiring as it may be, for all work is ‘the sweat of our brow.’ What does ‘evangelize’ mean? To give witness with joy and simplicity to what we are and what we believe in. Practicing charity is the best way to evangelize. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light, and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию (https://www.litres.ru/andrea-assaf-kirk/pope-francis-little-book-of-wisdom/?lfrom=688855901) на ЛитРес. 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