Several years ago, I got to meet Pope Francis. I didn’t have much time with him, so I asked him one question: “Holy Father, can you please pray for my sister and her future spouse, whoever that might be?” Two weeks later, my sister began to date her now husband, which is incredible. However, what struck me the most was how Pope Francis responded to me. He said, “I will, of course, pray for your sister, but I need prayers, too. So please pray for me.”
Pope Francis was a man who told the truth about himself. He needed Jesus, and he needed Jesus’s mercy. So, one of the ways we can carry on his legacy is by being honest with ourselves and saying to ourselves, “I need Jesus, and I need his mercy.” Pope Francis was a pope of mercy, and so we pray for him now and for these next nine days of mourning. Eternal rest grant unto Pope Francis, O lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
This is Spirit Juice. Peace.
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Something That Lasts
I recently took my college kids on a pilgrimage to Orvieto, Italy. Orvieto is the home to a Eucharistic Miracle, and I could talk about the Eucharistic Miracle all day. What is so crazy is that St. Thomas Aquinas lived during the time of this Eucharistic Miracle. St. Thomas Aquinas fell so deeply in love with Jesus and the Eucharist that he wrote “The Tantum Ergo.” “The Tantum Ergo” is sung every day around the world…
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The Lowest Seat
This Sunday’s gospel is all about partying. I think Pope Francis should write an encyclical about how to party like a Catholic. This gospel is so good because Jesus talks about parties. We are called, not just in parties, but in life, to take the lowest seat so that we can be raised up. When you enter into a church, what is the lowest seat…
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Joy in the Midst of Suffering
So, have you ever felt like you are going to die after you get a paper cut or stub your toe? Me too. But blessed Chiara Luce Badano, a contemporary teenage saint of the church, teaches us how to have joy amid suffering. She contracted a rare form of cancer as a teenager. But amid her suffering, she knew that Jesus had already won in her heart, and she did not have to be afraid. Today, we celebrate…
