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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Living on the Sidelines?
Sometimes, I feel like Guy. If you’ve ever seen the movie, “Free Guy,” you know that Guy is living his life on the sidelines. He doesn’t really think his life is about him. But at one point, Guy realizes that the video game that he is in is his story and that he is the main character. And he gets after it. On this Palm Sunday, we hear the entire story of Jesus’s passion for us. A lot of the time, we feel like we are on the sidelines…
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Something Greater Than Ourselves
Let’s talk about my dad. So when I was a kid, about a year ago… One of my most formative things was seeing my dad pray on his knees, praying to someone more important than him. As a kid, I saw my dad as the supreme commander of the universe. Seeing him answer to someone even more significant than him, loved by someone even greater than him, was so freeing for me just to be a kid and loved…
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Living Attractive Lives
Sometimes the Gospel spreads not through arguments, but through attraction. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” We’re called to live our faith openly, not hidden, not forced, but visible through love and good works.
When we truly know that we are loved by Jesus, something changes. Our lives become compelling. That was the secret of the saints, people weren’t drawn to them because of charisma or cleverness, but because Christ was alive and active in them.
Live close to Jesus. Let Him work through you. An authentic, joy-filled faith is more attractive than we realize.
