Reflections from Pope Francis

Introduction

Since Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio s election as pope on March 13, 2013, the words and actions of Pope Francis have challenged and inspired people throughout the world. His simplicity, gentle spirit, openness, and humility are an inspiration not only to Catholics, but to people everywhere.

The world has embraced Pope Francis as a man of great faith and witness to the Gospel. He invites us to live lives of truth and simplicity, to seek goodness and beauty, and to act with justice and mercy. He challenges us to care for those who experience poverty, disaster, violence, and suffering, and to reach out with compassion to those who are most vulnerable, especially the young and the elderly. Pope Francis s reflections transcend all faith traditions. His words have universal appeal for all people seeking wisdom and hope on their spiritual journeys.

This book invites people into a spiritual reflection process that places the predominant themes of Pope Francis and of sacred scripture such as mercy, peace, forgiveness, and hope into conversation with their own life experiences and faith journeys. The reflections we have chosen can be used in a variety of ways: as daily or weekly reflections for one s own personal prayer, as prayers or meditations to begin a meeting or small group sharing, as a starting point to explore more deeply the source from which the reflection is taken, or as a focus for quiet time, spiritual reflection, and journaling.

The option of using the reflections as a basis for journaling through writing, sketching, or drawing can help people of all spiritual traditions discover the heart of the matter, as it applies to their own lives. Here is a simple process:

1. Choose a reflection. You may want to start at the beginning the reflections are organized chronologically from the beginning to the end of Pope Francis s first year as pope. Or, find a reflection whose theme resonates with

Susan Stark has thirty-plus years of experience in program development and management, leadership training, and writing and editing in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Most recently, as an independent contractor, she has been involved in the creative development, writing, and editing of both print- and web-based educational curriculums and marketing resources for major Catholic religious-education publishing companies.

Dan Pierson was the director of religious education for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids for seventeen years. He has worked with religious publishers in areas of product development, marketing, and sales. He is the founder and editor of www.eCatechist.com and www.faithalivebooks.com.

If the world had to pick a CEO of Compassion, Pope Francis would fill the post ably. His words remind us of the opportunity to make every moment shine with grace and of the freedom that comes from opening our hearts.
Kristin Ohlson, author of Stalking the Divine

We have in this volume a vision of how Pope Francis sees the mission of the Church and of society. His reflections are inspiring and challenging, demanding and joy-filled. Anyone accepting the invitation to journal with Pope Francis will be enriched.
Bishop Robert Morneau, auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Green Bay

Reflections from Pope Francis is a mosaic of shards and snippets of papal wisdom, insights by a Bishop of Rome with the common touch, an attractive humility, and a deep familiarly with scripture, the human condition, the yearning call to holiness.
Michael W Higgins, author of Thomas Merton: Faithful Visionary and The Unquiet Monk: Thomas Merton s Questing Faith

For those who want to know more about Pope Francis, but are short on time, this book has a wealth of wonderful, brief selections that are perfect for prayer and reflection. Pierson and Stark capture the pope's theology of mercy and his call to live more joyfully and authentically as followers of Christ.
Julie Hanlon Rubio, author of Family Ethics: Practices for Christians and Professor of Christian Ethics, St. Louis University

"Susan Stark and Dan Pierson have done us all a great favor by gathering gems from Pope Francis's statements during his first year as Pope. Each selection touches on a key aspect of the Pope s ministry; the sentences or paragraph selected capture his heart and spirit so well. With ample space for reflection, journaling, and sharing, this book serves well as a resource for individual reflection and small-group exchange. Evangelizers, pastors, preachers, religious education directors, and those serving as adult faith formators will cherish this wonderful