As the Pope wraps up his five day visit to the Philippines today, I thought I would take a few minutes to share some of my reflections:
- Pope Francis leads by example. From chosing not to use a bullet proof vehicle to be closer to the people to holding mass in a raincoat in the middle of a storm, Pope Francis is sending us all a message to be humble and down to earth. If he can do it as leader of the Catholic Church, we all can.
- The people love Pope Francis. Whether it is his humble nature or his charismatic smile, the Pope is a rockstar. People from all walks of life went out into the streets to catch a glimpse of him.
- Hopefully, we all get the message. We, as a country, are feeling the emotional high at the moment and I hope that this momentum is not lost as we move forward with our lives. The Pope has blessed us by giving us HOPE and BELIEF and the cynical will say that this is not enough. I say that the feeling of hope and belief is probably more powerful than many people think it is. Now we get to work using this as the fuel that unites us.
Even if I was not able to see the Pope in person, I felt his presence and I am thankful that my kids are able to see first hand (on TV though) such a wonderful example and role model.
Until next time Pope Francis, we pray we see you again soon.