I have always been motivated by His Holiness, Pope Francis’ compassion and love for the mentally ill and their caregivers – as well as my mother’s repeated advice to help as many people as I can – even though I have my fair share of critics.
Pope Francis teachings and homilies are excellent.
In a recent homily, he said these words of wisdom:
“Priests are called to console, not heap obligations on people.
Priests are called to be mediators between God and God's people, offering their time and their very lives in service; they are not God's "intermediaries" or functionaries, who go to work to get paid or, worse, enter the priesthood in search of status,” His Holiness added.
An authentic priest, Pope Francis went on to say, “is close to the life of his people, while a functionary "does not know what it means to get his hands dirty."
Serving as a mediator, immersing oneself in the joys and sorrows of the people is the most satisfying part of being a priest, the Pope said “Those who are functionaries, on the other hand, are not happy, but seek happiness "in being noticed, in feeling like an authority."
"To make themselves important, they take the path of rigidity," he said. "Many times, detached from the people, they have no idea what human pain is. They have lost what they learned at home from the work of their dad, mom, grandparents, siblings," he said. "Those rigid ones heap upon the faithful many things that they cannot carry."
In concluding his homily, Pope Francis said: "They hold a whip in their hands with the people of God: 'You can't do this, you can't do that.' And many people who come to them seeking a bit of consolation, a bit of understanding, are chased off by this rigidity."
In yet another motivating speech, the Pope advised all of us to smile even though life is hard because when we smile there is hope.
God Bless you, Pope Francis and I wish you, "A Blessed Merry Christmas 2016 and A Happy New Year 2017".
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