This past week, Pope Francis has witnessed to us the merciful love of Jesus.

From the Gospel, John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”

Jesus gets right to the point with his apostles who don’t want outsiders grabbing the glory that belongs to them as Jesus’ hand-picked assistants.  Tell those outliers not to work miracles in Jesus’ name.  They aren’t part of the franchise.

But Jesus chides them for their smallness and reminds that the Spirit is always bigger than our group or our plans.  God is free to pour out grace and power on anyone who will use it for good.

Additionally, we find in the Gospel that God wants us to care for the weak, to sustain the little ones who believe in me.  God asks us to live our faith, to nurture the vulnerable, not just talk about the faith or interpret it.

This week with the presence of Pope Francis, we have beautifully witnessed to our better angels as a Church, to listen to our calling to be disciples of Jesus.  Pope Francis has led the way.  He witnesses to us the merciful love of Jesus.  In his address to the Congress, he referenced four great Americans:  Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton.  Pope Francis’s heroes are Abraham Lincoln who was the guardian of our nation’s liberty and who worked tirelessly that our nation under God might have a new birth of freedom;  Martin Luther who calls to move beyond our prejudice and small-mindedness and to a spirit of solidarity with one another; Dorothy Day a political activist who called us to a sense of social justice in sheltering the homeless and feeding the hungry in the Catholic  Worker Movement; and Thomas Merton, a man of deep prayer, who called us to dialogue with people of other faith traditions.

The person I would reference for our inspiration is Pope Francis.  I have been so moved and so inspired by this simple, humble man of God.  He as touched our hearts by his words and his life that so reflect the message of Jesus.  He is the Vicar of Christ, and he is our North Star to a Gospel way of living.

The very best motivation I can give you to be generous to the CMA is the witness and the commitment of Pope Francis.  This man, Pope Francis, calls us in our discipleship of the Lord Jesus, to give ourselves in the service of the poor and the needy.  The purpose of our CMA giving is to do what Pope Francis has asked to do --   share what we have in the service of others.  Love is the first requirement of the disciples of Jesus.  Our love is to be shown with our generosity.

Pope Francis’s address to Congress was so Gospel-like in its simplicity and strength.  On the question of immigration, the important question was not whether people are legal or illegal; the important question is that immigrants, like all of us, are God’s beloved – make in the image and likeness of God.  We are all brothers and sisters who need to dialogue, welcome, and embrace one another.  The same goes for his defense of the unborn and his push for the abolition of the death penalty.  All life is sacred, and we need to uphold the dignity of one and all.

God calls all people to be part of the kingdom without making distinctions among groups, races, or nationalities.

Pope Francis called us to a politics of mercy, a politics of dialogue, a politics of peace.  Pope Francis is spiritual to his core.  His Christ-like spirituality touches us with his humanness and his compassionate spirit.   He called us to a spirituality of service, a spirituality of love.  He is the moral voice that is so needed in our country.  He wants us to engage and dialogue with one another. No one is to be excluded.  We are to be stewards of the common good.  Instead of fighting and being negative and judgmental, he wants us to engage and dialogue with one another.

Pope Francis called us to be mindful that we are a land of dreams.  This was the vision of our founding fathers and mothers.  May we continue to be a land of dreams for our youth.  May our souls be touched by the spirit of Jesus that is within us that calls to value the dignity of each and every person on the face of this planet.

Pope Francis is our icon as a prophet of reconciliation and of peace.  His message is the message of Jesus.

In the second reading from the Letter of James, James criticizes those who have become wealthy by taking advantages of others.  Pope Francis calls us who have been financially blessed to an accountability to share with those who are in need.  Our discipleship of Jesus demands our generosity.  “By this all shall know you are my disciples your love for one another.”

This love for one another isn’t just about words or feelings; it is about our actions, our commitment to serve one another.

One of the most touching events of Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to our soil was what he did after his powerful and inspiring message to Congress.  Instead of wining and dining with the rich and powerful of our Washington elite, he went to a homeless shelter to serve God’s poor.  Pope Francis was in his element serving and befriending the hungry and the homeless.

We, as the faith community of St Joseph’s, need to do likewise.  Our mission is to reach out beyond ourselves in the service of others -- in our CMA commitment and also in the ways we serve those who are in need among us.

At the interfaith prayer zero at Ground Zero, the youth choir sang so beautifully:  “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”  Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with the faith community of St Joseph’s.  Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with our faith and trust in God’s unending love for us.