Worth Revisiting Wednesday: 7 Lessons From Pope Francis

Today the Holy Father, Pope Francis, celebrates his 78th birthday and in honor of that celebration, I’m joining up with Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You for their Worth Revisiting Wednesday link-ups.  Head on over to visit them and be inspired by the awesome posts you read over there!  I loveboth Elizabeth and Allison’s blogs and am always enriched by their writings – truly kindred spirits of mine. This post was originally posted on March 14, 2014 in celebration of Pope Francis’ one-year anniversary as Holy Father.  — 1 —You are never above asking for prayer.The very first lesson I learned from Pope Francis occurred just minutes after he appeared on the balcony on the day of his election. In a demonstration of utter humility, the new Pope asked the crowds for their prayers and then bowed his head and received those prayers. This was not a rhetorical question on his part. He both needed and sincerely desired the prayers of the people now entrusted to his care. As a Mom, I am often tempted to think that I need to have all the answers – to have it all together in front of my children. The reality that Pope Francis drove home to me in that moment, is that there is no one on this earth who is too exalted to need the prayers of others, even those of whom they have been chosen to lead. — 2 —It’s all about encountering Jesus.Over and over again during this past year, Pope Francis has stressed the importance of “encountering” Jesus. In the encyclical Lumen Fidei, the Pope writes “Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love…” When asked what Christmas meant to him his answer was: “It