10 Years of Francis: Compassion and Tenderness
Fr. Martin Ngo, SJ is a member of the US West Province in the United States. Here is today’s personal reflection in our “10 Years of Francis” series.
Shaking Pope Francis’ hand, I am most struck by his tenderness in action.
Rewind.
It was the summer of 2019 and I was interning for the office of communications at the Jesuit Curia in Rome. One afternoon, word got around that there would be a low-key papal visit. Needless to say, nothing papal is low-key. Fast-forward, my Jesuit boss for the summer and I are armed with DSLRs awaiting our Jesuit brother turned global Church leader arrive at the community’s rendezvous point to cover a two-hour visit. I’m already about to sweat bullets. Pope Francis arrives, emerges from the security car - snap, snap, snap, snap - but then, we stop. The Holy Father is looking directly at us. He is walking toward us. I look at my Jesuit supervisor like, “What do we do?!” to which the natural response was, “Greet him.” Lol. With a gentle look and a warm smile to match his handshake, he acknowledged everyone present. He acknowledges everyone with tenderness. This comes from a core of deep compassion for others and the world we live in.
A man dedicated to care for creation, serving the marginalized and vulnerable, Pope Francis has spoken out against ecological injustice, poverty, inequality, and discrimination, and has urged people to put aside their differences and work together for the common good. Sure, like many, I have strong feelings about the current milieu surrounding certain issues in our Church - the role of women in the Church, the welcoming of LGBTQ communities. Still, I live in the hope of our leader’s continued commitment to dialogue and reconciliation, imperfect as our Church may be.
Thank you, Pope Francis for holding up the banner of Christ in the way that you have been called. We will continue to pray for you just as you asked us to in your first day on the job behind a balcony over St. Peter’s Square.
10 Years of Francis: Reflections from his Jesuit Brothers
10 Years of Francis: He is my pope too
10 Years of Francis: Vocation Inspiration
10 Years of Francis: MAGIS
10 Years of Francis: Inviting us to be adult disciples
10 Years of Francis: “Padre Jorge”
Conversion. Atonement. Forgiveness. Election.
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Pope Francis is making his 45th apostolic journey from 2 to 13 September, visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. This marks his return to Asia since 2019, when he visited Thailand and Japan.
Let us pray that each of us listen with our hearts to the cry of the Earth and of the victims of environmental disasters and the climate crisis, making a personal commitment to care for the world we inhabit.
In a recent interview, Pope Francis pulled back the curtains and offered a glimpse into his daily life, the challenges of his papacy, his vision for the Society of Jesus and the future of the Church.
Let us pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and the common good, taking caring of those who have lost their jobs and giving priority to the poor.
A change of perspective that leads to the need for a new economic, environmental and social paradigm.
Let us pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick grant the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope.
