I was saddened to wake up to the news that Pope Francis died on Monday morning. He was a Pope who
challenged the People of God to live our faith in the public forum and to form our lives on the fundamental teaching of Jesus to “love our neighbor as we love ourselves”. Pope Francis’ papacy could be seen as focusing on how we live the Gospel message of love in the midst of a world that is surrounded by hate and violence. Pope Francis challenged us to have a special love for the poor and the marginalized
in our world. He called us to love the poor, the immigrant, the homeless and those who so desperately needed God’s love. As we all mourn the death of Pope Francis, let us take to heart His message of hope and of love. May we honor him by striving to live our Catholic faith by reaching out to the poor and the marginalized in our lives.

This Sunday we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 118 to “give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His mercy endures forever”. We are all called to experience the great mercy of God in our lives and to share that mercy with those we meet. Let us take some time this week to reflect upon this great gift of mercy and put it into practice in our daily lives.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
Father Jim