Papal Visit 2015 in the Philippines

People all over the globe is definitely not alien to the prevailing circumstance with regard to the horrible effects of several catastrophes that hit the Philippines. Earthquakes, landslides, floods, and typhoons are some of the many disasters that kill thousands of people. It was indeed a tragic, terrific, and unfortunate phenomenon that had shaken the lives of the many Filipinos. Thousands of families lose their homes, livelihoods, and loved ones. Many of the survivors wish to end their lives because they have nothing to live for. Starvation, lack of sustenance and frustrations are a few of the many concerns of the survivors. And yet, despite of the horrible catastrophes that crumbled in them, what remains solid in them is their hope. Yes, their hope of tomorrow and most especially their hope of the loving presence of God. This hope will lead us Filipinos to stand and continue to live a simple life with a smile in our lips amidst crises and pains.

At the present, we are still on the process of recovering from distractions. It might not be easy to start again, to regain everything that lost, but the spirit of hope that is rooted in our deep faith and trust in God will help us to stand and move on.

Today we're very much busy preparing for the coming of the representative of Christ, the pope – Pope Francis. All of us are very much overwhelm to know that he will be visiting us on his Papal Visit this coming January 16. For me, this Papal visit is indeed a grace from God. It is a blessing to all of us Filipinos for us to rekindle the fire of hope that is burning in our hearts. Pope Francis’s visit brings hope after these dilemmas, we encountered.  What I have seen in the life of Pope Francis is the real Christ lovingly tends His sheep. He is the genuine image that portraits the Church as a church of the poor. His simplicity, humility and holiness of life are concrete manifestations of His intimate relationship with the Lord. His way of living is an invitation to each and every one of us to revisit and to rediscover the true essence of our faith and to learn something new about it. In these unfortunate circumstances we face, Pope Francis as the living image of Christ, opens the hearts and minds of all the faithful to the spirit of charity.

Pope Francis on his first tweet said “God loves us, let us not be afraid to love him.” It is this transforming love of God that we become fully alive and hopeful. Once we realized that we are clothed and touched by the love of God, we will rise again with a heart that is full of courage, hope, and faith. We may experience thousands of calamities, but that love will always lead us to cling and go back to God. Pope Francis is a visible instrument of Christ in building up the community in the light of the gospel. He concretely lives his life as true shepherd of soul. He is our educator of faith. He is then, the living message of Jesus to us, especially in our present situation.

Above all, Pope Francis wanted to have a smell like us. He wanted to know our sorrows and struggles and even our distress and burdens – for him to know how to lead us to Christ. He knows that he is an exemplary extension of God’s heart. He loves us because he felt the love of Christ burning in his life. Pope Francis felt the overflowing love of God and he wants to share it with the sheep whom the Lord entrusted to his care. Indeed, Pope Francis became popular not because of his own successes, but precisely because Christ truly lives in him and he, in Christ.