As I write this message, the Church has entered fully into the season of Lent, and is also marking the first anniversary of the election of Pope Francis.

Lent is always a good time to take spiritual stock and I have been thinking in these recent days of the wonderful example that Pope Francis is being to all of us who seek to live Christ’s mission.

I think, if asked what they find most striking about Francis, many would say it is his simplicity. This is apparent not only in practical things, like his living arrangements, but also in the way he lives out his faith. Here is a man who constantly seeks out the lost and forgotten ones. Who could forget the photo of Pope Francis lovingly holding and embracing the head of Vinicio Riva, the man suffering from a disfiguring disease? He knows the healing power of touch, as did Jesus. It was a simple act, really. But by physically reaching out to this man, Francis told him: ‘You are not rejected, or forgotten. You are loved with an everlasting love. You are special’. I think too, of how he chose to celebrate his birthday, not with his close circle of friends or the Vatican staff, but by inviting some of the local homeless people to come and have lunch with him. The message was the same: ‘You are not forgotten. I choose to spend my special day in your company. You are loved’.”

The simplicity of Pope Francis gives us all great hope, and a great challenge. Mission – that is sharing the love of Christ with others – need not be a complicated affair. These are all things that we can do. We can reach out to embrace someone in our life who is rejected or suffering in some way. We can, through our parish or a local charity, share a meal with the homeless in our own area. We can reach out in simple ways to show those who live on the margins that they are loved and that they are beautiful because they are God’s creation.

This Lent, let us step out of our comfort zone, and in a spirit of simplicity, ask ourselves where is the sister or brother to whom I could reach out in love? Pope Francis asks us to do as much in his Lenten Message, when he says:

“In imitation of our Master, we Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it.”

Yours in the Word,
Fr Henry Adler SVD
Provincial