Pope illustrates Jesus’ selfless and sacrificial love

    Many of Pope Francis’ sentiments have expressed the need to care for the poor. These messages should come as no surprise, considering his background as a Jesuit. The Jesuit mission’s famous opening statement by St. Ignatius ends with such service to the poor: “Moreover, he should show himself ready to reconcile the estranged, compassionately assist and serve those who are in prisons or hospitals, and indeed, to perform any other works of charity, according to what will seem expedient for the glory of God and the common good.”
    Recently, news outlets and social media have gone viral with the images and story of Pope Francis’ embrace of a man suffering from neurofibromatosis. As the Washington Post aptly described, it “was an image worth a thousand words.” While the disease is not contagious, sufferers often feel discrimination based on physical appearance. With this outpouring of affection, Pope Francis truly practiced what he preaches, prompting reporters and members of the public to see allusions between Pope Francis and Jesus’ healing of the leper.
    Twitter and Facebook seemed ablaze with reposting the now-iconic image, with people commenting on how the picture moved them to tears, and how the picture demonstrates what Jesus’ love was all about: selfless and sacrificial. Certainly, I think it’s wonderful that images and reports of Pope Francis’ actions are creating such an impact in our world, among all generations. His simplistic and selfless actions are promoting love and charity to people among all walks of life. This image was only one of a series of events, including a child who wandered up to Pope Francis in the middle of a papal address and wouldn’t leave the pope’s side. The pope seemed to take everything in stride, seemingly encouraging the child to remain near him, and prompting commenters to liken the incident to Jesus’ love for children, citing the Gospels’ “Let the little children come to me” passage.
    These stories have been captured by the media and promoted tirelessly, which is a welcome change from the criticism usually leveled at the Catholic Church. However, I think it’s also wise for us to remember that these little incidents happen more often than the world seems to think. In our own parishes, we see our local archbishop, priests and deacons taking time to address the children in their parishes or schools. We see our own clergy volunteering at soup kitchens during these upcoming holiday seasons, and visiting hospitals and nursing homes to administer the sacraments, bless the sick and elderly and take time to talk with them.         
    Moreover, we, too, can enact the messages of our clergy and of Pope Francis. How often do we see in our parish bulletins a call for volunteers for the St. Vincent de Paul Society or volunteers for visiting the sick?
    I think that what we are witnessing is an important move in the right direction. We are seeing Pope Francis put his words into action, but we can also look around us locally and see the same actions. This holiday season, as we remember all that we are thankful for, perhaps we can take time to reach out and remember the church’s mission so that we can be better examples of our faith in the world.
    Heather Bozant Witcher can be reached at hbozantwitcher@clarionherald.org.