May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13).
It’s his smile. That’s what we have noticed especially about our new Holy Father, Pope Francis. His smile literally lights up St. Peter’s Square — and that’s a big place!
It’s not that our previous popes haven’t exuded happiness. They did show us joy, too. But Pope Francis has been unusually open in approaching people, walking right up to them in the crowds, touching people and picking up children (I’m sure his security staff is pretty nervous at times).
I think his joy his contagious. People have been responding to him in person and have been enjoying watching videos. Catholic News Service has posted some wonderful videos of Pope Francis interacting with people of all ages. Some of these videos can be found on the Catholic Herald website (www.madisoncatholicherald.org) on the home page. If you haven’t watched these videos, I encourage you to take a look. You will come away smiling.