Pope Francis: New Years Best Gift to The Philippines!

The Best Gift of the Year!

Our Beloved Pope Francis will visit us so soon!

From the moment Pope Francis appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, he won the hearts of the people.  His humility, simplicity and closeness to the poor reveal a man deeply in touch with the Gospel. His profile has soared. He has initiated a fundamental reform of the Roman Curia, challenged a “globalization of indifference,” and become the most talked about person in the world.
 

We Filipino’s love to say, "It is more fun in the Philippines," even in the midst of calamities that happened in the past years. This is so because we still yet have lots to offer unto others such as our smiles which is a grace from above despite the tragedy that we have gone through. Some of our brothers and sisters lost their houses and family members especially the people in Tacloban and neighboring islands, however, after months and years  slowly  they were able to recover with smiles on their faces even in front of the camera despite the sad reality.  All of these are reflections of our very own culture, our mark as Filipino which has then ability to fight and stand up after we fall.

New Year came and all of us wonder: what would be the best gift we could ever have for this new beginning? But I tell you, the best gift is almost at hand because this coming January 15-18, 2015 Pope Francis will visit our nation and he brings to us the message of God, "Mercy and Compassion." Mercy is the Lord's most powerful message from God for us! I think it is but fitting for us all to remind ourselves and inculcate into our individual hearts what God taught us, to be merciful especially to our brothers and sisters who led astray in the world far away  today.

“Mercy and compassion” will be the theme of Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines, where devastation from Typhoon Haiyan is still being felt more than a year later, along with the earthquake that hit the region of Visayas. All those tragedy that Filipinos faced were challenges that make them who were hit badly and us all stronger as we all move on and continue in the journey of faith. St. Paul says, "it is when I am weak that I am strong" indeed these words capture our very own being and situation that is constantly in need of God's grace as well as His Mercy and Compassion for us all.

The theme of the Pope's  visit is inspired by the gospel of Matthew 9:36, where Jesus, after “seeing the people, felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

The very presence of the Pope Francis is a gift to us all here in the Philippines, Asia, and to the whole world. He is a concrete message for all of us that offers a challenge, “to imitate Christ, the Good Shepherd, who is Mercy and Compassion.” Supported by his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, in which Pope Francis wrote, “The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel."

Therefore, we have  many reasons to laudably shout to the whole world this gift we could ever have this year which is the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines. Most of us all Christians believe that our Beloved Pope Francis brings hope to the hopeless and strength to those who are weary as he reminds us in Christ.