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    Pope Francis' Little Book of Wisdom: The Essential Teachings
    Pope Francis' Little Book of Wisdom: The Essential Teachings
    Pope Francis' Little Book of Wisdom: The Essential Teachings
    Ebook113 pages1 hour

    Pope Francis' Little Book of Wisdom: The Essential Teachings

    By Andrea Kirk Assaf

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    About this ebook

    Pope Francis appears to be changing the face of Roman Catholicism. He has infused what some consider a staid institution with openness and optimism. He has faced off against established power interests within the Vatican. He has reformed the Church's finances. And, most importantly, he has asked that Catholics approach one another and non-Catholics with candor, humility, and love. He has made the papacy and the Church relevant once again.

    A pope of the people, Pope Francis' teachings have been praised and shared by the faithful and nonreligious alike. Exploring themes such as faith and prayer, love and family, peace and poverty, this collection is accessible to all who admire the man and are inspired by his wisdom. Included in this gift-format edition are fifteen chapters on wide-ranging topics including:

    • On Family
    • On the Law of Love
    • On the Nature of God
    • On Humility and Faith
    • On Sacrifice and Suffering
    • On Prayer
    • On Peace
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHampton Roads Publishing
    Release dateSep 1, 2015
    ISBN9781612833507
    Pope Francis' Little Book of Wisdom: The Essential Teachings
    Author

    Andrea Kirk Assaf

    Andrea Kirk Assaf is a writer, homeschool teacher, pilgrim guide, and professor of the Art and Architecture of Rome in the Eternal City. She blogs daily at www.fourseasonschole.org. For HarperCollins she has compiled six books in the Little Book of Wisdom series (2008–present) and is the author of The Honey Book (2021).

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      Book preview

      Pope Francis' Little Book of Wisdom - Andrea Kirk Assaf

      PART ONE

      Hope & Joy

      Daily contemplation of the Gospel helps us to have true hope. Keeping our gaze fixed on Jesus is the core of hope.

      To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope!

      This is Christian hope: that the future is God's hands.

      [Y]ou have in your heart a promise of hope. You are bearers of hope. You, in fact, live in the present, but are looking at the future. You are the protagonists of the future, artisans of the future.

      [F]reedom and hope go hand in hand ... wherever there is no hope, there can be no freedom.

      Do not allow yourselves to be robbed of hope, and carry on! On the contrary, sow hope.

      Christ is the one who renews every wonderful thing of creation; He's the reason of our hope. And this hope does not delude because He is faithful. He can't renounce Himself. This is the virtue of Hope.

      Hope is the most humble of the three theological virtues, for it hides itself in this life.

      It's best to not confuse optimism with hope. Optimism is a psychological attitude toward life. Hope goes further.

      Hope is having our hearts anchored to our loved ones, our ancestors, to where the saints are, where Christ is, where God is.

      [H]ope is not for one person alone, hope is something we do together! We must keep hope alive together, all of you, and all of us, who are so far away.

      There are difficult moments in life, but with hope the soul goes forward and looks ahead to what awaits us.

      Anyone exercising a role of leadership—allow me to say, anyone whom life has anointed as a leader—needs to have practical goals and to seek specific means to attain them. At the same time, there is always the risk of disappointment, resentment, and indifference, if our plans and goals do not materialize. Here I would appeal to the dynamic of hope that inspires us to keep pressing on, to employ all our energies and abilities on behalf of those for whom we work, accepting results, making it possible to strike out on new paths, being generous even without apparent results, yet keeping hope alive, with the constancy and courage that comes from accepting a vocation as leader and guide.

      We are all called to rekindle in our hearts an impulse of hope, that should result in concrete works of peace, reconciliation, and fraternity.

      There is never a reason to lose hope. Jesus says: ‘I am with you until the end of the world.’

      Every period of history is marked by the presence of human weakness, self-absorption, complacency, and selfishness, to say nothing of the concupiscence which preys upon us all. These things are ever present under one guise or another; they are due to our human limits rather than particular situations. Let us not say, then, that things are harder today; they are simply different. But let us learn also from the saints who have gone before us, who confronted the difficulties of their own day. So I propose that we pause to rediscover some of the reasons which can help us to imitate them today.

      For us Christians, wherever the Cross is, there is hope, always. If there is no hope, we are not Christian. That is why I like to say, do not allow yourselves to be robbed of hope. May we not be robbed of hope because this strength is a grace, a gift from God which carries us forward with our eyes fixed on Heaven.

      Christian hope is not a ghost and it does not deceive. It is a theological virtue and therefore, ultimately, a gift from God that cannot be reduced to optimism, which is only human. God does not mislead hope; God cannot deny himself. God is all promise.

      This is the joy which we experience daily, amid the little things of life, as a response to the loving invitation of God our Father: ‘My child, treat yourself well, according to your means ... Do not deprive yourself of the day's enjoyment’ (Sir 14:11, 14). What tender paternal love echoes in these words!

      The Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ's cross, constantly invites us to rejoice ... Why should we not also enter into this great stream of joy?

      No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, He makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew.

      Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God's voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers, too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry, and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God's will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ.

      The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept His offer of

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