Dear 1036: Pope Francis Appearances in You

Dearly Beloved 1036 Clarence,

September 2015 was a momentous month when Pope Francis made an apostolic visit to the USA.

I watched live coverage of some events with him on the TV in the back sunroom, a TV that I still have today with me.  I was there on the morning of Thursday, September 24, with NBC to watch his speech to Congress live, the first Pope to address a Joint Session of the US Congress.  After finishing, he emerged on the Speaker's balcony to appear before the crowd gathered on the west front of the US Capitol.  It was a memorable day.

Days later, I watched live the Mass in Philadelphia at the Conclusion of the World Meeting of Families with the assembly gathered along Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  He had so many great insights in his homilies, and I remember so many wonderful words he had to say about the power of family in this homily.  Here's one part of that homily that resonated with me:

"Faith opens a 'window' to the presence and working of the Spirit. It shows us that, like happiness, holiness is always tied to little gestures. 'Whoever gives you a cup of water in my name will not go unrewarded', says Jesus (cf. Mk 9:41). These little gestures are those we learn at home, in the family; they get lost amid all the other things we do, yet they do make each day different. They are the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children, by brothers and sisters. They are little signs of tenderness, affection, and compassion. Like the warm supper we look forward to at night, the early lunch awaiting someone who gets up early to go to work. Homely gestures. Like a blessing before we go to bed, or a hug after we return from a hard day’s work. Love is shown by little things, by attention to small daily signs which make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for faith to become life, and life to grow in faith."

Yes, these words speak to what resonates so much with me about my time at you, 1036.  You were the setting for where I shared and received these gestures that showed how real God's presence and His love are in this world.

With memories grounded in such marvelous realities, I declare that you shall not fade into the background but remain deeply in my heart as that dearly beloved place.

We remain ever connected:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

With great joy, gladness, and gratitude,

Paul