Pope Francis, as we know, has been living at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. He takes some of his meals with residents, and celebrates Mass daily with small groups of invited guests. According to reports, he preaches on the readings of the day "a braccio:" extemporaneously. Vatican Radio has been providing summaries with quotes.Here are some of his reflections, based upon the Acts of the Apostles:

Wonder is a great grace, the grace that God gives us in our encounter with Jesus Christ. It is something that draws us outside of ourselves with joy.We cannot profess Jesus, we cannot talk about Jesus, we cannot say anything of Jesus without the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that impels us to profess Jesus, to speak about Jesus, to have faith in Jesus. Jesus who is always with us on our life's journey.Throughout history, the people of God have always been tempted to chop a piece off faith. But when we start to cut down on faith, to negotiate faith, selling it to the highest bidder, we take the path of apostasy, we begin to lack faith, to lack faith in the Lord.

Francis' coat of arms features the IHS monogram of the Society of Jesus. Clearly the name of Jesus stands at the center of his own spirituality.Tomorrow the Bishop of Rome celebrates Mass in his Cathedral: Saint John Lateran. It will be interesting to hear his homily and how much of it is "a braccio."

 

Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is a longtime Commonweal contributor.

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