Pope Francis began today a series of talks on the Church, which you can find here. I like his final questions, which reinforce one of his points: that the Church is something we participate in, so that we should speak of it in the first person plural ("we" and "us") and not in the third person singular (that thing over there).

Let us ask ourselves today: how much do I love the Church? Do I pray for her? Do I feel part of the family of the Church? What do I do so that it may be a community where everyone feels welcomed and understood, feels the mercy and love of God that renews life? Faith is a gift and an act that affects us personally, but God calls us to live our faith together, as a family, like the Church.

Rev. Joseph A. Komonchak, professor emeritus of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of New York.

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