Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
And then, it was … done. Or was it?
Pope Francis boarded Shepherd One Sunday night and headed back to the Vatican with thousands of miles under his belt after his visit to 
Cuba and the United States. Thousands were blessed by small-group meetings with him at prisons, at shelters, and elsewhere. Millions attended large events or stood and cheered as the Popemobile drove by, with Francis smiling, always smiling, and waving and giving blessings. Millions more were touched virtually via TV, radio, newspaper, or social media. But today is Tuesday, and the pope is taking a day of rest at home.
And then it was … done. Or was it?
This trip will have been a complete failure if we all return to our daily lives, unchanged by Francis’s reminders about what Jesus desires from us: Repairing rifts in our families and communities. Ministering to our brothers and sisters in need. Honoring and defending life at all stages, starting from the moment of conception. Protecting the environment in the largest sense of the word. Offering more mercy and joy to all we encounter, every day.
In attempting to live a more Christ-centric life, we will encounter evil every day, just as we always have. Evil encourages us to put up walls around our hearts and souls. Evil whispers, “Well done,” when we waste money, gasoline, or time on activities that benefit only ourselves, and perhaps not even ourselves in the long run. Evil tells us the status quo is just fine, that there’s no need to change.
Pope Francis reminds us in poignant, simple words and in his actions that the status quo won’t work if we wish to draw nearer to the Lord. In the moment, when we saw that smile, that hand, and heard that beautiful, reasoned voice, we likely made some private vows of change, of service, of harmony. Now it’s time to suit up and show evil we were serious about those vows.
And so, on this, the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels, we pray: St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
For more reports and reflections on the Pope’s visit from members of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the Catholic Women Bloggers Network (CWBN), please visit “A Walk In Words With Pope Francis.”
