A New Vision for the Church

I am excited by the possibility of the change that Pope Francis hopes to spearhead in the Catholic Church. For awhile, I have thought that some practices of the Church have been slightly antiquated at times, but Pope Francis recognizes, more than other popes in recent years, that the Church cannot remain as a stagnant organization. He has realized that many people feel distanced now from a Catholic Church that they feel is not adapting to a changing, modern world. Pope Francis has not been in his position for very long, but he has already published several writings which declare his determination to make the Catholic Church more welcoming to others and conscious to the need for social justice. His most recently released apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, spans a wide range of topics, such as joy being a necessity for evangelization and the need for priests to deliver better homilies; however, it particularly highlights his concern for the well-being of the poor of the world.

Pope Francis uses startling phrases such as, “idolatry of money,” and “economy of exclusion” to describe the economies of several first-world countries. His message about the evil of greed is even more powerful because of when his apostolic exhortation was released: around the time of Black Friday, an event which is focused on consumerism. Pope Francis’ vision for the Catholic Church, and for the entire world, is that the rich will “help, respect, and promote the poor.” Contrary to the sometimes selfish motivations of Black Friday enthusiasts, Pope Francis calls for everyone to be involved in social justice, and to give freely of their time and to part with as much money as they can afford. Much too often, the holiday season is focused solely on the secular side of Christmas, which involves Santa, Christmas lights, and presents under the Christmas tree which we may not need or may forget about by the time the next Christmas comes around. Instead, we should pay attention to the reason we are celebrating, which is the birth of Jesus Christ, and serve others as he did during his lifetime. Many people’s relationship with money, especially Americans, revolves around using money to make their already easy lives better, when the money could be utilized for a more important purpose, like giving it to a family that is on the brink of starvation, or cannot pay for medical care for their loved one. Pope Francis is asking people who have comfortable lives to donate and help others whose lives are less pleasant, and I completely support him in that, as I also approve of the other changes he wishes to enact in the Catholic Church.