God our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the life and ministry of Pope Francis and for blessing him with the gentle wisdom which touched the lives of countless people all over the world and will continue to inspire Catholic artists and writers for years to come. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Amen.
We mourn the death of Pope Francis and yet we celebrate his life and teachings.
Pope Francis recognized that, like all Christian people, writers and artists are blessed with a truly marvelous vocation: “The Lord calls us to share in his work of creation and to contribute to the common good by using the gifts we have received…. This missionary vocation thus has to do with service. For our life on earth reaches full stature when it becomes an offering.” (Christus vivit 253-254) The Holy Father would often return to this theme of vocation as self-gift, which can help us as Catholic writers to understand the creative journey as a kind of mission. The worlds we craft and the stories we share can help draw our readers closer to Christ. It’s an awesome responsibility, but with God by our side we are up to the task. “We should not be hesitant, afraid to take chances or make mistakes. Avoid the paralysis of the living dead, who have no life because they are afraid to take risks, to make mistakes…” (Christus vivit 142).
Please remember Pope Francis in your prayers—and do not forget his words.
“Literature helps readers to topple the idols of a self-referential, falsely self-sufficient and statically conventional language that at times also risks polluting our ecclesial discourse, imprisoning the freedom of the Word. The literary word is a word that sets language in motion, liberates and purifies it. Ultimately, it opens that word to even greater expressive and expansive vistas. It opens our human words to welcome the Word that is already present in human speech, not when it sees itself as knowledge that is already full, definitive and complete, but when it becomes a listening and expectation of the One who comes to make all things new (cf. Rev 21:5).” (Letter on the Role of Literature in Formation)
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Cecile Bianco
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Cecile Bianco2025-04-22 07:00:492025-04-19 13:29:04A Playground and a Carnival
2025 Margaret King Zacharias
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2025 Margaret King Zacharias
