“Live the present moment, filling it to the brim with love” (Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân, Five Loaves and Two Fish).

In the midst of ongoing world crises — wars in Ukraine and Gaza, economic uncertainty, and the loss of our Pope — there remains the desire to celebrate, to hope, to live, even as we mourn the Pope’s death.

As we Catholics ponder the future and await with joyful hope during this time of Sede Vacante, we celebrate the life of a good man who has gone home to the Lord, we have hope for the future, and we live each day awaiting news of our next shepherd.

Over the past three weeks, there has been a great outpouring of love for our Holy Father on Earth. He emulated our Lord as a man of mercy and compassion (“As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them,” Mark 6:34). He understood Jesus’ call for mercy (“A bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just,” March 17, 2013 First Angelus of Pope Francis). He was a man of great love for all people (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” Mark 12:31).

Pope Francis, a man who lived like Jesus lived, taught what Jesus taught, and loved like Jesus loved, was beloved and adored the world over because he knew the meaning of life. What did he know that we should know? How can we discover the meaning of life?

Fully Alive

Like Pope Francis, we are called to have mercy and compassion. We are called to love. We are called to be fully alive. This is the thing for which we are all searching — to be fully alive. And we can only get there through the acts of mercy, compassion, and love.

Our associate pastor, Father Michael Angeloni, recently gave a homily where he showed us the difference between mercy and compassion. He said that having compassion is feeling bad about someone’s circumstance or wishing better for someone; whereas showing mercy is taking action to help someone or make things better for them. Jesus had compassion, but he acted with mercy. Acting with mercy leads us to a deeper love of others.

People who understand this difference know the meaning of life. These people know that following Christ’s example and moving beyond trepidation and fear will lead us to living more fully. People like Pope Francis who said,

“Cast out the fears that paralyze you, so that you don’t become young mummies. Live! Give yourselves over to the best of life! Open the door of the cage, go out and fly!” (Pope Francis)

In his address “to young people and the entire people of God,” Pope Francis told us that Christ is alive; therefore, we should be alive!

In the First Century, St. Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” We’ve been trying for thousands of years to find a way to be fully alive. I think that’s why so many seek out and follow those people who exemplify Christ but also those who exemplify society’s vision of happiness. Society would like us to believe that joy is what it is not. People who live fully know the difference between compassion and mercy as well as the difference between happiness and joy.

We are all seeking joy. It is the thing which man and woman most desire, whether they know it or not. But it’s not easily found. Often mistaken for other emotions, joy cannot be captured. It cannot be contained. It cannot be sustained in this life. We reach for it, long for it, pray for it because it is the thing which our souls most desire. St. Peter describes joy as “inexpressible and glorious…the result of your faith [felt by] the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

We are all searching for truth, meaning, fullness of life, and joy, but many of us are looking for the wrong things in the wrong places! 

Life in Abundance

Pope Francis said, “Jesus gives us life, life in abundance. If we are close to him we will have joy in our hearts and a smile on our face” (The Spirit of St Francis: Inspiring Words on Faith, Love and Creation, p. 84).

When we know the meaning of life — living life fully, and loving one another with compassion and mercy — we will know, understand, and spread joy!

The great writer and, dare I say, theologian, C.S. Lewis, wrote time and time again about joy. Even his memoir is titled, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life. In it, he writes, “Joy must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again … I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But then Joy is never in our power and Pleasure often is.”

Joy is never in our power. It is a gift from God. However, showing compassion, being merciful, and loving your neighbor will bring you joy. These things are the things that make us fully alive. Doing these things is our call. This is what will lead us to mission. We must embrace love, show compassion, and lead with mercy, and we will be people of joy. We—you and I—must live in the glory of God, fully alive, “for he came to give you life, ‘and life in abundance’” (Jn 10:10). (Pope Francis)

So how do we live life abundantly? We will explore that next time. Look for Part 2 on June 5, 2025.

Copyright 2025 Amy Schisler
Images copyright 2025 Amy Schisler, all rights reserved.