POPE FRANCIS: A MAN OFGRACE

Generally we think of "grace" as pertaining to women as you would be inclined to associate with the program "WOMEN OF GRACE" which is televised on EWTN,  a Catholic venue, but a step for and to the virtues.  It just does not go far enough because men can be, and often are instruments of grace.  Thus, I think of Pope Francis as a MAN OF GRACE.

There are actually seven virtues which we seldom hear of let alone think of because we usually are introduced to the three theological Cardinal Virtues as taught by Saint Paul of Tarsus.  They are Faith, Hope and Charity.  These three virtues were adapted and unified with the Seven Cardinal Virtues which were taught  by the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle.  We owe the Greeks a lot.

  The seven Cardinal Virtues are:

Prudence

 Charity

Temperance

 Diligence,

 Patience

 Kindness

 Humility

As I look and ponder on these virtues I think of our new Pope as he clearly is a man of grace.  He seems to have all the elements of a person of grace.  I am sure he has some foibles as do the rest of us, but most of all God's children probably do not really live by all the virtues bestowed and are available to us.  We are weak, sometimes Popes are weak, but Pope Francis is an exceptional man in exceptional times.  He is a  Pope of the People in a time when the church is being minimized or out-rightly attacked.  His umbrella is the Grace of Virtues.  His shield is Grace as he tries to steer the Church back to the basics that Christ came, taught and died for.  And the basic-truth-virtue-grace, is that we love one another.


You may think or say that it seems impossible to live by the virtues of grace, but keep in mind that many known and unknown saints and holy people lived and died for these precepts. You will say that they were very exceptional individuals or maybe "born" into such graces.  As far as I know only Mary was  "chosen" to the virtues of the graces, and only Jesus was the recipient of ALL graces and virtues, as He was also the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Correct me if I am wrong because I am often wrong about a great many things and I certainly am not a theologian.


There is nothing to keep us or anyone from practicing or attempting to live under the umbrella of grace.  Graces and virtues are not owned by anyone and are not just words on a page or thrown into cyberspace.  In a sense you can lay "claim" to the virtues of grace just as Pope Francis seems to have done.  These are not just concepts of humanitarianism, but voluntary actions according to the Bible, ancient customs and cultures and sound faith in Jesus Christ.  Are you a person of grace?

 

 

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