I was lucky enough to have to the papal masses for both John Paul II and Benedict XVI. As different as those popes were, when those masses were among the top, great moments of my life. I was extremely happy to belong to the Church, and was very powerfully reminded of the gift of having a pope to lead us. Yesterday was a bit different. Maybe it was because we had no tickets—so we had to stand for hours and hours—not something I enjoyed. But the way the press was going wild about him made me uneasy. Jesus and those who follow him are not particularly popular in our world. But yesterday I also began to understand the genius of Francis, as he is able to extend his embrace to those who are different (and asks us to do the same), without losing the essence. This time, I also think the media understood that he is not so easily manipulated. Like the previous two masses, it was a great day for the faithful.
It was so shocking to go to work this morning and see something that was so completely opposite that of the day before- people so stressed, obsessed with details, and not free. It was hard not to get swept up into this. I kept looking at the pin that I bought yesterday and placed on my school bag- and thought it is possible to live with another outlook.