Gloomy Christians?

“Christians are joyful; they are never gloomy. God is at our side…Jesus has shown us that the face of God is that of a loving Father. Sin and death have been defeated. Christians cannot be pessimists! If we are truly in love with Christ and if we sense how much he loves us, our hearts will \’light up\’ with a joy that spreads to everyone around us.”

— Pope Francis

Let this inspire you today. There is no broken spirit or down spirit in a child of God. If you love Love — and that is the Christ — then joy springs forth! You just can\’t be cut down. Stop looking at your circumstances and look at the light of Christ.

Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio) is the reigning pope of the Catholic Church.  Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina\’s Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.  Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor in 2013. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European pope since the Syrian Gregory III in 741, 1,272 years earlier. Throughout his public life, both as an individual and as a religious leader, Pope Francis has been noted for his humility, his concern for the poor and his commitment to dialogue as a way to build bridges between people of all backgrounds, beliefs and faiths.

Quote is from the homily of Pope Francis during Holy Mass on the third day of his Apostolic Journey to Brazil (July 24th, 2013), to attend the XXVIII World Youth Day in Brazil. It took place at the Marian Shrine at Aparecida.

Bio Source: Wikipedia
Photo Credit: Edgar Jimenez