Pope Francis Pricks Consciences, Inspires Conversion and Change

The main reason why Our Holy Father will come to the Philippines is to be with the victims of the super typhoon Yolanda. The news of his personal presence in Tacloban is already a big consolation for the suffering people there. Even without saying anything, the Pope in person with his beaming smile and outstreched arm blessing them, taping their heads and kissing the babies is a huge picture of delight. But he will surely say something especially when he will pray over them and bless them all.

At the same time the Holy Spirit is using the presence of Christ’s vicar on earth to prick consciences. There are many of us Catholics who can easily quote Matthew 25 on loving the least of the brethren but fail to drop even a coin on a beggar’s hand. There are many of us who haven’t been to Tacloban yet even if we are able to we have not sufficiently allowed the poor to teach and inspire us.

It will be difficult to describe the bursts of emotions, tears of joy, feelings of awe and wonder on the part of our suffering people at the sight of a white-clad Holy Father ready to embrace them, to offer his hand to kiss, and eat with them.

It is equally difficult to describe the remorse of conscience, the pricking sensation scolding us of our insensitivity or fear of dangers and difficulties in helping others. This has happened to those who saw and listened to Pope Francis. But these are moments when we can hear the inner voice and open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, and ask forgiveness and change! This is what media calls “the Francis effect”.

When St. John Paul II coming from the Manila International airport on January 1995 for the World Youth Day passed by a huge crowd at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Quirino Avenue, a man standing on a table shouted in tears, “I will not drink anymore!“.

A friend of mine, a medical doctor from Iligan City was watching the Pope on television at the Cagayan de Oro airport. Suddenly oblivious of the people around he knelt before the TV set and in tears kissed the pope on the screen! He later went to confession.

Passing glance from the Pope, inspiring presence, aura of holiness, pricked consciences that resulted in moral miracles, in a sudden conversion of hearts!

I’m sure many similar conversions will happen when Francis look at us and speak to our hearts even through television.

I hope and pray that God through the presence and words and gestures of Pope Francis will sharpen our callused consciences by the power of the Holy Spirit and will bring us closer to the poor, the needy, and the neglected in our Church and society.