EPIPHANY OF THE LORD Parish Marian Year
Pope Francis lives in peace with himself and he’s explained over the years how he does it.
Take rest in God
Pope Francis takes time each day to "rest in God," and to discern his will. "He reveals his loving plan when we are in repose," explains the pope, adding that this rest is necessary for the "health of our spirit and of our bodies."
Even though it’s difficult to create this space of quiet restful-ness in God, "it is essential for hearing the voice of God, and understanding what he asks of us."
Early to bed, early to rise
Francis maintains a regular daily schedule and it’s said he turns in before 9 p.m., so as to be awake by 4 a.m. He also has a short siesta after lunch.
And, well, he’s at peace with himself if sleep sneaks up on him in prayer. "I sometimes fall asleep when I pray," he admitted with a smile during an interview in 2017. "St. Therese of the Child Jesus said that she did as well, but that she was still pleasing to God."
The pope explained: A believer should be with God "like a child in the arms of his father" since "this is one of the many ways to bless the name of God, to feel like a child in his arms."
De-stress with prayer
Pope Francis affirms that the best way to keep stress at bay is, simply, to pray. And he prays a lot. "I pray according to my style. I love the breviary and I always have it with me. Mass, every day. The Rosary … When I pray, I always turn to the Bible. And then peace grows within me."
Keep a sense of humor
"Without a sense of humour, it’s hard to be happy," Francis says in God Is Young. The Holy Father says that a Christian should always have a sense of humor because it’s necessary for "enjoying life, for getting enthusiastic about things." Quoting Chesterton, he adds, "Life is much too important to be taken seriously."
In 2014, he told the Roman Curia that he prays Thomas More’s Prayer for Good Humour every day:
Prayer for Good Humor by St. Thomas More
Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something
to digest. Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good
humor to maintain it. Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place. Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs and laments,
nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called "I." Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others.
Finally, say no to sin and yes to God
Lastly, Pope Francis’ fountain of youth is found in his clear conscience. "What ages a person isn’t years, it’s sin," he explains. Thus, Our Lady gives the most resplendent example of enduring youthfulness: "Her youthfulness is not in her age, nor is her beauty in her exterior appearance. …" Francis noted. "In many paintings, Mary is represented sitting before an angel with a book in her hands. This book is Scripture. Mary always listened to God and spent her time with him. The Word of God was her secret: near her heart, it took flesh in her womb."
Following Our Lady, the Holy Father invites us all to open our hearts to the grace of youthfulness by saying no to sin and living a luminous life in our "yes" to God.
Marzena Devoud and Kathleen N. Hattrup, Aleteia, Dec 17, 2019
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"For Catholics it is a fundamental dogma of the Faith that all human beings, without any exception whatever, are specially made, were specially shaped and pointed like shining arrows, for the end of hitting the mark of Beatitude."
Chesterton, The Thing
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