Receive Communion every Sunday and read the Gospel every day to keep discouragement and the blues away, Pope Francis said. "The word of God and the Eucharist always fill us with joy!" the pope said in his address to people gathered in St. Peter's Square May 4 to pray the "Regina Coeli" with him. The pope spoke about the day's reading from the Gospel of St. Luke (24:13-35), in which two of Jesus' disciples left Jerusalem, saddened and dejected by Christ's death. Failing to grasp the truth of the prophets, the despairing disciples did not recognize the risen Christ when he appeared before them on the road to the village of Emmaus. However, when Jesus explained the Scriptures, and blessed and broke bread with them, their "eyes were opened" and their hearts started "burning" with joy and hope. Often the same thing happens to people today, the pope said. Life's difficulties and disappointments take their toll and people head to Mass burdened with problems and worries. "Life sometimes hurts us and we go there, toward our 'Emmaus,' feeling sad with our backs to God's plan. We distance ourselves from God," he said. What a powerful message from Pope Francis. The reading makes me think of how marvelous it would be to walk and talk with Jesus for the seven mile trip between Jerusalem and Emmaus. That would certainly be two and a half hours worth the pain of walking. Make everyday your Emmaus. Spend time talking with Jesus and you will not have room for the negative thoughts to invade your mind.
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...