MORNING HOMILIES

"From his morning homilies, Pope Francis offers his unforgettable reflections on the gospel."Each morning Pope Francis says Mass and offers a short homily for fellow residents and guests in the chapel of St. Martha's Guesthouse, where he has chosen to live. These homilies reflect the spontaneous and original style that has won hearts throughout the world, as well as his power to communicate the gospel message with depth and freshness. In these accounts of Pope Francis's morning homilies from the first five months of his papacy, it is now possible, for those who were not present, to experience and enjoy his lively manner of spaeking, and his capacity to engage his listeners and their daily lives. Thus, we hear his reflections on the Emmaus disciples who were "simmering their lives in the sauce of their grumbling"; on Christians who must keep facing reality, "ready, like the goalkeeper of a football team, to stop the ball wherever it comes from." The pope speaks of the true God of faith and of "a diffuse god, a god-spray, that is a bit everywhere, but we don't know what it is"; of "intellectuals without talent" and "ethicists without kindness"; of "going to confession like going to the dry cleaners"; of a "holy picture face" which conceals our own sinfulness. But more important than these vivid images are the themes of Pope Francis: the importance of mercy and forgiveness; the role of Jesus as Savior; the dangers of a church closed in on itself; the gospel as a source of life and joy.