The teacher asked her class, "Which is more important to us 鈥� the sun or the moon?"
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 One of the students answered, "The moon."
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The teacher asked why the moon was more important, and the student gave this explanation: "The moon gives us light at night when we need it most.... The sun just gives us light in the daytime when we don鈥檛 really need it!"
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Perhaps we have been living in the light of God鈥檚 love so long that we too take it for granted. The power of God鈥檚 love gives joy to our days, and we only feel its loss when love is absent.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪inging is a sign of joy and, if we look more closely, it is a sign of love鈥� 鈥� Saint Augustine.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 During his life as a priest Pope Francis was once asked a difficult question by a young person: 鈥淔ather, what did God do before He created the world?鈥澛�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 His answer: 鈥淏efore He created the world, God was in love, because God is love. The love He had within Himself, the love between the Father and the Son, in the Holy Spirit, was so great, so overflowing鈥� that God could not be selfish. He had to go out from Himself, in order to have someone to love outside of Himself. So God created the world.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淏ut the most beautiful thing God made was the family,鈥� the Pope continued. The family is a 鈥渨orkshop of hope, of the hope of life and resurrection, since God was the one who opened this path.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪take everything on love,鈥� Pope Francis says. Help each other in times of difficulty and lighten each other鈥檚 burdens, he said, as he addressed the Festival of Families in Philadelphia on September 26, 2015.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 About dreaming, the Pope addressed children and immigrant families in East Harlem on September 25: 鈥淜eep smiling and help bring joy to everyone you meet. It isn鈥檛 always easy. Every home has its problems, difficult situations, sickness, but never stop dreaming so you can be happy.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎ll of you here, children and adults, have a right to dream鈥� Wherever there are dreams, wherever there is joy, Jesus is present. Always.鈥� Joy seems to be the segue that joins all our Christian actions and motivations.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淩ejoice in the Lord always. I say it again, rejoice,鈥� (Philippians 4:4) Pope Francis echoed these words in a homily on the occasion of the canonization of Junipero Serra. He added, 鈥淕o forth! Proclaim! The joy of the Gospel is something to be experienced, something to be known and lived only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Saint Junipero鈥檚 motto was 鈥淜eep moving forward.鈥� Leaving his native land of Spain, Junipero Serra was known as the Apostle of California. His canonization mass on September 23, 2015, was the first such mass to be celebrated in the United States.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 As a challenge to the American Congress on September 24, 2015, Pope Francis invoked the Golden Rule as the yardstick that time will use as a measurement for us: 鈥淒o unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12).鈥�
