Pope Francis: Blessing the Messiness

Pope Francis blessed the noise, the mess, and complexities of everyday life. When I picture his legacy, I see all of the photos of him embracing what many of us might consider interruptions. He welcomed children and adults to sit beside him when they curiously interrupted his speeches. He laughed openly, his smile contagious. He wept along those grieving. He knelt and kissed the feet of those most on the margins.

To me, a mom of three children–one of them being a very rambunctious three year-old, I saw myself being welcomed into the church amidst toddler meltdowns. That our very literal noise was welcomed, not silenced. Maybe my, and our, messiness could be holy. I was able to meet Pope Francis in 2019 as part of a Jesuit celebration of the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat. When I shook his hand, I told him “thank you for your joy.” He smiled. 

Thank you, Pope Francis, for not only welcoming, but blessing our messiness and noise. Thank you for your joy.