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Having a ‘Pope-hangover?’ Ten ways to cope
Pope Francis thanks Filipinos before boarding Shepherd One, the Philippine Airlines plane that will fly him and his entourage back to Rome on Monday, January 19. Danny Pata
Millions of Filipinos felt a surge of energy and inspiration when Pope Francis was in the country from January 15-19. And then he had to go back to the Vatican…
What do we then? How do we deal with this sense of longing to have him in our midst again?
There are ways to keep being inspired by the Pope even though he may be thousands of miles away from us. In fact, we do not have to be with him “physically” to be touched by his grace and be blessed by him.
The pope himself said that he would be with us in our daily struggles and that he would always remember us in his prayers.
Here then are some ways to stay #blessedbythepope:
Pope Francis hugs children after performing a song for the Pope during a meeting with the youth at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on Sunday, January 18. An emotional Pope Francis, moved by the tears of a former street child, said on Sunday the world needed to 'learn how to cry' over the plight of the millions of poor, hungry, homeless and abused children. Reuters/Romeo Ranoco
2. Follow him on Twitter (https://twitter.com/pontifex). Like or retweet his posts.
3. Watch Vatican videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican
4. Write to the Pope. He does not have a public email address but you can send mail to him at this address:
His Holiness, Pope Francis
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City
5. Watch papal Masses on TV. On Philippine cable, papal Masses are usually aired on the US-based Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN at http://www.ewtn.com/). Papal Masses are also aired on CatholicTV.
6. Save money for a trip to the Vatican and attend Masses presided over by the pope. Tickets are free. You can find the schedule of papal Masses here.
7. Join the official prayer arm of the Pope: the Apostleship of Prayer. This worldwide organization, which has a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, has been around since the 1800s.
In the Philippines, every parish church has an Apostleship of Prayer organization that prays for the intentions of the pontiff every day. You can ask your parish office about how to join this group which is open to everyone, young and old alike.
At the University of Santo Tomas on Sunday, January 18, Pope Francis asks 'Encounter with the Youth' participants to offer a minute of silence and a prayer for the volunteer worker who died when a scaffolding collapsed after the Pope's Mass in Tacloban on Saturday. GMA News
For one, you can check out the Facebook page of Tuloy sa Don Bosco, the streetchildren program of Salesian priests.
The Pope may be a Jesuit but he was proud of his Salesian education in his early years. In fact, he himself said that he was accused of “Salesianizing his Jesuit formation.”
9. Help the sick and the elderly. They have a special place in the pope’s heart. We do not have to look far to find sick and elderly people. In our own families or neighborhoods, there might be some who are ill or aged and in need of our help. We can cheer them up, share our food with them, help them visit the doctor, and so on. We can always find creative but realistic ways to help others.
10. Pray for the Pope. In his public events, the Pope always says, “Pray for me.” He has a very big responsibility. His tasks seem too much for one man. Do remember him in your daily prayers. This will be appreciated not only by the pope but by his “Boss” – God Himself.
—KG, GMA News
