2013-03-17        John W                  John W's previous articles

Pope Francis has given us
 a spring in our steps

According to the Cambridge Dictionary:

Last Thursday, March 14, like tens of millions of people around the world, I had a spring in my step - as I made my usual Thursday visit to a prison in Hong Kong

Reason?  The election of Pope Francis

In the days before March 14, like many millions of others, I had been worried, pessimistic, that the new pope would be a "carry on as usual" selection

But then to learn that the new pope is definitely not, is far from, a "carry on as usual" person....this was the best piece of good news I've heard in a long, long time

In the prison on March 14 I had an extra supply of energy, an extra supply of patience, an extra supply of joy....a spring in my step

How long will the spring last?  Hopefully for a long time

To keep up the seasonal link: one swallow doesn't make a summer,
for which above dictionary says: used to say that because one good thing has happened, it is not therefore certain that a situation is going to improve

Which means that the prayer campaign for a "renewal pope"  must continue. As UK blogger Hazel posted yesterday:

We must not stop praying - he needs our prayers if he is to succeed in getting anything done. Our duty now is to be the power house on which he will need to draw if he is to accomplish anything at all

So many of us have prayed long and hard over the past few years for a renewal pope. Let's not stop praying. Let's keep up the prayers, asking the Good Lord to put a Continuing Spring (read: Holy Spirit) in Francis' steps!

See:
Pope Francis - Thank You Holy Spirit!
Pope Francis - Day One
Pope Francis - Day Two