Remembering Pope Francis: A Shepherd of Christ’s Love

This Advent, as a staff, we spent time together reading Pope Francis’ final encyclical, Dilexit Nos ("He Loved Us").

At the time, Pope Francis was alive and well.

We had no idea that just months later, his earthly journey would come to an end.

Looking back, we are deeply grateful that we paused during the season of hopeful waiting to study what would become his final and most personal teaching.

In hindsight, it feels like God was preparing our hearts — giving us the chance to sit at the feet of a good and faithful shepherd one last time.

In Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis reflected on the Sacred Heart of Jesus — the Heart that beats with boundless divine love, and that invites us to model our own human love after His.

He reminded us that God's love is not distant or abstract; it is tender, present, and deeply personal.

Christ's Heart, wounded and glorified, calls us to remember that He is always with us, even in the simplest and most ordinary parts of our lives.

If we lived with constant awareness of His abiding presence, how different our days would be.

We wouldn't be so quick to chase after the distractions and empty promises of the world.

Instead, we would find our rest — and our true joy — in the Heart that loved us first.

A Shepherd After Christ’s Own Heart

There are many things we can say about Pope Francis, but what stands out most is that he truly lived as a good shepherd.

He did not remain distant from the flock.

He rolled up his sleeves, entered into the messiness of human life, and sought out the lost, the broken, and the forgotten.

He was the shepherd who reminded us that the Great Commission is not fulfilled from behind a desk or at a comfortable distance.

It requires us to "get dirty with the sheep," to walk alongside the weary, to sit with the suffering, and to extend love to those who are hardest to love.

Pope Francis never tired of telling us that the Heart of Christ beats especially for the poor, the marginalized, and even those who hate the Church.

Like Christ, he did not come to condemn but to call all people into the merciful embrace of God.

He taught us that love — real love — is demanding.

It requires sacrifice, humility, and the willingness to pour ourselves out without counting the cost.

And yet, he also showed us that the demands of love are what ultimately lead to the fullness of life.

A Legacy of Love

As we mourn the passing of our Holy Father, we also celebrate the incredible legacy he leaves behind.

Dilexit Nos — "He loved us" — was not just the title of his encyclical.

It was the summary of his life.

He loved us — not perfectly, as only Christ can, but with a heart that tried to echo the boundless love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Today, we pray for the repose of his soul.

We ask the Good Shepherd to welcome home His faithful servant, who spent his life tending the flock entrusted to him.

And we recommit ourselves to living what Pope Francis so often asked of us:

To go out, to love without fear, to embrace the demands of mercy, and to remember that Christ is always — always — with us.

✨ We've created a special playlist to pray for the repose of the soul of our dear Holy Father Francis, listen to it on Tabella now: https://web.tabella.app/podcast/aefc22c3-424c-4949-808e-8caeebb228fb