John Vondra

“What, exactly, is Pope Francis’s message? In a sentence, his message is: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Love is the energy at the heart of the universe. Love created the world, love sustains the world, and love unites the world. In God’s great heart, the heart that beats at the center of the universe, we are all connected, we are all one. More personally, the hope that Pope Francis articulates every day is that you will encounter the tender and transforming love of Jesus Christ.”
― Jorge Mario Bergoglio, The Spirit of Saint Francis: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis

“Among other words used in ordinary conversation, [Francis of Assisi] could never hear “the love of God” without a kind of transformation within himself. For immediately upon hearing “the love of God,” he would become excited, stirred, and inflamed, as though an inner chord of his heart had been plucked by the plectrum of the outward voice of the speaker…. “The love of him,” he said, “who loved us much is much to be loved.”1 —Thomas of Celano,The Second Life of Saint Francis”
― Jorge Mario Bergoglio, The Spirit of Saint Francis: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis

“The Lord Calls You I would like to say to those who feel far from God and from the Church—I would like to say respectfully—to all those who are fearful or indifferent: the Lord calls you too, he calls you to be a part of his people, and he does so with deep respect and love! The Lord is calling you. The Lord is seeking you. The Lord is waiting for you. The Lord does not proselytize, he loves, and this love seeks you, waits for you, you who at this moment do not believe this or are far away. And this is the love of God. Angelus, St. Peter’s Square Monday, January 6, 2014”
― Jorge Mario Bergoglio, The Spirit of Saint Francis: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis

“Some people want to know why I wished to be called Francis. For me, Francis of Assisi is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.”
― Jorge Mario Bergoglio, The Spirit of Saint Francis: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis