By Colleen Fahy
Pope Francis recently visited New York City and will continue his journey across the United States. Andrew Medchini/AP.
Pope Francis’ visit to New York City this past weekend certainly created a lot of buzz around the world. Many would say that no group was more excited than members of the Fordham community (after all, we are the Jesuit University of New York, and Pope Francis is the most popular Jesuit in the world at the moment making incredible changes to our world!)
The Pope’s homily at the vespers service at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in the heart of Manhattan Wednesday was one of the most highly-anticipated events during his time in the United States, and the service did not disappoint. While watching the live broadcast, two elements of faith mentioned in his homily touched my heart as both a religious young woman and a student of a Jesuit university, where we are taught the Jesuit ideals of being “men and women for others” and, above all, thinking outside of ourselves in an effort to “go set the world on fire.”
The first thought-provoking point made by Pope Francis regarded the idea of a spirit of gratitude; many of us receive so many blessings in our lives whether we believe it is done by God’s hand or some other form, and Pope Francis urges us to recall these things with a grace of remembrance. This grace calls us to remember the road we traveled on to get where we are today, and to acknowledge how far we have come and to feel grateful for our achievements. A line that particularly struck me from the homily was about the “remembrance of the amazement which our encounter with Jesus Christ awakens in our hearts.” Immediately, I thought of my own time at Fordham working with Campus Ministry and being a part of all the wonderful events they carry out around the Fordham community.
I grew up in a Catholic home, so Jesus Christ has always been a part of my life. However, I never fully appreciated the peace my faith could give me until I came to college. During my freshman year, I made a point of going to weekly 8 p.m. Mass and the routine has stuck with me today as a junior.
There was not one huge, life-changing moment that solidified my relationship with Jesus, but going to Mass and feeling the whole Fordham family come together as one despite different majors, hometowns and interests has definitely been an experience that awakened my heart to all the good around me.
When Pope Francis asked “Are we good at counting our blessings?” I really reflected on how going to Mass on campus gives me a sense of peace. For the hour while I am there I do not think about the stress of things that sometimes feel like they will overtake me, I only think about the good things in my life that will never be taken away.
The other outstanding element of faith Pope Francis spoke about was the spirit of hard work. He described how God wants us to serve others and pay forward all the good graces we receive as this is the truest way of making the world a better place. With a shout out to the Jesuit value of “men and women for others”, the Pope examined how the “closeness to the poor, the refugee, the immigrant, the sick, the exploited, the elderly living alone, prisoners and all God’s other poor, will teach us a different way of resting, one which is more Christian and generous”. When I thought about this idea in terms of my own life, I thought of the service projects I have been lucky enough to have participated in throughout my two years at Fordham.
During my freshman year, I was a part of a Martin Luther King Day of Service with a small group of Fordham students. We traveled to an elementary school across from campus to play games and tutor children as part of an after-school program. During my sophomore year, I spent my spring break in New Orleans working with Lantern Light Ministry at the St. Joseph Rebuild Center for lower-income individuals in need of food, medicine and other resources.
Now, as a junior, I look forward to any opportunity through Fordham or otherwise where I can go and serve my community. I think part of the reason I look forward to these types of projects is that I have truly been influenced to think outside of myself as a part of my larger Jesuit education. This reminded me of what Pope Francis was saying: we must take time to rejuvenate and take care of ourselves, but we must do so in a way in that we never lose sight of those less fortunate who need our help.
I think a spirit of gratitude and hard work are perfect things for everyone to contemplate, but I feel that as Fordham students, it is a topic that hits home and causes us all to reflect on our behaviors.
Colleen Fahy, FCRH ’17, is a communication and media studies major from Newtown, Connecticut.
