As soon as I got up this morning, I turned on the TV to watch the coverage of Pope Francis here in our country. The first thing that I saw was his official welcome by President Obama on the White House lawn. As the Vatican anthem played, Pope Francis had his head bowed and eyes closed while the president stood tall with his chin raised. What a contrast I thought, and very telling of their leadership style. I admit I was surprised to hear the words of our president as he acknowledged the contribution of American Catholics. He also talked about how he admired Pope Francis and that his moral authority comes not just through words, but through deeds. Pope Francis responded by highlighting the importance of taking care of our common home – the earth. A little later, the pope rode in his pope-mobile to St. Matthew’s Church to address the bishops. On the way, he was met by throngs of people, kissed a few babies, and was greeted by a little girl who broke through the barriers to see him. Evidently, she was the daughter of undocumented immigrants, and gave the pope a letter about the plight of their family. I thought that was pretty courageous. As Pope Francis addressed the bishops, I thought about what a truly difficult commitment it is for our priests and how much they need our support and prayers. In the afternoon as the pope made his way to the Catholic University of America, I thought about the couple of young adults who I know there and wondered if they were in the crowds. The Mass celebrated the canonization of Junipero Serra and is the first canonization to be held in the United States. I had never heard of him before now, but my dad said that he learned about him when he was a boy in school. Now St. Junipero Serra was said to evangelize native Americans as well as help them and stand up for their dignity. The words that stood out to me most were, “The spirit of the world tells us to be like everyone else, to settle for what comes easy. Faced with this human way of thinking, we must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and for the world.” I know that there have been so many times when I have chosen not to get involved in situations, even though I felt God’s tug on my heart to do so. And I can get sucked into my computer which is actually a false sense of being involved. By the end of the coverage, Pope Francis was looking very weary and in pain. I will say some extra prayers for him tonight as I am sure many others are as well.