Are you a restless, insecure person, perhaps even a little dissatisfied with your life? These tips from Pope Francis can help you calm down, boost your self-esteem, and feel better about yourself.
“Not always a clean story”
When we feel discouraged with our own life, Pope Francis has these encouraging words for us:
Great faith is that which brings its own story, marked even by wounds, and brings it to the Lord’s feet asking Him to heal them, to give them meaning. Each one of us has our own story and it is not always (…) a clean story … Many times it is a difficult story, with a lot of pain, many misfortunes and many sins. What do I do with my story? Do I hide it? No! We must bring it before the Lord. “Lord, if You will it, you can heal me!”
Restlessness is a seed
Pope Francis holds people who are restless and uncomfortable close to his heart. He told young people in Belgium:
When I hear that a young man or woman is restless, I feel that it is my duty to serve these young people, to give a service to this restlessness, because this restlessness is like a seed, and later it will go on to give fruit. And, in this moment I feel that with you I am doing a service to that which is most precious, in this moment, which is your restlessness.
God is patient with you
Sometimes when we are restless and our story isn’t “clean” we hesitate to turn to God, fearing he might give up on us. Yet, the pope assures us that God will be patient and forgiving:
Each of us might be that servant in the parable burdened with so great a debt that he could never repay it. When we kneel before the priest in the confessional, we do exactly what that servant did. We say, “Lord, have patience with me.” Have you ever reflected on God’s patience? He is full of patience. We are well aware of our many faults and the fact that we often fall back into the same sins. Yet God never tires of offering us his forgiveness each time we ask for it.
Complete forgiveness
God’s forgiveness is key for being at peace with ourselves. Pope Francis goes on to say:
His is a pardon that is full and complete, one that assures us that, even if we fall back into the same sins, he is merciful and never ceases to love us. Like the master in the parable, God feels compassion, a mixture of pity and love; that is how the Gospel describes God’s mercy towards us. Our Father is moved to compassion whenever we repent, and he sends us home with hearts calm and at peace. He tells us that all is remitted and forgiven..
You have a unique contribution to make to the world
Forgiveness gives us peace, calms our restlessness, and invites us to take ownership of our lives once more, as the Pope tells us:
… Life is a special reality: “I want to own life, to own my life. How do I do it?” Life is owned only by giving it, by giving it. This way you will own your life! But you could say: “Even if I give my best, reality doesn’t change for the better.” It is not true. Do you know why? Because you are unique. Because no one in the world can give the world what you are called to give. Someone said the same thing to Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “But sister, you do these things with the poor, with the dying … You do so many beautiful things … But what use is this in a world so pagan, so atheist, so evil, so war-torn?” And she said: “One more drop in the ocean. If I don’t give it no one will.”
You are precious
Whenever we’re upset, the pope advises us to remember one key thing: “You are precious to God. It would be beautiful for you to say it from the heart each time you are together, to each one, from the heart: ‘You are precious; you are precious …’”
These tips, taken from public addresses of the pope, are also collected in “Buona vita,” a book with texts by the pope, published in Italian by Libreria Editrice Vaticana in collaboration with Libreria Pienogiorno.
And today we celebrate...